Khalkha
Buuz: steamed mutton dumplings.
Buuz
Mongolian steamed mutton dumplings
View page →Khalkha Mongolian cuisine is the dominant ethnic group's kitchen — Ulaanbaatar's national table and the herder cooking of central Mongolia. Buuz steamed mutton dumplings are the national dish (essential to Tsagaan Sar Lunar New Year), accompanied by khuushuur fried meat-pancakes, suutei tsai (salty milk tea drunk many times daily), borts dried meat for winter, and the dairy products (aaruul curd, airag fermented mare's milk) that sustain the nomadic life. The cuisine reflects extreme cold + meat-and-milk pastoral economy.
The Palate
Start Here
Mongolia's national dish — steamed mutton dumplings with broth inside, eaten by piles during Tsagaan Sar (Mongolian New Year).
Why start here · Buuz are essential to Mongolian culture — families prepare thousands for Tsagaan Sar, and the dumpling sustains nomadic life year-round.
The Pantry
See all 12 ingredients›
Proteins
Herbs & Spices
Grains & Staples
Dairy & Fats
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
Signature Dishes (3)
Drinks
1Other regions
Siblings within Mongolian — each its own tradition.