Having penned the last pages of his masterpiece War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy found himself immensely drawn to intricacies of the Greek language. Long hours of self-education paired with other troubling issues had detrimental effects on the writer’s health; he felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally.
Upon a strong suggestion of his wife, he headed to Samara, Russia to take up 'kumis' therapy. Two months later, he wrote to his brother that he was in a much better health condition and that he fell in love with kumis, an extraordinary beverage of health and youth.
‘What kind of therapy would you care for?’ ‘Kumis one please’
Kumis is a fermented beverage made from unpasteurized mare milk. Foamy and pearly white with a sourish taste, it undoubtedly belongs to the gastronomic list of 'love or hate' foods, just like the infamous 'Durian' of Southeast Asia or sticky 'Natto' of the Land of the Rising Sun. Some fall in love with the drink, yet others find its unique flavor weird if not utterly disgusting. Whatever capricious connoisseurs may say, this drink seems to comprise an array of vitamins and has extraordinary health benefits one can imagine.
The process of making kumis is uncomplicated, although milking unruly mares could present a challenge: The fresh mare milk is fermented for a certain period of time - the process involves substantial churning of the milk with a special stick called 'bishkek.'
Assumedly, the more it is stirred, the better the quality and taste of kumis is. Nomadic tribes used to make and keep the beverage in a horsehide vessel, which would accomodate16 liters to 150 liters. Kumis preserved this way was remarkable for its smooth taste and foamy consistence and was thus a preferred choice of gourmands.
Health benefits
Abundant in ferments, antibiotics, vitamins A, B1, B2, B13, D, E, C, ethyl alcohol, lactic acid and carbonic acid, it has a healing effect on the gastrointestinal tract, metabolism, cardiovascular and nervous systems. It strengthens the immune system and fights effectively against emaciation and anemia. In the past, many tuberculosis patients resorted to this remedy - it did not disappoint any in hope of recovery.
Most importantly, the medicinal effects of kumis have been proved by clinical testing.
A bit of history
It is hard to believe, but kumis may be the oldest dairy product, as it was an essential part of ancient cuisines some 5,500 years ago. Homer, describing the lifestyle of Scythian tribes, mentions the process of making kumis in his works. According to Herodotus, ancient tribes were so afraid of information leak that they would blind any slaves who would be familiar with the secrets of kumis technology.
Marco Polo compared kumis to white wine, and in the 19th century, it was introduced in Europe as a healing remedy against madness and nervous breakdown. The alien drink was nicknamed "white champagne."
Nomadic tribes introduced kumis to Rus only in the XII century. It was first mentioned in chronicles of Ipatyevski 1182, which describes the escape of Prince Igor Seversky from Polovtsian captors as the guards were intoxicated by the mysterious drink referred to as "milky wine."
In present times kumis is undeniably a jewel in cuisines of peoples of Turkic and Mongol origins, such as Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Yakuts and Mongols.
So if you happen to travel in that corner of the world where people worship the bitter sour taste of kumis, don't miss your lucky chance and go for it. It is unlikely you will fully appreciate its bizarre flavor at first try, but at least you can be assured that you will be drinking perhaps the oldest, dairy product in the world.
Kamila Sluni - Dear Reader, It is my great pleasure to meet you and I hope we will have a long and engaging journey together Here are some snippets ...
