Arkhi
Distilled Mongolian kefir spirit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arkhi (Mongolian: Архи, ᠠᠷᠢᠬᠢ, lit. "alcohol," sometimes translated as vodka) is a liquor made from airag, fermented milk brandy, or isgelen tarag (Mongolian: исгэлэн тараг, ᠢᠰᠬᠦᠯᠡᠩ
ᠲᠠᠷᠠᠭ, or kefir)[1] which then gets distilled. Isgelen tarag often uses the milk of a mare, donkeys, sheep, cows, the yak, camels[2] (specifically, khoormog (ингэний хоормог)) or of reindeer, depending on local traditions or availability.[3] The Mongols adopted the distillation technology from Arab and Islamic producers of arak, a grape-based spirit, substituting their own local fermented ingredients to distill sometime in the 13th century.[4] Their transmission of this technology to Korea led to the production of Soju there.[4]
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| Type | Milk brandy, distilled from kefir[1] |
|---|---|
| Origin | Mongolia[citation needed] |
| Alcohol by volume | Up 10%, depending on distillation cycle[1] |
| Colour | Clear-white |
| Ingredients | Fermented milk |
| Variants | Airag, kefir |
It holds special status in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, both as the prime spirit of choice among pastoral units[1] and served to esteemed guests.
It is often reserved for the family and never sold in Mongolia, slowly being replaced by vodka, also referred to as arkhi.[5]
In and around Inner Mongolia, it is more regularly produced and sold. Industrial production and bottling occurs in locations such as Chifeng.
