I made Khotun Khan's fermented milk from Ghost of Tsushima - Mongolian Airag

This is what the Ghost of Tsushima ate! • What did the Ghost of ...
I made Khotun Khan's fermented milk from the PS4 game, Ghost of Tsushima. This drink is called 'Airag' and is a traditional mongolian drink made with fermented mare's milk. It has a creamy, sweet, and tangy flavor and is refreshing on a hot summer day! There's no wonder that we see Khotun Khan constantly drinking the stuff!
This drink is enjoyed across central Asia and also goes by the name of Kumis. You can often find these in stores in those parts of the country, but in Japan, it's a little more difficult to find! So I made my own kumis recipe and I'll show you how to make it at home and what it tastes like!

[@gantulgaganhuyag717]

Okay so you made tarag and calling it airag hahahaha. Sorry I am Mongolian and i am happy someone trying out Mongolian stuff. Ok let me explain it to you a little bit. Tarag is made when you ferment cow milk. Tarag is bitter and good drink for kids as they don’t usually contain alcohol also curdy and that is how we also make curds. Now Airag can only be made from mare milk. Horse milk is very different to cow milk and more like camel milk. When fermented, horse milk is called airag and it’s little bit alcoholic content is no more than 1-3% volume. Camel milk when fermented is called khoormog. So cow milk when fermented = tarag Camel milk = Khoormog Mare milk = airag

[@southeastidahosuccessteam1491]

It could be that because he mixed it with lactose powder, that is was more like mares milk than cow. Not sure. But do you know what they used for yeast? They obviously didn't have wine or bread yeast. Was wondering if it was just wild yeast?

[@southeastidahosuccessteam1491]

So they make tarag to make the curds and makes the aaruul?

[@gantulgaganhuyag717]

@@southeastidahosuccessteam1491 something like that. Wild yeasts will give you tarag(ish) property to a cow milk but wont become tarag. There are local yeasts (probably endemic to regions or even individual families) So not all yeasts will make a good Mongolian tarag. Same goes for airag too. Signature bitterness of both airag, tarag and khoormog are unique to family to family. Awed airag drinkers can even tell what region airag came from because of those enzymes endemic to that region. It’s almost like some Italian Cheese, parmesan regiano for example cannot be made or called that if the parmesan was made elsewhere than that parmesan region. You see, there are millions if not billions of yeast varieties in this world, only very few will make Mongolian tarag, airag and khoormog elsewhere than mongolia. Even local weather, humidity and temperature determines how they taste. I am not saying because of that our fermented milk products are good, it’s an acquired taste unique to our region and people.

[@Wargulf2838]

that's rather interesting. now i'm questionning about the fact the one relating the tale about Airag as alcoholic and able to make a weak mind dizzy... are they such lightweights or is Airag kinda different. it's also interesting to know about a culture we don't hear about often. thanks :)

[@AedanBlackheart]

Wow interesting... 🙄

[@legacy6519]

Jin Sakai, Taka, Yuna, Lady Masako, Kenji, Sensei Ishikawa, Norio , and Lord Shimura disliked this video.

[@arxyl654]

Milk wine.... I think I gotta try this stuff lol, I need my inner man to be most joyful and my urine to be greatly provoked. Amazing video, keep it up! I love the direction you're taking your videos lately!

[@southeastidahosuccessteam1491]

There is another video where Mongolians make milk vodka distilling their milk/airag into curds. I want to try that too!

[@voicelessglottalfricative6567]

Interestingly, Mongols are genetically lactose intolerant. They had to find ways to deal with the lactose in milk (lactofermenting in order to break it down into simpler sugars) before they consumed it.

[@sosigking6358]

Hey brother, I am a Russian-American. Not sure where you're based, but there are many "Russian" delis on the west coast that import and resale kumis, which is a similar drink to airag in that it is mainly fermented horse milk (although there are some variants sold with camel's milk). I'm glad to have stumbled onto your channel while looking for pure horse milk in western markets. I've always been fascinated with cooking asian food and experimenting (the last thing I made was a mix of tom kha using vegetables such as lotus). You have gained a subscriber.

[@sosigking6358]

On a side note, you should try going into some more SE Asian and Steppe-Asian cuisine. Not too many English channels on the topic.

[@hidayetkaratas1089]

qimiz and airag is the same thing because old turkic people and mongolians had the same culture

[@sosigking6358]

@@hidayetkaratas1089 pretty much true.

[@blackbogbrewing3186]

What Russian markets? Any specific ones in the LA area?

[@sosigking6358]

@@blackbogbrewing3186 They don't now, but a few years ago Odessa (the one in Valley, not Fountain) sold both horse and camel in bottles. I know the owner, very chill. Can ask about it coming back. Tashkent next door might also carry it. I haven't seen it on store shelves in PC Market or other stores, so unlikely. Additionally, theres a Korean drink more widely available called Makggeolli. It's ricemilk, but tastes very similar to kumis.

[@zerohuntr]

8:38 ok im a Mongolian myself, Mongolians eat horsemeat only. I am quite positive they never ate humans, dogs, foxes and wolves. Nor does anyone nowadays. That's just not right.

[@samuraijackoff5354]

If I'm correct, dogs to the Mongolians were pretty important. They predicted weather, herd animals and protected families.

[@AustinForbis]

@@samuraijackoff5354 and you are absolutely right.

[@wolfeyeseillson2112]

I really love how you explained how the yeast work

[@elvinawashington910]

OMG! I'm so laughing right now, you and Mrs Eats are so creative I love you guys. Ken I'm so disappointed I've missed your live chat. This was sooo eeducational , you really have done you studies. We have to catch up when I come . Dear Lord human flesh! ok now I'm sick but appreciate all that you and Mrs Eats are doing . Hope to catch your next one. Thank you for your wonderful video's as well. Be well , be safe, and and always keep it cooking 😀

[@StraightUpEats]

Yay! Can't start the party with you, Elvina! So happy to see you! Don't worry about missing the live chat! We will another chance soon! Yes, it was really fun to study about the Mongolians and what they ate! ESPECIALLY all the crazy stuff! I guess that's partly why they were able to dominate so much of the ancient world! Yes, when it's safe to travel again, you are welcomed with open arms! We'll definitely keep it cooking, so make sure you're doing the same!

[@elvinawashington910]

@@StraightUpEats Aww your making me cry thank so much. You have me so interested in the Mongolians I will look into this history wow, you and Mrs Eats really did such an amazing job. I love how you are creating food and cultural education so much. Keep me updated with your next one I really don't want to miss it. Again Thank you!

[@turmunhkganba1705]

8:52 I would question the veracity of that account.

[@StraightUpEats]

Totally agree with you! I forgot to add in a disclaimer that it was just one account, regarding human flesh. However, it seems that they were willing to eat quite a lot of of the things they hunted, both prey and predators. Anyway, thanks for your comment and thanks for watching!

[@roberthaines4221]

This is _great!_ I was searching for a DIY version of airag/kumys and got _so_ much more (including lots of laughing). Thanks for sharing this with us!

[@williamoldaker5348]

Dammit I love the science and history. Thank you for the coverage of this topic.

[@ceecee95]

Khotun/Khatun is actually the name for the wife of the Khan.

[@alperenerol1852]

I'm going to try this with kefir yeast

[@StraightUpEats]

Oh yeah, kefir yeast would probably work just as well! Let me know how it comes out!

[@Y0PPS]

I make fermented milk kombucha. It's really good. I have been planning to attempt a higher alcohol milk kombucha.

[@aam2457]

Any results?

[@leeroyhuawei51]

This is basically a different version of kefir. Check out using kefir "grains" to make milk kefir. There's a huge historical background to kefir; KZbin has some vids. But seriously, you'll find it interesting at the least. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir

[@salman13]

Isn't kefir just sort of buttermilk?

[@tecumsehzacateco8798]

Nope this is original

[@roberthaines4221]

This is _not_ a version of kefir. Kefir is fermented, but the process stops with the primary fermentation, before alcohol is produced. Airag (or kumis, koumiss, kumys, etc.) goes through a _secondary_ fermentation that produces the alcohol.

[@miguelcobarrubias2322]

The Mongols we're just built different

[@ARTHUR_MORGANhh]

Yes but we are samurai

[@greathoundii6142]

Drunk on milk is not just a TV trope

[@mclovingihavenofirstname9072]

Parks and Recreation reference ;DD Great videos as always!

[@case2696]

I am using zebra milk. No im not joking. So Mongolian maybe call it ZAIRAG! 😂 it, like horse milk is more watery and higher in sugars/lactose than cow, goat, sheep or camel milk. When we drink it fresh, it is best cold and it is light, sweet and refreshing. We also made kefir with it. I'm winging it though with the "ZAIRAG"...wish me luck! Next year we will try it again with zebra milk when another foal is born and, also horse milk from our horse mare if she foals next year. Буурал дуулах!

[@Krypto_Dogg]

So raw milk would likely ferment naturally with just the yeast. It’s interesting they didn’t care for the water part of milk as well.

[@blackbogbrewing3186]

No, yeast cannot ferment lactose as they don't possess lactase enzymes. Bacteria do, and break lactose into glucose and galactose which can be fermented by yeast in a mixed culture.

[@tuvshinbaatar2024]

Hey there what a great experiment. If u dont mind can u share yr recipe pls

[@bbpedia3923]

Watching from mongolia😆

[@koluj192]

there is kind of a version of airag made of cow milk. Its a drink of turkic people of sakha and its called byrpakh(бырпах), you can find some videos of it on yt.

[@722JLF]

dude, you had me laughing out loud from the get-go. Cheers!

[@BlizzardWizzard]

This was an amazing video! I had been looking for a recipe for this for so long but this is the first video I was able to find. Though could you share the measurements? And what type of milk to use?

[@StraightUpEats]

Hey Adam, thanks for the comments! I think I wrote down the measurements somewhere, but I've got to look for them, heheh. I never thought people would be interested in recreating it, so I didn't bother, but lesson learned. I'll definitely have a recipe ready for the next video in this series that I do and I'll let you know if I find this airag recipe!

[@Rugged-Mongol]

Dude, that's not airag, that's just a sour yogurt that you made. You need the actual microbacteria from the hideskin bags and the yeast cultures passed down each Mongol family localized for its microclimate for millennia, like how the Baltic nations pass down their sour bread starters for millennia too.

[@sniks9901]

This is good content.

[@StraightUpEats]

Thank you sneky! We have more coming soon, so please stay tuned! Are you interested in ancient foods like this?

[@sniks9901]

@@StraightUpEats can't wait for more. And the answer is yes, I like seeing and knowing what kind of foods our ancestors had.

[@crocketgsxr6]

was.... it still is horse milk wine. But they also make up for the low alcohol with Vodka My sister spent a few seasons with Mongolian nomads. If you don't like LOTS of high fat and boiled meats you're going to have a bad time.

[@gorkok]

Hey, 1k like here, I know this video is old but I've seen somewhere in youtube that there is only powdered mare milk. Maybe fermenting that one could give a diferent result? No idea, but it could be worth a shot P.D: There is also airag sold online in bottle directly but it's a bit... expensive. Maybe for a taste test comparation. Anyway thx for the video!

[@azhd1710]

did u add the violet flowers in it?

[@irmuusanaa4227]

Cow milk Airig is mainly used to make Aruul and Milk Vodka. Though no yeast is involved it’s mainly fermented.

[@southeastidahosuccessteam1491]

Thx. Wanted to make aaruul and trying to figure out the proper souring technique they used.

[@blackbogbrewing3186]

You can't make alcohol without yeast. Even distilled spirits start there life as watery substance with sugars and yeast.

[@ThatBrunetteYouTube]

Biscuit Beast!!!

[@mayuravirus6134]

The thumbnail text did not aged well

[@TheVileOne]

This was fun and informative

[@istvannagy2623]

Kumisz used in nomad hungarian history too its buzzy but not bad i give a try to make one.

[@StraightUpEats]

I recreated Jin Sakai's traditional samurai meal: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGnJe3eand-ais0 Who's brave enough to try some horse milk wine?

[@quantumarrow]

Do you have a written recipe?

[@joroh-4403]

Was curious if there was horse milk in my country and YUP good old England has horse milk! Only one farm makes it, very rare. Can’t say I’m eager to taste it

[@joroh-4403]

£6.50 / 250ml bottle (min order two bottles) to those curious Got a Great Taste award though

[@ktc5151]

Really fun video

[@rickofpolynesia8070]

@6:20 This man said this entire spiel and did not address the horse violation 🤣

[@jonipitcher8095]

Things I didn't know I needed to know. 🤣

[@nairobiiglesias9861]

awesome video!!!!

[@domingorodriguez9081]

i'm going the make a traditional drink with all the wrong elements in the most non traditional way possible

[@BushidoIslander8689]

Those calcium & protein. No wonder they are wrestling beasts lol

[@islamicschoolofmemestudies]

Lol my Uni Sell Horse milk in animal science faculty block lol.

[@StraightUpEats]

That’s interesting! Well, if you ever wanted to make real airag, you know where to get the ingredients!

[@islamicschoolofmemestudies]

@@StraightUpEats Idk, i don't quite like the taste of Horse milk lol.

[@abeldasilva9368]

I have to say I enjoyed deeply your presentation and I missed having Airag last time I had it was in 2018 during my vacation to Mongolia .Thanks ( Bayarlalaa in Mongolian) for this informative guide to making airag.

[@superdupertuper9640]

love it .

[@Barisdagame]

Damn bro you should've used goats milk

[@17thcolossus91]

Let’s get an amen for the horse, she was a good horse

[@AnnhilateTheNihilist]

Eating Mice isn’t uncommon. They’re species is literally called “edible doormouse”

[@b4n4n46]

I once tried kumis (airag is another name for it) in Bashkiria. It tasted like barf especially after a long, bumpy and hot ride on a Lada :P

[@tugulchinzorig6979]

Airag doesnt taste loke barf

[@theonewhomadeyoucry1059]

we made alcohol from yogurt

[@StraightUpEats]

Great to hear that! What did you think of it? I quite liked it, myself!

[@Elcucky163]

Straight Up Eats - Amazing Asian Recipes take the milk to beat khotun khan

[@theonewhomadeyoucry1059]

you did pretty well some facts was kind of off we dont eat mice dogs but we do milk camel goat horse sheep and cow and about airag we dont use yeast we use mongolian alcohol or we use already existing airag. And airag tastes different based on the vegetation of the region, summer of that year etc. really liked your video

[@tartarianknight33]

It's not Airag, it's Kumys, a nomadic Turkic drink. Airag is a Modern Mongolian drink, that's different from Kumys. Ancient Mongols did not drink Airag, they drank Kumys

[@Orgil.]

it is written as Airag in secret history of the Mongols.Kumys/Airag is not only turkic drink.dont try to claim everything as turkic

[@ursine82]

recepie with measurements please?

[@jorgedaviderazo6654]

Increíble

[@darky7292]

Can anyone under 21 drink it

[@iwantmorenews557]

Next round how about try to make blood into blood wine

[@Sludgedragon]

Drinking with Klingons?

[@dragos4123]

Really cool but can you add the quantity of the ingredients and what you did at 6:00 with the bottle? To me it seems like you removed some of its content?

[@southeastidahosuccessteam1491]

During fermenting, it usually puffs way up and then settles down when it is done.

[@whitexicano2597]

Make aaruul

[@ghost1sapper227]

Im going to make your recipe. Do you have measurements please ?

[@enkh_kkkk6834]

Asians use feeling. You can feel when it’s the perfect amount.

[@01Ichirei10]

Great video. I would like to rant how a lot of these videos of the genre always try to make stuff but don't use the actual ingredients or use replacement which just kills the expectation and feels clickbait.

[@bendavis6457]

Did you add the poison?

[@Wargulf2838]

i'm a big fan of dairy products. but when you formulate milking as "squeezing stuff out of tiny holes in cows" makes my slice of cheese oddly less appetizing.

[@bilegthuunarantugs2056]

that’s not airag bro

[@southeastidahosuccessteam1491]

This is interesting! Good Video. I am making aaruul and was trying to figure out the ferment they put in it that makes it yogurt-y. How they soured the milk for the curds that make the aaruul.

[@muhammadhanifalwi1872]

Is it halal to drink?

[@hoplite-official5011]

no brother it has a small amount of alcohol within.

[@BLR1GBattlemaster]

Horse "milk". I wonder where that "milk" really came from, if you know what I mean? *wink*

[@soundwaveblue]

Horse-chata

[@WaffleCake]

This video is useless trivia about Airag. The title seems to suggest the video is predominantly about how you made "Airag", not a 6 minutes explanation of how alchohol is made in universal with interspersed trivia. Incorrect title completely. You've stolen my time "clickbaiter". Also that puppet stuff was unnecessary for any 21+ adult watching this for the express purpose of making alcohol. (Exactly as the current title suggests I remind you.) Puppets? The Cookie Monster? Why are you making *_"HOW TO MAKE ALCHOHOL AT HOME"_* so bioavailable that a 2-year-old could enjoy it? I'm not just cringing here, adults can enjoy any kids show, but this practice should be closely monitored by KZbin's community guidelines.

[@MomongoTubano-so3iw]

Sorry brother I find poop jokes not funny