Mongolia Food and Drink

Meat and dairy products form the basis of the diet in Mongolia. Rice and noodles are also popular.

Specialities:

• Buuz is the national food; a steamed dumpling filled with mutton. You can find buuz in restaurants throughout Ulaanbaatar.
• Khuushuur is deep-fried mutton 'parcel', particularly popular during the summer Naadam festivities.
• Boodog is a whole goat filled with hot stones and roasted from the inside.
• Khorkhog is especially popular in the Mongolian countryside. This meal consists of chopped lamb or goat, potatoes and onions slowly steamed inside a metal container. Scalding hot rocks are placed inside the container to create the steam and once extracted, it is customary to pass the stones from hand to hand because they are said to have health-beneficial properties.

Things to know:

Many restaurants will add a sales tax of 10%.

Tipping:

Not customary, but this is changing and 10% is the norm if leaving a tip.

Regional drinks:

• Airag or Kumis (fermented mare milk)
• Suutei tsai (salty tea with milk)
• Mongolian vodka

Drinking age:

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