a pen, protected from the wolves who I hear howling at night. I roll out my sleeping bag and crawl into its soft shell. I can see the stars through the hole in the roof crown, glittering in the night sky. I turn over the events and experiences of the day in my mind. The nomad family is not asleep yet. They have a second jurte, which they move into out of respect for us. Sukhee sits with them there, smoking and telling stories. I hear a friendly exchange of banter and the popping of balloons in the darkness.
Baga Gazriin Chuluu – Granite rocks and a ruined monastery in the middle of the Gobi desert.
After milking is complete, the milk is boiled up. As a result of the frothing-up caused by the boiling, the cream separates off and forms a layer on the surface of the milk.
A goat is slaughtered in our honour.
The animals are penned in at night to protect them from the ever-present wolves.
Tsaagan Arkhi (Vodka of the Mongolian steppes)
Milk schnapps is made from fermented yoghurt (Tsagaa). This “Steppes Vodka” or Tsagaan Arkhi is still distilled today from the fermented yoghurt from goat, cattle, horse or camel milk. Approximately 18 litres are heated up on the stove in the jurte. A cooling dish filled with water is positioned about 35 mm above the yoghurt on a metal casing. The alcohol condenses on this cooling dish and then drips into another collecting tray or is fed off through a pipe into a bottle. Some families also hang goat and sheep meat in the casing during the distilling process. The Mongolians know that meat that has been impregnated in this way, is a good treatment against tiredness and allergies.
Depending on how strong the fermented yoghurt is, up to three distillations can be made. The first one is called Okhi, the second Arz and the third distillation made from the same yoghurt is called Khorz. There are no foreshots and aftershots than can damage your health here, as is the case when distilling from mash, because the yoghurt doesn’t contain any damaging alcohol types or fusel oil. Aaruul is mainly made from the yoghurt leftovers after the distilling process. This is then dried on the roof of the jurte.
Distilling milk schnapps. The fermented yoghurt is heated.
A metal distillation dish is placed over the boiling yoghurt, then the distillate runs off into the bottle
Granite rocks at Baga Gazriin Chuluu.
Tsagaan Suvarga – A prominent rock formation in the middle of the Gobi. The colouration of the ground indicates the presence of minerals.
Ongiin Khiid – The Monastery in the middle of the Gobi.
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