ARAGA

Milk and alcohol are not always obvious bedfellows. Aside from the occasional sip of eggnog or white Russian, most people in Western countries don’t like to consume milk and alcohol at the same time. However, for some people that live on the Eurasian steppe, milk and alcohol are inexorably linked. The reason for this is that, unlike most other countries, the majority of the alcohol they consume is actually made from milk. This milk-based spirit is known as araga, and although it might sound strange to most outsiders, it is one of the most popular beverages among the people of the Eurasian steppe.

What exactly is araga and where did it come from? Like many home-grown alcohols, the answer to that question can be a little complicated. The word araga is only one of several commonly accepted terms for distilled spirits throughout Mongolia and Eastern Russia. Linguistically araga probably comes from the Arabic word araq, which also gave us the Turkish word raki (See my previous article for more details).1 In the Eurasian steppe, araga is traditionally defined as the distillate produced from milk that has gone through alcoholic fermentation. However, there is no true legal definition for araga, which means that many aspects, including the proof of the drink and even the source of the milk used, can vary immensely depending on where you are and who you are talking to.2 The best way to understand araga is to learn about how it is made and the people who make it.

The nomads of the Eurasian steppe have been known as hearty people and milk has always played an important role in their everyday life. The nomadic lifestyle of the region’s inhabitants makes traditional agriculture difficult and one of the few consistently available sources of nourishment is the excess milk produced by the herds of animals many families keep.2 Reliance on milk and its associated products is especially great during the summer and fall months, when most cattle are being fattened and there is little meat or other sustenance available. Because milk is such an important foodstuff, the nomads of the steppe have created highly sophisticated methods to preserve and use milk efficiently.3 Indeed, milk and its by-products have such an important place in the culture of many groups from the region that it is considered sacred. Fresh milk is often used in religious rituals and is a common gift given to honored guests or newly married couples. Milk also plays a role in almost every drink that is consumed on the steppe. Tea is always drunk with milk, as are many other beverages.2 The wasting of milk is considered to be rude and uncivilized, and uses are found even for milk that has gone bad.4 It is little wonder then that these people would find a way to distill milk into an alcoholic beverage.

When the first batch of araga was made is unknown. However, koumiss, which is the precursor to araga, was actively being produced by the people of the Eurasian steppe as early as the fifth century B.C.E. The ancient Greek writer, Herodotus, made mention of koumiss production in some of his early writings, and there are many Chinese accounts of the drink throughout the ages.2 The knowledge of distillation was probably brought to the steppe in the 13th and 14th centuries by warriors returning from Genghis Kahn’s conquering of the Middle East, therefore, it is safe to assume that araga production began around that time.5 Because araga production requires a large amount of milk, the drink has become somewhat of a status symbol among the people of the steppe.2 It is often prepared by small family units for special occasions. While the consumption of araga is generally restricted to elders, it is sometimes administered to younger members of the family as medicine.2,6,7 As mentioned previously, the first step in making araga is to make koumiss. Koumiss is a general term for any alcoholically fermented milk. Koumiss can be made from almost any milk, however, mare’s milk is particularly valued because it contains the right amount of fats, proteins, and amino acids.3 Some groups also use camel’s milk as it has a very similar profile, however, it is often considered inferior. The process for making koumiss is relatively simple, though it often takes years of practice to perfect. First, fresh milk is gathered. It is important that the milk used is as fresh as possible and that it has never been boiled. If the milk has been boiled, it will not ferment correctly.2 The milk is placed into a large leather sack made of ox-hide along with a starter culture containing a mixture of organisms — mostly lactobacilli, lactococci, and yeast.3 Alternatively, a small amount of loumiss from a prior batch, or even the remnants of previous koumiss batches that are stuck to the walls of the bag, can be used as the starter culture. The organisms in the starter culture act in symbiosis to begin fermenting the available milk sugars. During fermentation, it is important that the mixture remains aerated, or else the yeast and other organisms will die. In order to accomplish this, the bag is routinely shaken or hit with a large stick. This movement also helps to speed up fermentation, especially when the milk used is particularly thick. Fermentation takes anywhere from three to five days depending on the amount of shaking and the desired level of attenuation. The result is a lightly alcoholic milk that has between 1.5 percent and three percent ABV.2,3

Once fermentation is complete, distillation takes place in a special still known as a shuuruun.7 A shuuruun is a type of pot still that is sometimes colloquially known as a wok-still. The base pot of the still is traditionally made from a poplar tree trunk that has been hollowed out. The tree trunk is then placed into a pot with water and koumiss is added to the hollowed-out space inside. A second large metal vessel is then placed on top of the tree trunk and filled with cold water to act as a condenser. Any gaps between the condenser and the pot are sealed with either mud or sometimes felt.8 The water in the outer pot is then boiled and as the koumiss heats up, the alcohol vapor slowly condenses

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on the upper metal vessel and drips out of the shuuruun along a specially carved trough. It is important that the distillation proceeds slowly, so as not to scorch the milk proteins that are left in the koumiss. The newly distilled araga is known as arhi and generally has an alcohol strength of between five percent and 20 percent ABV.7 At this point the araga is ready to be consumed, however, some distillers will redistill the araga as much as five times, producing a beverage that can contain up to 80 percent ABV. This is somewhat rare, however, because it requires a large amount of koumiss to produce.7,2

To this day, araga production is almost entirely done by private households for personal consumption. There have been some attempts to commercialize production, but they have not been widely distributed outside of Mongolia and Eastern Russia. However, that does not mean that drinkers in the West will never have the chance to try milk-based spirits. There are a number of companies that have begun experimenting with their own versions of araga. In the UK, Black Cow Vodka is made from wasted whey produced by a Dorset, England creamery and in the US Vermont Spirits’ White Vodka touted itself as being made from milk in the tradition of the Tuvan people of Siberia.9,10 Who knows, perhaps in the near future milk spirits will have their own aisle in the liquor store.

Reade A. Huddleston, MSc. in Brewing and Distilling, is a beverage industry consultant based in Tampa, Florida. He is fascinated with all things drinkable and is always searching for strange and forgotten spirits. If you would like to contact him about said spirits, or anything else, please email him at ReadeHuddleston@gmail.com.

REFERENCES

1. Qaqan, 2012. Araga. Available from <https://qaqan.wordpress. com/2012/07/25/araga/> [January 10, 2022] 2. Zhukovskaya, Natalia. 2008. The Milk Food of the Mongolian-Speaking

Nomads of Eurasia in a Historical and Cultural Perspective. Acta

Ethnographica Hungarica. Vol 53(2). Pp 307-314. 3. Bae, I., et al. 2002. Traditional Dairy Products by Lactic Acid Bacteria in Mongolia. Korean Journal of Food Science and Resources. Vol. 22(2).

Pp 183-191 4. Demberel, Sh., et al. 2016. Ethnic Fermented Foods and Beverages of

Mongolia. Ethnic Fermented Foods and Alcoholic Beverages of Asia. Vol 1.

Pp 165-192 5. Diplomacy.edu, 2004. Ghengis Khan and the Making of the Modern

World. Available from < https://www.diplomacy.edu/resource/genghiskhan-and-the-making-of-the-modern-world/> [January 11, 2022] 6. Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity,. Araga Milk Vodka. Available from <https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slowfood/araga-milk-vodka/> [January, 11 2022] 7. Gastro Obscura, 2022. Araga. Available from <https://www. atlasobscura.com/foods/milk-vodka-araga> [January 10, 2022] 8. VK.Com, 2015. Shuuruun. Available from < https://vk.com/wall21242429_567655?lang=en> [January 11, 2022] 9. Black Cow Vodka, 2022. About Us. Available from < https://www. blackcow.co.uk/> [January 11, 2022] 10. Drinkhacker.com, 2009. Review Vermont White Vodka and Vermont Gold

Vodka. Available from < https://www.drinkhacker.com/2009/07/20/ review-vermont-white-and-vermont-gold-vodka/#:~:text=Vermont%20

White%20Vodka%20is%20the,no%20milk%2Dlike%20character%20 here.> [January 12, 2022]