How A Biochemical Invention Of The Mongols Gave Us Sour Cream
When you're enjoying your burrito, you should briefly think of
the biochemical ingenuity of the horse-riding culture that
nearly overran Europe. The Mongols had to process their food in
a special way, and they liked getting drunk — this led to a
culinary treasure.  The Mongols tended to eat what they brought
with them, and what they brought with them was horses. Horses,
like all mammals, produced both meat and milk. Milk would have
been very useful, but much of the Mongol population was lactose
intolerant. Rather than cutting off half their food supply, the
Mongols found a way to use it.  Although they couldn't eat
mare's milk as it was, they did drink kumis, a very slightly
alcoholic drink made from milk. Here is how you make it: first
you take mare's milk, and add two types of bacteria, named
Streptococcus lactis and Leuconostoc citrovorum. After the
bacteria thicken the milk a little bit, you let the milk go
through a second fermentation stage,