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, we 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
00:24And 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 and parts of China and Russia
00:43But Kazakhstan has a special place in khlmız history
00:47At the Bautai settlement, archaeologists found evidence of early horse domestication
00:51And traces of mare's milk on ancient pottery
00:54The Greek historian Herodotus also described Saka tribes drinking 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
01:06We asked all the khlmız producers
01:10They uploaded for the laboratory research work
01:12We 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
01:31We have many unsaturated fatty acids
01:34But also we can speak about the probiotic bacteria
01:39And I believe that until now, nobody is learning about that peptide
01:45Khlmız is classified by strength and fermentation time
01:48But the most priced 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
02:10I ate 6 vcs
02:12I ate 5, 6 liters
02:15What is the difference between horse milking and cow milking?
02:39One of the oldest Khlmız traditions is Khlmız Mrundiq
02:42Marking the start of mere milking season
02:45Traditionally, families returning from winter pastures
02:48Would gather to taste the first Khlmız of the year
02:50And welcome summer
02:51We came to Ulotau region to witness that tradition
02:59From ancient traditions to modern gastro festivals
03:02Every year, farmers from across the country
03:04Come to Astana for a Buy Khlmız Festival
03:07And bring their unique recipes
03:08Inspired by Germany's Oktoberfest
03:11The festival celebrates Kazakhstan's own traditional drink, Khlmız
03:14We came to Japan in October of the 19th century
03:17When we started to make our economy
03:20And we started to make our money
03:23We decided to make our healthy food
03:24And we didn't have any people
03:24We didn't have the food
03:25We didn't have any food
03:26We didn't have food
03:27We didn't have food
03:28We are the food
03:29We are the culture
03:30We are the culture
03:33We are the spirit
03:45C'est bon, c'est bon, c'est bon, c'est bon, c'est très bon, c'est vraiment bon,
04:05c'est très unique.
04:06I grew up around horses a lot back in the US, but I had never even thought about drinking horse
04:12milk 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.
04:20Now I can actually appreciate all the different types of komas, because here at Balai Komas Festival, you can see
04:26so many types where it comes from, from different regions of Kazakhstan, and I didn't know it made such a
04:32difference in the komas.
04:34But you don't have to wait for a gastro festival to try komas. You can find it in supermarkets. There
04:40are also komas hana, or komas houses in cities across Kazakhstan.
04:44Traditionally, the freshest komas 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.
