Koumiss

Koumiss call the dairy drink which is traditionally made of mare's milk by its fermentation. Apply two types of fermentation to its production: spirit and lactic, using yeast, the Bulgarian and acidophilic lactic sticks. Drink has a whitish shade, spumescence is inherent to it. The taste of koumiss refreshing, sweet-sour. It is often used in the medical purposes.

The manufacturing techniques allow to prepare koumiss of various fortress. In some types of drink the content of alcohol is so high that is capable to cause intoxication and to bring the person using it in heatedly - an intoxicated state. At small alcohol shares in koumiss drink has the calming and weakening effect, up to drowsiness.

Koumiss was prepared still by nomad tribes of Mongolia and Central Asia. It is authentically known that drink existed during an era of an eneolit, i.e. more than 5000 years ago. Proofs to that are found in the valley Susamyr where, except the evidence of domestication of horses, researchers found bags from leather of goats with traces of mare's milk. It is not excluded that it was fermented by the same principle, as koumiss.

The first written mentioning of drink belongs to a feather of the Ancient Greek historian Herodotus living in 5 century BC. At the description of life of Scythians it tells about their favourite drink which prepared from mare's milk by its knocking down in wooden tubs. Also the historian noted that Scythians so carefully protected a secret of preparation of drink that blinded each slave who found out a way of preparation of drink.

Later references of koumiss occur as in Old Russian chronicles (for example, in Ipatyevskaya), and in notes of foreign missionaries and travelers. So, in 13 century the French monk Guillaume de Roubrouc, describing the travel to Tataria, rather in detail describes not only action and taste of koumiss, but also a way of its preparation. The description which is a little distorted, however, in general is close to the truth.

In spite of the fact that initially for koumiss only mare milk was used, the Kalmyk nomads began to apply camel and cow's milk. Bashkirs take the drink made according to the traditional recipe to this day, and Turkmens and Kazakhs prefer to use milk of female camels for koumiss.

By the way, koumiss is the only intoxicating drink allowed for the use to Muslims.

Structure and caloric content of koumiss

At that type of fermentation which is used for koumiss preparation milk protein becomes digestible, and milk sugar turns into alcohol, lactic acid, carbonic acid and aromatic substances. Thanks to such structure koumiss gains high nutritiousness, is easily acquired, has pleasant taste and gentle aroma.

Traditionally the content of alcohol is in koumiss ranging from 0,2% to 3% of alcohol. The strong koumiss prepared from mare's milk contains also up to 4,5% of alcohol. The Kazakh way of preparation means creation of drink which fortress reaches 40%.

Drink contains a number of vitamins among which – thiamin, Riboflavinum, folic and pantothenic acids, biotin and B12 and C vitamins.

Koumiss caloric content at traditional production makes 50 Kcal on 100 g (of mare's milk).

Useful properties of koumiss

The advantage of koumiss noted more than one thousand years ago is really high. This drink was officially applied later, in the period of the USSR, as remedy in sanatoria of the Volga region, Buryatia, Bashkiria and Kyrgyzstan, and process of treatment received the name "kumysoterapiya". Nowadays, unfortunately, the quantity of medical institutions in which the kumysoterapiya practices was considerably reduced. Today actively only two sanatoria located in Bashkiria function.

The antibiotic substances which are contained in koumiss do drink by effective antimicrobic remedy, increase body resistance to infectious diseases.

High nutritional value and ability to stimulate the biological processes happening in an organism - those properties of koumiss which it is also appreciated. Along with it drink is widely applied to completion of shortage of vitamins and energy. It puts to an organism heart, force, stimulates work of a nervous system and contributes to normalization of exchange processes in an organism.

Contents in drink of alcohol, lactic acid and carbonic acid stimulates appetite and improves digestion.

Treatment by koumiss is appointed at some forms of tuberculosis, an anemia and for recovery of normal intestinal microflora.

Advantage of koumiss, undoubtedly, those who suffer from a hungover syndrome will estimate. Drink not only perfectly removes the causes of this state, but also satisfies thirst and gives forces.

The advantage of koumiss and for a stomach is known: the regular use of drink positively influences secretory activity of digestive organs, helps at stomach ulcer and dysentery.

According to some information useful properties of koumiss allow to use it as the means promoting delay of development of tumoral processes in an organism.

Increase in level of hemoglobin, improvement of a leukocytic formula, the prevention of development of cardiovascular diseases – here still the small list of the properties attributed to this drink.

It is remarkable also that use of koumiss is not limited to age. It is equally useful to both children, and adults. It is not recommended to use it only to persons with individual intolerance of a product, and also those who has digestive tract diseases in an acute form.