Inner Mongolia

Kumis , alternatively spelled coumis or kumyz,[a] also known as airag (/ˈaɪræɡ/ EYE-rag),[b] is a traditional fermented dairy product made from mare milk. The drink is important to the peoples of the Central and East Asian steppes, of Turkic and Mongolic origin: Kazakhs, Bashkirs, Kalmyks, Kyrgyz, Mongols, and Yakuts. Kumis was historically consumed by the Khitans, Jurchens, Magyars, and Han Chinese of North China as well.

Milk tea refers to several forms of beverage found in many cultures, consisting of some combination of tea and milk. The term milk tea is used for both hot and cold drinks that can be combined with various kinds of milks and a variety of spices. This is a popular way to serve tea in many countries, and is the default type of tea in many South Asian countries. Beverages vary based on the amount of each of these key ingredients, the method of preparation, and the inclusion of other ingredients Milk tea is the default type of tea in India and Pakistan and referred to as chai. Milk tea has been a global sensation ever since the 21st century. It is well-known in many countries such as the United States, Great Britain, Malaysia, India, and most prominently in China, and other Asian countries. The recipes for milk tea mainly consist of a tea base, milk, added sugar, and other added ingredients such as fruits, and creamer. The drink is popular for its rich tea flavor, affordability, pretty aesthetics, sweetness, and diversity that appeals to many people, which is similar to coffee in the drink market. The drink is especially popular among teenagers and young adults for its visuals and large variety. The milk tea industry is likely to continue to grow due to its rising popularity in the global market. The sugar that balances the milk and tea from the cultural beverage is leading to a larger consumption among people daily. This has caused an increase in milk tea shops all around the world in recent years. The popularity of milk tea pushes the industry to pursue more supply chains and new products.

Suutei tsai is a traditional Mongolian beverage. The drink is also known as süütei tsai, tsutai tsai, salt tea, or Mongolian salty tea. The ingredients to suutei tsai are typically water, milk, tea leaves and salt. A simple recipe might call for one quart of water, one quart of milk, a tablespoon of green tea, and one teaspoon of salt. However the ingredients often vary. Some recipes use green tea while others use black tea. Some recipes even include butter or fat. Milk in Mongolia is typically fresh, whole milk, and using half milk and half cream instead of only processed milk produces a rich beverage close to the authentic. The amount of salt in the tea is often varied. Another common addition to suutei tsai is fried millet.

A deer or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) and Capreolinae (which includes, among others reindeer (caribou), white-tailed deer, roe deer, and moose). Male deer of almost all species (except the water deer), as well as female reindeer, grow and shed new antlers each year. These antlers are bony extensions of the skull and are often used for combat between males. The musk deer (Moschidae) of Asia and chevrotains (Tragulidae) of tropical African and Asian forests are separate families that are also in the ruminant clade Ruminantia; they are not especially closely related to Cervidae.

Grilled or roasted mutton, lamb, beef, horse, camel, roe deer, eaten using the fingers

Crisp fried hazel grouse

Hulun Lake is known for its diverse fish population, including carp, crucian, and red-tail fish, which are fresh and nutritious. The lake supports an annual fish production of about 7,000 tons, and local cuisine features a variety of fish dishes, often served in elaborate banquets.

Jiaozi are a type of Chinese dumpling. Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together. Jiaozi can be boiled (shuǐjiǎo), steamed (zhēngjiǎo), pan-fried (jiānjiǎo), or deep-fried (zhàjiǎo), and are traditionally served with a black vinegar and sesame oil dip. They can also be served in a soup (tāng jiǎo). Jiaozi have great cultural significance within China. Jiaozi are one of the major dishes eaten during the Chinese New Year throughout northern China and eaten all year round in the northern provinces. Their resemblance to the gold and silver ingots (sycee) used in Imperial China has meant that they symbolize wealth and good fortune.

Khuushuur is a meat pastry that is popular in Mongolia, which is similar to recipes in Russian and other cuisines like Chebureki or Jiucai hezi. It is a circle of wheat flour dough folded in half around a filling of minced or ground beef, mutton, or camel, and ground up or deep fried. The seasoning of the meat is with onion and salt (and sometimes garlic) and once served, Khuushuur can be eaten as is or accompanied by ketchup or Maggi sauce. Aside from the traditional meat-filled version, there are alternative preparations of Khuushuur. Some variations replace the meat filling with carrots, cabbage (although less popular), or mashed potatoes. These vegetable versions can retain a distinctive taste of mutton due to the use of cooking oil. In a restaurant it is served four to an order with a lettuce leaf and gherkins on the side, or sometimes carrot salad in more high-end establishments. Media related to Khuushuur at Wikimedia Commons

Mongolian barbecue is a method of preparing stir-fried noodle dishes. Despite its name, the dish is not Mongolian, nor was it influenced by Mongolian cuisine. It was developed in Taiwan by a Chinese expat during the 1950s. Furthermore, it is also unrelated to actual barbecue traditions (such as American or Korean barbecue), since it is not cooked on a perforated grill above the smoke of an open flame, but rather a specialized flatiron grill. It has more in common with Teppanyaki. Mongolian barbecue was created by Taiwanese comedian and restaurateur Wu Zhaonan. A native of Beijing, Wu fled to Taiwan after the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War, and opened a street food stall in Yingqiao [zh], Taipei in 1951. While he initially wished to name the dish "Beijing barbecue", due to political sensitivity associated with the city which had been recently designated as the capital of the People's Republic of China, the name "Mongolian barbecue" was chosen despite the lack of connection to Mongolia. Wu's food stall attracted a wide clientele including diplomats and wealthy businesspeople despite serving a relatively cheap and unsophisticated dish;[citation needed] however, it was later destroyed by flooding originating from a typhoon during which Wu almost drowned. He was later able to develop a highly successful career as a comedian and left the restaurant business. Numerous imitators emerged to capitalize on the popularity of the dish he created, including Genghis Khan, Tang Palace, Great Khan, and Heavenly Khan. The dish was later successfully introduced outside Taiwan.

Thin slices of lamb/sheep cooked using a hot pot

Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, Ovis aries, and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in their second, and mutton, from older sheep. Generally, "hogget" and "sheep meat" are not used by consumers outside Norway, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, and Australia. Hogget has become more common in England, particularly in the North (Lancashire and Yorkshire) often in association with rare breed and organic farming. In South Asian and Caribbean cuisine, "mutton" often means goat meat. At various times and places, "mutton" or "goat mutton" has occasionally been used to mean goat meat.

Naked oat pasta, known as Youmian Kaolaolao, is a staple in northern China's Shanxi province, made from a unique species of oat called 'Youmai'. It has a smooth texture, is eaten like rice or noodles, and is traditionally paired with lamb or mutton soup in Shanxi and Inner Mongolia.

Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living Avian Dinosaur, with adult common ostriches weighing anywhere between 63.5 and 145 kilograms and laying the largest eggs of any living land animal. With the ability to run at 97 km/h , they are the fastest bipedal animals on land second only to the cheetah. They are farmed worldwide, with significant industries in the Philippines and in Namibia. South Africa produces about 70% of global ostrich products, with the industry largely centered around the town of Oudtshoorn. Ostrich leather is a lucrative commodity, and the large feathers are used as plumes for the decoration of ceremonial headgear. Ostrich eggs and meat have been used by humans for millennia. Ostrich oil is another product that is made using ostrich fat.

An ox , also known as a bullock (in British, Australian, and Indian English), is a large bovine, trained and used as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle, because castration inhibits testosterone and aggression, which makes the males docile and safer to work with. Cows (adult females) or bulls (intact males) may also be used in some areas. Oxen are used for ploughing, for transport (pulling carts, hauling wagons and even riding), for threshing grain by trampling, and for powering machines that grind grain or supply irrigation among other purposes. Oxen may be also used to skid logs in forests, particularly in low-impact, select-cut logging. Oxen are usually yoked in pairs. Light work such as carting household items on good roads might require just one pair, while for heavier work, further pairs would be added as necessary. A team used for a heavy load over difficult ground might exceed nine or ten pairs.

Ravioli are a type of stuffed pasta comprising a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough. Usually served in broth or with a sauce, they originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine. Ravioli are commonly square, though other forms are also used, including circular and semi-circular (mezzelune). Ravioli appear in the 14th-century cookbook The Forme of Cury under the name of rauioles.

Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, Ovis aries, and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in their second, and mutton, from older sheep. Generally, "hogget" and "sheep meat" are not used by consumers outside Norway, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, and Australia. Hogget has become more common in England, particularly in the North (Lancashire and Yorkshire) often in association with rare breed and organic farming. In South Asian and Caribbean cuisine, "mutton" often means goat meat. At various times and places, "mutton" or "goat mutton" has occasionally been used to mean goat meat.

Shumai is a type of traditional Chinese dumpling made of ground pork. In Cantonese cuisine, it is usually served as a dim sum snack. In addition to accompanying the Chinese diaspora, variations of shumai are found in Japan and Southeast Asia, such as the Indonesian siomay. In Australia, it developed into dim sim. This is the most well-known variety outside of Asia and is from the southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. As prepared in Cantonese cuisine, siumaai is also referred to as "pork and mushroom dumpling". Its standard filling consists primarily of ground pork, small whole or chopped shrimp, Chinese black mushroom, green onion (also called scallion) and ginger with seasonings of Chinese rice wine (e.g. Shaoxing rice wine), soy sauce, sesame oil and chicken stock. Bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and pepper can also be added. The outer covering is made of a thin sheet of lye water dough, which is either yellow or white. The center is usually garnished with an orange dot, made of crab roe or diced carrot, although a green dot made with a pea may be used. The decorative presentations vary.[citation needed] A fish paste variety of siumaai is sold as a popular street food in Hong Kong, usually alongside curry fishballs. It is most often eaten with a sweet soy sauce and/or chili oil.[citation needed]

Camel hoof is boiled for hours and the gelatinous tendon and meat are molded into the shape of a camel's hoof and topped with meringue, named after camel footprints on the Silk Road in the Qilian Mountains

Spit-roasted sheep

Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment, and used as a fat in baking, sauce-making, pan frying, and other cooking procedures. Most frequently made from cow's milk, butter can also be manufactured from the milk of other mammals, including sheep, goats, buffalo, and yaks. It is made by churning milk or cream to separate the fat globules from the buttermilk. Salt has been added to butter since antiquity to help preserve it, particularly when being transported; salt may still play a preservation role but is less important today as the entire supply chain is usually refrigerated. In modern times, salt may be added for taste. Food coloring is sometimes added to butter. Rendering butter, removing the water and milk solids, produces clarified butter, or ghee, which is almost entirely butterfat.

Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for Hindu religious rituals. Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is obtained by churning cream, skimming any impurities from the surface, then pouring and retaining the clear liquid fat while discarding the solid residue that settles at the bottom. Spices can be added for flavor. The texture, color, and taste of ghee depend on the quality of the butter, the milk used in the process, and the duration of boiling.

Buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, rice, sorghum, wheat

Inner Mongolia is known for its traditional cheese, which is often made from milk and comes in various forms, including cheese balls and milk beans. These dairy products are a significant part of the local cuisine and reflect the region's rich pastoral culture.

Millet stir fried in butter, mixed with crème, cheese, mutton

Inner Mongolian sesame pancakes, known as "shaobing," are a type of layered flatbread that is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, often topped with sesame seeds. They are commonly enjoyed as a breakfast item and can be served with various fillings or alongside dishes like milk tea.

Shumai is a type of traditional Chinese dumpling made of ground pork. In Cantonese cuisine, it is usually served as a dim sum snack. In addition to accompanying the Chinese diaspora, variations of shumai are found in Japan and Southeast Asia, such as the Indonesian siomay. In Australia, it developed into dim sim. This is the most well-known variety outside of Asia and is from the southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. As prepared in Cantonese cuisine, siumaai is also referred to as "pork and mushroom dumpling". Its standard filling consists primarily of ground pork, small whole or chopped shrimp, Chinese black mushroom, green onion (also called scallion) and ginger with seasonings of Chinese rice wine (e.g. Shaoxing rice wine), soy sauce, sesame oil and chicken stock. Bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and pepper can also be added. The outer covering is made of a thin sheet of lye water dough, which is either yellow or white. The center is usually garnished with an orange dot, made of crab roe or diced carrot, although a green dot made with a pea may be used. The decorative presentations vary.[citation needed] A fish paste variety of siumaai is sold as a popular street food in Hong Kong, usually alongside curry fishballs. It is most often eaten with a sweet soy sauce and/or chili oil.[citation needed]