Kumis Milk
By: Anonymous

About

Kumis is made by fermenting mare's milk over the course of hours or days, often while stirring or churning. (The physical agitation has similarities to making butter). During the fermentation, Lactobacilli bacteria acidify the milk, and yeasts turn it into a carbonated and mildly alcoholic drink.

Information
Other names: airag
Translations: Kumis Piens, Kumis Pienas, Kumis Lapte, Mlijeko Kumis, Kumis sữa, Mleka Kumis, Melk Kumis, Kumis दूध, Milk kumis, Молоко Кумыс, Kumis Γάλα, Kumis الحليب, Kumis 밀크, Kumis mléko, Кумис млека, Kumis牛奶, Kumis Llet, Kumis Mleko, Kumis mlieko, Kumis Latte, Kumis חלב, Kumis Mjölk, Kumis Susu, クミスミルク, Lait Kumis, Kumis Mælk, Kumis Leche, Молоко Кумис, Kumissi Maito, Кумис Мляко


Physical Description
Milk-like.
Colors: White.


Tasting Notes
Flavors: Slightly sour
Mouthfeel: Creamy
Substitutes: Other varieties of milk


Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: january, february, march, april, may, june, july, august, september, opctober, november, december
Choosing: Fresh smelling and looking.
Buying: Even  in  the  areas  of  the  world  where  kumis  is  popular  today,  mare's  milk  remains  a  very  limited  commodity, especially in the US.
Procuring: Before  fermentation, the  cow's  milk  is  fortified  in  one  of  several  ways.  Sucrose may  be  added,  to  allow  a  comparable  fermentation.  Another  technique  adds  modified  whey in  order  to  better  approximate  the  composition  of  mare's  milk.  
In  modern  controlled  production,  the  initial  fermentation  takes  two  to  five  hours  at  a  temperature  of  around  27°C  (80°F);  this  may  be  followed  by  a  cooler  aging  period.  The  finished  product  contains  between  0.7  and  2.5%  alcohol.  


Preparation and Use
As  indicated  above,  kumis   is  usually  served  cold  or  chilled.  Traditionally  it  is  sipped  out  of  small,  handle-less,  bowl-shaped  cups  or  saucers,  called  pialkas  . 


Conserving and Storing
When stored, milk should be refrigerated, placed in the center of the refrigerator close to the optimum cooling temperature for freshness. When it spoils, the milk will emit a sour aroma that should be easily detected. 


Social/Political
The  drink  remains  important  to  the  people  of  the  Central Asian steppes, including  the  Turks, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols, Yakuts and  Uzbeks. 
History: In  Mongolia,  the  milking  season  for  horses  traditionally  runs  between  mid-June  and  early  October.  During  one  season,  a  mare  produces  approximately  1,000  to  1,200  kilograms  of  milk,  of  which  about  half  is  left  to  the  foals.  
The  serving  of  it  is  an  essential  part  of  Kyrgyz  hospitality  on  the  jailoo   or  high  pasture,  where  they  keep  their  herds  of  animals  ( horse, cattle, and  sheep) during  the  summer  phase  of  transhumance. 
In  2005,  George W. Bush visited  Mongolia, becoming  the  first  U.S. president to  do  so,  "and  probably  the  first  to  drink  fermented  mare's  milk  in  a  felt tent guarded  by  the  latter-day  Golden Horde and  a  herd  of  camels  and  yaks",  according  to  the  Washington Post.