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Naadam and the white foods
Mongolia's summer games of wrestling, archery and horse racing, in the season of fermented mare's milk and dried curd.
Cheeses for Naadam and the white foods
Naadam, held from 11 July, is Mongolia's national festival of the three manly games: wrestling, archery and horse racing. It falls in the high season of the white foods, tsagaan idee, when herds give the most milk. Airag, fermented mare's milk, is poured for guests, and aaruul, curd dried on the roofs of gers until hard, is offered by the bowl. Families bring soft fresh curd and clotted cream to picnics around the racecourses, and fried khuushuur are sold at every stall. The milk foods are tied to herding life, and to the summer camps that families move to each year.
Also part of it, and being written: Aaruul (Dried curd pieces offered to guests and carried on the road.).
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Naadam" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.