Mongolia: Reindeer (Food) Culture

Eurasianet contributor Pearly Jacob recently filed a fantastic piece about the Tasaatan people, traditional reindeer herders who live in Mongolia and who are struggling to maintain their ancient way of life. The story (with great photos) can be found here.

Curious to find out more about the story, I sent the author a few questions that dig deeper into the culinary aspect of reindeer herding (the animals are used mostly for their milk, not meat) in Mongolia. Here's our exchange: 

What can you tell us about reindeer milk?

Reindeer Milk is incredibly creamy and thick. The fat makes up for the surprisingly low yield of milk, which is just about 200 grams a day. I was told fresh reindeer milk is much too strong to drink by itself. Milk is usually used to make Tsu tei Chai, the traditional salted milk tea in Mongolia. Milk given to babies is also always diluted with water. There's a certain wild taste to reindeer milk I can only compare to the difference in taste between venison and beef - a wilder, stronger taste.

Do the Tsaatan turn the milk into anything else, like cheese or yogurt?
Tsaatan do make yogurt, cream and dried curds and cheeses from reindeer milk. The methods are the same as the rest of Mongolia except nomads on the steppe use goat's and cow's milk. I was offered some Reindeer yogurt, and it was the sourest yogurt I've ever had, with an almost sharp taste to it. I have to admit it wasn't the most Epicurean experience. An interesting thing many Tsataan do to preserve their milk is to dunk metal container full of milk deep into a stream or river - water temperatures rarely rise above a couple of degree Celsius in the Taiga - it's impossible to wade across even for a few minutes without your toes freezing. Perfect natural refrigeration.

You wrote the reindeer are rarely eaten. Did anyone explain why?
Folk stories narrate how the Tsaatan descended from reindeer. The reindeer is revered and respected and only the oldest animals are slaughtered for meat. It's an intricate relationship where the reindeer are relied on as important means of transportation and source for milk. The reindeer have always traditionally ridden their reindeer to hunt wild game as they can move swiftly across snow and the slush the Taiga turns to when the ground thaws. So they have never been raised as food except for their milk. It's incredible to see how domesticated the reindeer are. They roam freely and even enter the homes of the Tsaatan without being chased out (except when the tepee is too small to contain their antlers, that is). I've seen reindeer calves enter the tepees called 'ortz' here, and sniff around like puppies. Much like most westerners view eating horse meat as slightly awkward, I guess the same goes for the Tsaatan and their reindeer.

What do the Tsaatan eat?
Subsistence hunting of wild game like elk and boar has always been the integral food source of the Tsaatan, but hunting laws have become more and more strict to control the wildlife trade in these parts and the Tsaatan are slowly getting cut off from their traditional food sources. Now most people rely on wheat brought in from nearby towns and bread has become the staple diet. People buy mutton and dry it when they can. Hunting large mammals without permits was made illegal in 2005 and as a result people are forced to rely on their reindeer for meat when they can't afford to buy the same. A few Tsaatan have also started keeping a few goats and sheep for meat. But killing a young reindeer for meat almost never happens.

Any memorable culinary experiences from your time with them?
Having a reindeer nuzzle you for salt is a rather memorable experience. The taiga was beautiful and the 8-hour horse ride to the nearest camp through the slush and vivid colors of the taiga was indeed a very special experience that stays with you. I have travelled and lived with nomads across Mongolia but seeing the way the Tsaatan allowed their dogs to enter their homes and sleep by the fire is something you will not see in any other part of Mongolia. There does seem to be a greater regard for their animals and they are seen as something more than just a commodity.