| 研究概要 |
Traditional Mongolian dietary habits have a distinct seasonality; pastoral nomads consume meat products during the cold season and mainly subsist on milk products during the warm season. A wide range of milk products is produced in Mongolia; among these, airag (fermented mare milk, also known as koumiss) is a well-known traditional food, which is still produced mainly for household consumption. The first unique nationwide survey on airag production in Mongolia was carried out targeting 2045 herders through the Mongolian meteorological network. Activity level of airag production was defined on a county scale using the ratio of a herding household that produces airag to the total number of households. The survey demonstrated a distinct regionality; intensive airag production takes place in central Mongolia, where herders spend tremendous energy for milking and stirring to produce airag, and there is less activity in the surrounding regions, except for areas along the western border of the country. The high horse density in the steppe and forest steppe regions provides an eco-climatological explanation for abundant airag production in central Mongolia. However, lack of airag production in eastern areas that also have large horse populations cannot be explained by this density pattern. Factors other than eco-climatological conditions such as culture and ethnicity may account for the regionality of airag production.
(This research resubmitted to the Nomadic Peoples Journal.)
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