Dairy product: Kumis

Kumis or kumiss or koumiss is a fermented dairy product traditionally produced using mare’s milk. The drink remains important to the people of the Central Asian steppes, including the Turks, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols, Yakuts and Uzbeks.

It is produced commercially in Central Asia. Although it is traditionally made from mare’s milk, modern industrial variants may use cow’s milk instead.

Mare’s milk contains higher sugar (about 7%) than those of cow’s milk (4.5%). Kumis has higher levels of alcohol (ca. 2%) than kefir (ca.0.5%).

Kumis is a dairy product similar to kefir, but is produced from liquid starter culture, in contrast to the solid kefir ‘grains’.

In addition of the fermentation of lactose by yoghurt starter bacteria and Torula kumis, proteolysis is observed during manufacture of kumis due to complex microflora and the proteolysis contributes to flavor of kumis.

Traditionally, kumis is fermented in a horsehide bag or pouch. Mares would be milked in the spring and summer months after foaling. Approximately half of the horse’s milk would be used in kumis production.

Kumis cure has been applied for patients for treatment of intestinal and chronic deceases.
Dairy product: Kumis

Nutrition of kumiss

Kumiss is a fermented milk product found in Russia where it’s commonly made from the milk of mares. Limited availability of mare’s milk has led to the development of kumiss from cow’s milk.

Because of the composition of mare’s milk, finished kumiss has a uniform consistency with no tendency to whey-off.

Kumiss is considered a very nutritious and rehabilitative drink. The biological value of kumiss is based e.g. on its high-quality protein, easily absorbable fat and lactic acid and vitamin content.

The final product has an acidity of 0.9 – 1.25% titratable acidity and contains between 0.5 and 2.5% alcohol. Kumiss is regard as a dietetic product and is used to treat GI disorders.

By the year 1215, Genghis Khan conquered Mongolia, and Khan personally believed that part of his military success could be attributed to the fact that his army stayed strong and healthy by consuming the nutritious product, kumiss.
Nutrition of kumiss