00:00What does a nation's history taste like?
00:02In Kazakhstan, many would say khlmız,
00:04fermented horse milk and one of the oldest drinks in the world.
00:07In this episode of Modern Nomads,
00:09we travel across the vast steppes of Kazakhstan
00:11to discover the story behind this ancient drink.
00:14This is more than just horse milk.
00:16In Kazakhstan and other countries of Central Asia, we call it khlmız.
00:20For centuries, this drink fueled and traveled with nomads across the steppes,
00:25and today it remains a cherished part of the nomadic culture.
00:28So if you want to understand Kazakhstan's history and traditions more,
00:31start with a bowl of khlmız.
00:33Welcome to Modern Nomads.
00:38Beyond Central Asia, horse milk is also consumed in Mongolia
00:42and parts of China and Russia.
00:44But Kazakhstan has a special place in khlmız history.
00:47At the Bautai settlement, archaeologists found evidence
00:49of early horse domestication and traces of mare's milk on ancient pottery.
00:54The Greek historian Herodotus also described Saka tribes
00:57drinking mare's milk in the 5th century BC.
01:00Khlmız was an important source of food for nomads during wartime,
01:04and scientists are still studying its potential benefits.
01:07We asked all the khlmız producers.
01:09They applauded for the laboratory research work.
01:13We discovered that 80% of the sample was very rich in vitamin A.
01:18more than 60% of the samples were rich in vitamin B1, B2, B5, and B6.
01:28The main miracle is the fatty acid composition.
01:32We have many unsaturated fatty acids,
01:35but also we can speak about the probiotic bacteria.
01:39And I believe that until now, nobody's learning about that peptide.
01:45Khlmız is classified by strength and fermentation time,
01:48but the most prized one is Saumal, freshly milked horse milk.
01:52To taste it, we went to Zhanarka district.
02:01For Ayman Kudjanova, it's part of her daily routine.
02:04She works as a deputy principal at a local school,
02:07but outside of the classroom, she milks around 10 mares a day.
02:11I ate 6 kilos.
02:12I ate 6 liters.
02:15What is the difference between horse milking and cow milking?
02:39One of the oldest Khlmız traditions is Khlmız Mūrındıq,
02:43marking the start of mere milking season.
02:45Traditionally, families returning from winter pastures
02:48would gather to taste the first Khlmız of the year and welcome summer.
02:52We came to Ulu Tau region to witness that tradition.
02:59From ancient traditions to modern gastro festivals,
03:02every year, farmers from across the country come to Astana
03:05for a Buy Khlmız Festival and bring their unique recipes.
03:09Inspired by Germany's Oktoberfest,
03:11the festival celebrates Kazakhstan's own traditional drink, Khlmız.
03:14We came to the first October festival and found it
03:18after the festival, the festival started to buy it
03:19and found it in the economy.
03:22The festival has no idea that we live in.
03:26There are no food for us.
03:27It is not the food that we live in.
03:27The festival is not the food that we live in.
03:30We live in our culture, our culture, our spirit, our culture.
03:40You can also find new products made with horsemilk, such as hummus ice cream.
03:45Let's taste it.
03:53It's tasty. It's very tasty.
03:55Here, horsemilk is also winning fans beyond Central Asia.
03:59We've had a few cups already. It's good. It's fun.
04:01It's definitely different than anything else I've ever had.
04:04I love it. It's really good. It's very unique.
04:06I grew up around horses a lot back in the U.S., but I had never even thought about drinking
04:12horsemilk until I came to Kazakhstan and heard about it.
04:15I think my horse would probably kill me if I tried to milk it, but we'll see.
04:19Now I can actually appreciate all the different types of hummus, because here at Valley Hummus Festival, you can see
04:26so many types.
04:27where it comes from, from different regions of Kazakhstan, and I didn't know it made such a difference in the
04:34hummus.
04:35But you don't have to wait for a gastro festival to try hummus. You can find it in supermarkets.
04:40There are also hummus hana, or hummus houses in cities across Kazakhstan.
04:44Traditionally, the freshest hummus was served to guests in a leather, nomadic bottle as a sign of respect and hospitality.
04:51Today, this tradition continues, and you can come to Kazakhstan to taste it for yourself.
Commenti