Mongolian Milk Tea

Mongolian Milk Tea

　　The Mongolian people mainly reside in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and some neighboring provinces and regions. Mongolian herders primarily consume beef, mutton, and dairy products, supplemented by grains and vegetables. Brick tea is an indispensable beverage for herders, and drinking salty milk tea made from brick tea is a traditional tea-drinking custom among the Mongolian people. In pastoral areas, they follow the habit of "three meals of tea and one meal of food." Therefore, besides quenching thirst, drinking salty milk tea is also a primary way to supplement the body's nutrition. Every morning, the first thing the housewife does is to boil a pot of salty milk tea for the whole family to enjoy throughout the day. Mongolians prefer hot tea. In the morning, while drinking tea, they eat fried rice, keeping the remaining tea warm over a low flame for easy access. Typically, a family only has a formal meal once in the evening after returning from grazing, but having salty milk tea three times a day—morning, noon, and night—is generally essential.

　　The salty milk tea consumed by the Mongolian people mostly uses green brick tea or black brick tea, and the utensil for boiling the tea is an iron pot. When making salty milk tea, the brick tea should first be crushed. Place a cleaned iron pot on the fire, fill it with 2–3 kilograms of water, and bring the water to a rolling boil. Then add 50–80 grams of crushed brick tea. When the water boils again for about five minutes, add an appropriate amount of milk, stir slightly, then add an appropriate amount of salt. Only when the entire pot of salty milk tea begins to boil is it considered ready, and it can then be poured into bowls for drinking.

　　Nutritional Content

　　The milk in pastoral area milk tea contains abundant protein, fat, and other high-grade nutrients. Tea contains caffeine, various vitamins (Vc, Vp, niacin, folic acid, etc.), tannic acid, theophylline, aromatic oils, amino acids, sugars, various minerals, and chlorophyll—over 300 beneficial chemical components for humans.

　　General Method

　　First, crush the tea and place it in a pot of water to boil. Once the tea water comes to a boil and becomes relatively concentrated, use a strainer to remove the tea leaves, then continue boiling for a while while stirring the tea water with a spoon. After it has somewhat thickened, add an appropriate amount of fresh milk or milk powder, stir until the tea is fully blended, and once it boils again, fragrant and rich milk tea is ready.

　　Method for Boiling Milk Tea: 1. Roast millet until cooked (like popcorn); 2. Brew brick tea (until red); 3. Remove the tea leaves (keep only the liquid, not the leaves) or pour out the tea so that there is absolutely no tea residue, resulting in very clean tea; 4. Pour in the roasted millet, boil for 2 minutes, then add pure milk (not bagged milk, as it doesn’t taste as good); 5. Boil for another 4 minutes, add a small amount of salt; 6. You may also add butter (a small amount or none at all); 7. It’s ready to drink.

　　Main Benefits

　　Milk tea helps to remove greasiness, aid digestion, refresh the mind, promote urination and detoxification, and eliminate fatigue. It is also suitable for people suffering from acute or chronic enteritis, gastritis, and duodenal ulcers. For those suffering from alcohol or drug poisoning, it can also serve a detoxifying function.