Preparations of' Milk used by the Kalmuck Tartars. 361 



drop of the milk-brandy to be presently described, or a little of 

 the curdled milk that is found in the stomach of young lambs. „ 



All the preparations of milk are comprehended under the 

 name of Tchigan. The drinks prepared from pure mare's milk 

 (the Koumys of the Tartars), are named Gunna Tchigan, 

 or Horse Tchigan ; those into which mare's milk and cow's 

 milk enter, are called Besrek ; sour cow's milk is named Airek, 

 and all kinds of fresh milk, Ussoun. 



In summer, and in general whenever their flocks yield them 

 much milk, the Kalmucks do not fail to inebriate themselves 

 with the strong drink which they derive from it. Mare's milk 

 affords most spirit, and the milk of the cow affords much less, 

 especially in winter when the fodder is dry. Sheep's milk is 

 never employed, as it does not contain spirit. 



The milk intended for distillation is only allowed to remain 

 twenty-four hours, in summer, in the skin-bottles to sour ; but 

 in winter, and in cold weather, it may be left two or three days 

 to be rendered fit for distillation. The cream is not taken off; 

 on the contrary, the milk is agitated very strongly, from time to 

 time, with the stick, and the butter which forms of itself on the 

 milk, or even on the common Tchigan, is removed and employed 

 for other uses. 



Notwithstanding the numerous testimonies on the subject, 

 and the daily experience, not of the nomadic tribes alone, but 

 also of all the Russians, many people in Europe cannot conceive 

 how a spiritous and inebriating liquor could be obtained from 

 milk. But it cannot be supposed that those travellers who have 

 repeatedly seen these tribes distil their brandy from milk, with- 

 out adding the least vegetable matter to the original liquid, and 

 then, in their unbridled passion for debauch, drink until thev 

 stagger and fall, have said so merely to impose upon the public. 

 Nor can it be objected that the weakness of their head rendeis 

 them liable to be easily inebriated by the vapours of the milk, 

 for the Kalmucks can take very large quantities of grain brandy 

 without losing the use of their legs ; and there are Russians, 

 who, although professedly great drinkers, are sooner inebriated 

 than the Kalmucks by milk-brandy, and often even by the sour 

 milk of marcs, and yet arc extremely fond of this kind of drink. 

 I am aware that strangers have in vain tried to make milk- 



