the most popular mongolian foods
Iâve been back several times since then, and have witnessedâand eatenâsome of the changes firsthand. Nevertheless, some of Mongoliaâs traditional dishes are deeply revered and continue to be extremely popular. The first thing that you have to know about Mongolian food is that the two most fundamental ingredients are mutton and flour. Weâre talking mutton, not lamb. The difference is in the age of the animal, and therefore in how gamey the meat is. In various parts of the country, people also eat beef, horse, goat, yak, camel, and game animals (such as marmot) as well. Meat is a mainstay in most Mongolian dishes. The food Iâll describe below was all made with mutton, but other proteins are sometimes substituted. White rice is also eaten fairly regularly, but is not nearly as popular as flour-based dishes. One of the most popular foods in Mongolia is a steamed mutton dumpling, called buuz (pictured below, photo credit). The buuz filling is often made with ground mutton, salt, and onion. The exterior flour shell is similar to that of a potsticker, although sometimes a bit thicker.