Goats are economically important to Mongolian nomads as sources of cashmere wool, but they also provide a reliable supply of milk.
In the Gobi, goat milk is processed into curds, fermented drinks, or hard cheese to prevent spoilage. Each family’s hard goat cheese has a unique flavour, and will be presented to visitors as an auspicious gift.
This video sequence shows a family milking goats, straining fermented curds, then finally cutting the strained curds and placing them on the roof of the yurt to dry in the sun.
The video was edited from ethnographic footage produced in 2012 in collaboration with nomadic families in the East Gobi, for the Mongolian Digital Ethnography Archive.
The posts in our “nomadic culture” series highlight various elements of Mongolia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage that are supported by the cashmere trade.