Mongols from ancient times were engaged in the cattle raising and for their meals and drinks were used to process in various ways the milk and meat of their domesticated animal for their everyday consumption. They also used for their food the meats of wild animals, wild and sown plants, grains and seeds, cereals, fruits and delicacies as a side-dish and seasonings.

The Mongolian cuisine is divided into diary and meat food. The meat food comprises the meals made of pure and fresh meat alone. The uncut meat is being boiled together with other seasoning and flavoring with vegetables and served, the uncut meat is also used for making such national peculiar dishes as “horhog” (pieces of meat cooked by means of meat into a sealed vessel together with the red-hot stones inside) and “boodog” (the whole of goat, marmot cooked with red-hot stone put inside). The meat of various animals is being used to cook bouillon, broth, a dish of meat roasted with vegetables, buuz (a kind of bigger dumplings), huushuur (fried meat pie). Making use of the meat and dressed carcass and internal organs and delicious dishes are being cooked. There is a rich tradition to prepare various food, meals dishes also using the meat of such wild animals as bore, brown antelope, marmot and so on. During the last years people in the country are becoming more adapted to making dishes and food out of pork and chicken most widely.

Mongols celebrate such many big state and religious anniversaries and events as well as civilian festivals and festivities as the lunar new year (called Tsagaan sar in Mongolian White Moon), making offerings to mountains and ovoo (sacred pile of stones), welcoming foreign guests and distinguished delegates, national holidays, putting a new dwelling (ger), making weddings, cutting baby’s hair, catching foals for making fermented mare’s milk (a national refreshing drink called “airag”), making a felt and so on. Special food and dishes are offered for these occasions and festivals. These meals for honored guests are different than those of everyday food. The mutton is considered to be the most respected meal and this is why mutton has a priority use for all honored occasions. Depending on the significance of each event and festivity the whole carcass of mutton or certain parts of mutton is cooked and prepared in special ways and means and offered for selection.

Meals and dishes prepared without meat is called “a white food” which includes: various diary products, flour, rice, sweet, raisins, fruits and various vegetables.

Most important food products for the Mongols are the diary products, produced through thorough processing the yield of milk-colostrums, milk cream, sour cream, butter, husam (a sediment on the bottom of a kettle after boiling milk), melted butter. Moreover, they by way of fermenting prepare the cow and she-camel milk drink and thick sour milk called hoormog or clabber, mare’s airag –fermented mare’s milk and various yogurts of cow, sheep and goat milk. By boiling the clabber and yogurt they make aarts –curds fro sour milk; by coagulating the milk they prepare curdled milk curds called –eedem, cheese and curdled cheese; through pushing the sour milk curds they make dried curds and a kind of hard cheese –called huruu and the like mane other kinds of diary products and soft drinks.

Mongols in addition to diary products also produce and use broadly for their everyday consumption pastry, cookies, cookies fried in butter oil, bread and confectioneries, using various fruits.

The main drink for Mongols is a tea with milk, milk, airag and alcoholic beverages. Mongols cherish the tea with milk as the best of food set and this is why the tea is offered first to a guest in respect, which is a long living tradition of Mongols. The tea with milk is prepared out of traditional hard green tea after having crushed it into a power, puts a small quantity into a boiling water and when after a while it is brewed adds milk and salt by proportion, ladles up and pours back thoroughly for a while boiling then tasty milk tea is ready to serve. The given tea may be prepared in various manners adding a small amount of rice, flour, dumplings and a boiled or melted butter.

Airag or the fermented mare’s milk is a delicious and the most liked drink by Mongols all over the country and there are being made several types and kinds of airags as cow milk, she-camel milk, sheep and goat milk and so on. But the most respected and desirable drink is the mare’s fermented milk. Mare’s milk is not only tasty and nutritious, but it has an important and genuinely curing medical properties. Airag or fermented mare’s milk is used everyday by people as well as it is especially preferred to drink on all occasions of wedding, festivals and vacations, during all significant celebrations widely.

From very ancient times people adapted to distil a vodka out of cattle milk, but this beverage is being offered only on special cases as an expression of respect and honor during wedding ceremonies, national days and celebration events according to a very tough rules and conduct.