6 ms·
Pretty crazy that Mongolian armies sustained themselves off of horse milk to remove the need for sustenance supply chains during invasions.
by simulate-me 5y ago
Pretty crazy that Mongolian armies sustained themselves off of horse milk to remove the need for sustenance supply chains during invasions.
- chrisco255 5y agoYou sure they didn't sacrifice a few horses for the meat as well? Seems difficult to keep enough horses pregnant to feed an army off of milk alone.
- glitchc 5y agoThey used yak and oxen too, in fact those were the primary beasts of burden, with horses largely relegated to riding.
- smcnally 5y agoAfter giving birth, lactation continues for ~as long the mother is healthy and being milked.
- nanomonkey 5y agoThe article mentions that they brought along a couple of sheep and a number of mares per soldier. "...five horses and one sheep per soldier would produce approximately 120 days of meat (at a half pound per day—obviously sharing the sheep among a group of men and then killing another messmate’s sheep and so on) and 280 days of airag." Airaq being fermented horse milk, which could be accumulated when the mare was overproducing.
- DSingularity 5y agoDid they carry the sheep or did they just lay behind?
- 0des 5y agoIf you've ever shorn sheep they have this weird quasi tonic immobility, I guess its just them giving up or something, but I could absolutely imagine one tied to a pack or the side of a horse as like a bedroll would be tied on, no different than a sack of wool or other material
- reillyse 5y agoThe sheep walked and ate grass.
- ls15 5y agoCut in thin slices and dehydrated is the most efficient way.
- 0des 5y agoFermented horse milk, fuck I'd go on a rampage too.
- Mikeb85 5y agoKefir, ie. fermented milk (usually from a cow) is something you can buy at the grocery store and is pretty damn tasty. And milk from different animals isn't all that different.
- 0des 5y agoThis is exactly something I'd expect a mongol to say. Nice try.
- lostcolony 5y agoWe're in your steppe, marauding your horde.
- dopidopHN 5y agoTurkish kefir is delicious ( that the only one I know, readily available in Doner Kebab places )
- code_duck 5y agoyeah... it's basically yogurt.
- dopidopHN 5y agoThey did had a technic where they draw blood from their horse in small quantity in order to add more protein. ( I remember that from the Dan Carlin series … he’s usually decent with sources )
- ls15 5y agoI doubt that horse milk was the major source of calories, since horses only produce small amounts of milk and the foals need to be around too. Fermented horse milk (Airag) is a (mildly alcoholic and relatively expensive) specialty beverage in Mongolia today, but certainly not a staple food. I think it is more likely that they brought dehydrated meat and dairy with them, which are common in Mongolia to this day. Probably they also added to their diet what they found along their way, at least meat. Maybe they even tried some grain.
- lordnacho 5y agoThe acoup guy mentions the milk thing as well, surprisingly it seems legit.
- ls15 5y agoMilk would include other dairy than Airag, such as camel, sheep, yak and processed durable dairy, such as butter fat, dried curdles and cheeses. These store for long periods of time. Dairy in many forms indeed is a major source of calories in the traditional Mongolian diet that some rural people eat still today. As far as I can remember, Airag is only produced during July and August. That would be pretty limiting. It also spoils pretty quickly. After a while in warm weather the smell is unbearable. People save the microbes for the the next run in the following year.
- baybal2 5y ago