The food in Mongolia was… Hit or miss. Some of it was really delicious, and some was kind of bland. All of it was worth trying, though! I was a little disappointed not to have the chance to try the more “unique” Mongolian fare like horse, marmot, or camel. I love to try unique foods all over the world. Tourism to Mongolia is light, so I was expecting to be able to find the authentic foodstuffs more easily, but I think the places we went (Ulaanbaatar and Nalaikh) were more tourism-heavy, which was a-okay, but it meant we got the “watered down” version of the local food. Nonetheless, I did zero-in on the most authentic food on the menu wherever we went. Here are the best Mongolian foods we ate in Mongolia!
Tsuivan
This is Mongolia’s national dish, and in fact, I ended up having it three times! It’s made from noddles, veggies, and meat, all stir-fried together. Each one was a little different. My first encounter was made with offal, which can mean many things, but this time, it meant lamb tail. This one also included carrots, mushrooms, and a few other veggies. The second came from the Nomadic family we were able to visit in Nalaikh. This time, the dish was made with beef, homemade noodles, potatoes, and carrots.
The third rendition came from room service at the Shangri-La, so that I could eat something while my daughter napped. This was perhaps the tastiest, and it included the most veggies–cucumber, carrot, peppers, etc. The meat was beef, and noodles were flatter and thinner than the other two. If you want to try Mongolian food while you’re here, you’ll be trying the Tsuivan.
More here: What to Know about Visiting a Nomadic Family in Mongolia
Dumplings
Fun fact: Almost every culture has dumplings. Why? The Silk Road, which began in Mongolia. This is true Mongolian food! Dumplings were on every menu, and I could have eaten nothing but dumplings the whole time we were there and been very happy. I thought my daughter would like them, too, but she was mostly into the outer layer (the noodle, of course). The cheese dumplings were filled with a cottage cheese mixture, which was different from what I expected. It was good. The best, though, were the Buuz dumplings, filled with incredibly well-seasoned meat.
Read on: The Top 7 things to Do in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Soup
Mongolian food involves a lot of soup! If you look just above, you’ll see the pumpkin soup Iris and I shared one evening, along with the Buuz. Surprisingly, the pumpkin soup was a favorite for Iris! She loved it. Mongolians eat lots of soups, due to the long, extreme winter conditions. The one below came from a Ger (yurt) restaurant in Nalaikh. I couldn’t tell you what the name was, because the menu was all in Mongolian! Thank goodness for photos. It was a beef soup, with beef broth, dumplings, and veggies in it. Even in May, it was soup season!
Read on: The Best Tips for Your Visit to Mongolia
Fried Bread
Fried bread is a common snack or appetizer, at least that was our experience when eating in Mongolia. They came out as an appetizer in the Mongolian restaurant we went to in Ulaanbaatar. We then saw them again in Nalaikh when we visited the Nomadic family there. We also learned how to make them while we were with the Nomadic family, and Iris was a pro! She was so proud of her piece of dough and ate it happily once it was cooked.
Read next: The Best Way to Spend a Day Trip to Nalaihk, Mongolia
Kuushuur
I’ve saved the best for last. I’m not a fan of fried food in general, but these fried dumplings filled with beef and seasonings? I could eat them every day for the rest of my life. They reminded me of hand pies in the American South, or empanadas in Chile. I’m glad Iris was sleeping when these arrived so I didn’t have to share them!
Keep reading: My Honest Review of Vacations Mongolia
Want more? Check out my dedicated Mongolia Page!
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