Mongolian food reflects the cultural tradition of nomadism. It is largely based on meat and milk and is low on spice. Key to the cuisine are the ‘five snouts’ – horses, sheep, goats, camels and yaks. The cultural importance of horses doesn’t protect them from having a key role in the Mongolian diet, and horse meat is widely available. Yak milk and yaks’ cheese are particularly key to the Mongolian diet, used in soups and curds. Mongolia has a barbecue tradition known as khorkhog, a mutton and vegetable stew cooked for several hours over an open fire. Meat dumplings are common, though in contrast to their Chinese relatives, they’re made from thick dough and often fried. Another popular dish is tsuivan, a hearty noodle stew made with roughly cut noodles combined in stock with meat, usually mutton, vegetables, and sometimes curd made from yak’s milk. Don’t expect to eat Mongolian Beef in Mongolia – despite the name, the recipe is believed to have been invented in China or Taiwan. Regular cows couldn’t survive the harsh Mongolian winter, anyway.