Milk skin

Milk skin

　　Milk skin, known in Mongolian as "Chagan Yid," "Urumu," or "Urmu," literally means "white food" in Chinese. It is made by slowly simmering fresh milk from horses, sheep, cows, or camels in a pot until a layer of creamy fat solidifies on the surface. This layer is then lifted with chopsticks and hung in a ventilated place to dry, resulting in milk skin. It is considered the essence of fresh milk. With a pure and fragrant taste and rich nutrition, it is often enjoyed with milk tea, milk candies, and fried rice—making it a delicacy used to entertain honored guests. Once hailed as the "king of all foods," it is an indispensable item whether for home meals, hosting guests, or making offerings to ancestors and deities. Depending on the region, its varieties and preparation methods vary. The main types include milk skin, cream, cheese, and milk tofu.

Milk skin is a dairy product favored by ethnic minorities such as the Kazakhs, Uyghurs, Mongols, and Xibe. It refers to the mixture of fat and milk protein that floats on the surface of cow or sheep milk. It has the aroma of milk and fat, a slight sweetness, and is very delicious. The extraction method usually involves milking the animals in the evening, letting the milk sit overnight, and then skimming off the floating layer the next day. This floating fat resembles a skin formed on the milk, hence the name "milk skin."

Ethnic minorities call it "Kai Mak." This raw milk skin contains a certain level of acidity, and after natural fermentation, it has a slightly sour taste, delivering a rich and aromatic flavor. Russians refer to this type of milk skin as "Smetana," which is used as a spread on bread. There is also another type of milk skin that forms on the surface of boiled cow or sheep milk after it has cooled. This cooked milk skin is mostly homemade and is commonly used to spread on naan bread or mixed into milk tea.

In particular, ethnic minorities such as the Kazakhs and Uyghurs enjoy drinking milk tea in the morning with a thick layer of milk skin on top, which gives it a particularly fragrant taste.