54 FOOD AND BEVERAGES. 



gently simmered over a slow fire, and then allowed 

 to stand for some time, after which the thick cream 

 is skimmed off and dried, and roasted millet often 

 added to it. Ihe whey is prepared from sour 

 skimmed milk, and is made into small dry lumps 

 of cheese. Lastly, the kumiss {iaj^astwi),^ is pre- 

 pared from mares' or sheep's milk ; all through the 

 summer it is considered the greatest luxury, and 

 Mongols are in the habit of constantly riding to visit 

 their friends and taste the tarasum till they generally 

 become intoxicated. They are all inclined to indulge 

 too freely, although drunkenness is net so rife among 

 them as it is in some more civilised countries. They 

 buy brandy from the Chinese when they themselves 

 visit China with their caravans, or from itinerant 

 Cliinese merchants, who in summer visit all parts of 

 Mongolia, exchanging their wares for wool, skins, and 

 cattle. This trade is very profitable to the latter, as 

 they generally sell their goods on credit, charging 

 exorbitant interest, and receiving payment in kind, 

 reckoned at prices far below the real value. 



Tea and milk constitute the chief food of the 

 Mongols all the year round, but they are equally 

 fond of mutton. The highest praise they can bestow 

 on any food is to say that it is ' as good as mutton.' 

 Sheep, like camels, are sacred ; indeed all their do- 

 mestic animals are emblems of some good qualities. 

 The favourite part is the tail which is pure fat. In 

 autumn, when the grass is of the poorest description, 

 the sheep fatten wonderfully, and the fatter the 



' See S^\pplementary Note. 



