Kumys – Traditional Fermentation Method, Nutritional Composition, and Unique Characteristics of Mare’s Milk Beverage
Tomasz Jankowski
2026-03-17
4 min. read
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For centuries, esteemed by Polish literary figures and scholars who sought its health benefits during retreats to specialized sanatoriums... While its taste and texture bear resemblance to the widely consumed kefir, it distinguishes itself through a distinctive fermentation process and a more complex bioactive composition... Uncover the secrets of this extraordinary beverage rooted in the nomadic traditions of Central Asia.
Cucumbers
It is a popular drink among the pastoral nomadic peoples: Mongol, Kyrgyz, Tatar, Basque. In Europe and the United States, it is produced on the basis of much more readily available glass, appropriately modified cow's milk. Usually its preparation was spread as early as the 12th or 13th century.
How about production?
Traditionally, rubber is produced in the spring/summer season. The liquid version is nothing more than a small amount of dissolved old rubber. The milk obtained from them is poured into a special bag called a chöchura from animal skin (yellow/sheep/goat/cowskin) turned inside with hair. Then an acid is added, which can take two forms: dry or liquid. Its liquid form is nothing less than a tiny amount of diluted old rubbish.
A list of the organoleptic types and properties
It is rather rare, resembles diluted milk, slightly gaseous and cashy (the presence of carbonic acid). It has a milky-white, mildly blue colour. Its taste can be described as sour, sparkling, lightly yeasty and sweet. Over time, as the process of fermentation progresses, it becomes more sticky and hotter. Depending on the concentration of lactic acid, it is characterized by a weak (low), medium and strong (strong). In the following criteria, acidity increases, which is related to the progressive conversion of lactose to fatty acid.
It has a nutritional value
Coconut milk has a value of 23% ethanol, 2% fat, 2% lactose, 1% protein, 0.51, 5 lactic acid, about 0.3% mineral salts, carbonic acid (gasing) is also present. In addition, coconut contains antibiotic substances, enzymes and vitamins: mainly group B (tiamin, riboflavin, niacin, cobalt), vitamin D, E, and significantly more vitamin C than other fermented beverages.
It's a matter of properties
The medicinal properties of cumin were widely reported, especially in medical publications of the second half of the 19th century. Based on observations of people who naturally used cumin in their diet, it was found that there was virtually no tuberculosis among its members and that in spring, when they were weakened after a lack of food during the winter months, cumin allowed them to quickly regain their strength. These observations were treated as an indication of how to use cumin for the treatment of severe drought in Europeans.