AP PHOTOS: Fermented horse milk season on in Kyrgyzstan

SUUSAMYR, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — Excessive up within the Tian Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan, the season for making the fermented drink generally known as kumis is in full swing.

Connoisseurs of kumis, an necessary a part of nomadic tribes’ diets for untold centuries, say the Suusamyr valley is dwelling to one of the best model of the drink.

In winter, the valley, which is 2,500 meters (8,200 ft) above sea stage, is roofed in meters-deep snow. When the thaw comes, the abundance of water feeds dense grass and herbs. By the top of summer season, the valley is awash in a thick, emerald carpet of juicy blades of grass that horses eagerly devour.

The grass and herbs lend a selected taste to the milk that locals draw from the mares within the fields the place they graze. The milk then is left to ferment, or typically churned to advertise fermentation, till it turns into mildly alcoholic.

Cows’ milk will also be used, however it’s considered inferior. Mares’ milk has a better sugar content material, making it extra amenable to fermentation.

Rustam Tukhvatshin, a Kyrgyz medicines professor, says kumis promotes the expansion of blood cells and detoxifies the physique, amongst different advantages. He says he by no means misses coming to Suusamyr when kumis manufacturing is at its peak.

Vacationers and other people from different components of Kyrgyzstan are also taking discover of the area’s kumis. Massive wood-framed tents generally known as yurts have been arrange alongside the highway with tables the place kumis is offered. With time to spare, a purchaser can calm down within the yurts whereas consuming the extremely regarded beverage.