Mongolia – Where do the Mongols get their Vitamin C?

One of the friends suggesting Mongolia as a destination for my travels told me when observing that I'm a vegetarian: „But you know that the Mongols are great meat-eaters – you'll have a hard time getting something to eat.“ As it turned out, it was as easy as in Tibet 25 years ago, when someone had warned me much alike; but vegetarinism in Mongolia is an own story. With long winters and  a meat oriented diet, how can the Mongols get enough vitamin C? The easy answer would be: like all omnivor humans in the world.

Let's take the issue even further. How did the Inuit get their vitamin C, let's say 100 years ago? I was thinking of berries, the stomach with stomach contents of reindeer, organ meats, which all may be true, but still leaving a gap, which could be closed with the subcutaneous fat of the narwhal, which is rich in vitamin C. The narwhal (or narwhale) is “is a medium-sized toothed whale that possesses a large "tusk" from a protruding canine tooth” [1]. Such a tusks was easily thought of as the horn of a unicorn in medieval times.

If we talk about Mongols? Whom are we talking about? The modern city dweller, the modern nomad, Mongols of the past? Nearly 70% of  Mongolia's population lives in cities; within the past 60 years the proportion has nearly doubled [2]. And in the cities, people go to the supermarket or minimarket, as I'll show later. What about the nomads? People, the nomads have cars and motorbikes! Mongolia is divided into provinces or aimags (аймаг) and these have districts or sums (cум) and there you'll find minimarkets. On the average you should find such a store within 40 km.

So let's concern us more with the romantic life of Mongolia's nomads in the past. It must have been a harsh life with extrem cold conditions. Meat is eaten more during winter and mostly cooked and not grilled, the Mongolian BBQ is a newer invention and without tradition. The major part of the Mongol diet has been dairy products like butter, buttermilk, milk, qurut or dried milk curd [3]. And they gathered berries like sea buckthorn, blue-, black-, silverberries, herbs, wild vegetables, roots, tubers, and mushrooms.

Airag (айраг) also known as kumis is fermented mare's milk [4]. Most people are interested in the contents of alcohol in airag, which is 1-3%. I am interested if airag is a source for vitamin C. And yes it is. According to one source there are 15 mg vitamin C per 100 ml airag [5]. Another source from Kazakhstan measured 9.45 mg / 100 ml [6]. So airag contributes to the supply of vitamin C.

So, vitamin C isn't really an issue. If you like a condensed view on what “the average Mongol” eats, there is an answer on the net [7]. If you compare Mongolia to Germany or the USA you won't find much differences [8]. Rural and urban nutrition differs in a surprising fact: “the rural population eats more sugar and sugar products” [7].

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narwhal
[2] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=MN
[3] https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1451/food--drink-in-the-mongol-empire/
[4] More on airag or kumis here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumis  
[5] https://www.latequina.it/de/stutenmilch/zusammensetzung-stutenmilch.html   
[6] https://p.ayu.edu.kz/documents/3f92ae36-f011-42a6-90f3-1d1cc5f3b109_201008%20%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BF%D1%83%D1%81%20%D0%A2%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B0%202019.pdf   
[7] https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-main-dietary-sources-of-vitamin-C-in-Mongolian-cuisine-It-seems-very-meat-heavy  
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_meat_consumption

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Mongolia – Flying in and out

To go to Mongolia there's a convenient flight from Frankfurt by MIAT (Монголын Иргэний Агаарын Тээвэр , Mongolian Civil Air Transport) [1]. The flight from Frankfurt (FRA) was going to Ulaanbaatar's new airport, Chinggis Khaan International Airport (Чингис хаан олон улсын нисэх буудал) (UBN) [2], of course.

MIAT only has a small fleet and this flight to Mongolia has been on a Boeing 737. I enjoyed excellent service and a good seat for th eight hours of this flight. MIAT hasn't yet worked out to serve vegetarian meals. One may arrange for a Baby Meal, Child Meal, Low Salt Meal, Moslem Meal, Hindu Meal (lamb, poultry, fish), and Diabetic Meal – no vegetarian option [3]. However, I asked and got a question as an answer: „Did you order a special meal?“ I didn't as I couldn't. The meals were in a way I could do with exchanging some items with a friend. And maybe the next time the friendly flight attendant asks it will be possible to get a vegetarian meal [4].

The flight back was much different. MIAT's Boeing 737 had been on a scheduled inspection and they chartered a flight by Air Asia. The whole crew had been provided by Air Asia save the purser. Most of the flight attendants were male, only two were female and interestingly the companies policy for the inflight female staff is open long hair, which I cannot remember having seen with other airlines. This aircraft didn't have inflight entertainment, not that I have use for it, but it's easier to sit on long hauls if you see, where you are and where you are going. And on this flight I would have liked seeing this, as we must have passed the Altai mountains covered in snow. MIAT's flights may cross Russia, the Malaysian airline had to use the southern route to avoid Russioan airspace. East to west flight already take longer, but we sat on this plan for 12 hours. The seat rows were narrower than expected. And the meals were not only not vegetarian but also more oriented to durability than taste or balanced diet. Maybe this aiscraft usually serves short hauls. The flight attendants of both flights were very helpful and friendly.

For both airlines I would wish the CEO work on the same level of professional competence as the crews.

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIAT_Mongolian_Airlines
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinggis_Khaan_International_Airport
[3] https://www.miat.com/pagecontent.php?pageId=63&lang=en (as of 28.08.2022)
[4] I won't fly Air Africaans, but I'll surely fly MIAT again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK1YpYr5fn0

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Stop Eating Animals

Yesterday I’ve seen this STOP sign reading STOP eating animals. The campaign has a long history, but I’ve never seen such a sign before. And yes, I’ve waited for the traffic light to change to red.

Some people stop eating animals for health reasons, which is already true, but you can’t see a difference between reducing meat, fish, poultry to a very low level and stopping to eat all animals or animal products. To do so is an ethical step based in animal welfare.

Please stop eating animals or at least reduce eating animals or animal products to a very low level.

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Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

When I read the book “Transition to Vegetarianism – An Evolutionary Step” by Rudolph Ballantine during the 1990ies, I had been surprised by his emphasis on dark green leafy vegetables. If you read about dark green leafy vegetables nowadays, you find praises like:

·         nutritional powerhouses filled with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients

·         rich in chlorophyll

·         No. 1 food

·         brimming with fiber along with vitamins, minerals, and plant-based substances t

·         excellent source of vitamins A C, and K

·         supplies folate and potassium

·         treasure trove of nutrients

·         containing a host of phytochemicals, such as lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene

·         run the whole gamut of flavors

·         abundance of carotenoids-antioxidants

·         protecting bones from osteoporosis (vitamin K)

You might think that these people got carried away, but the truth is, dark green leafy vegetables are of great nutritional value.

Here is a selection of dark green leafy vegetables in alphabetical order:

·         arugula (rucola, colewort)

·         bok choy

·         broccoli

·         Brussels sprouts

·         butterhead (lettuce)

·         cabbage

·         cauliflower greens

·         chickweed (more common in Europe, unless you plant it in your garden [Vogelmiere])

·         collard greens

·         dandelion greens

·         green leaf

·         kale (borecole, curly kale)

·         mustard greens

·         radish greens

·         red clover

·         romaine

·         rucola (arangula, colewort)

·         plantain greens

·         Savoy cabbage

·         spinach

·         turnip leaves

·         Swiss chard (mangold)

·         Watercress

Some are great for salads (raw), others are better cooked, some could be added to smoothies. Have some each day!

Links/Referencies:

Ballantine, Rudolph M.D.: Transition to Vegetarianism – An evolutionary step. Himalayan Institute Press, 1987.

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/list-dark-green-leafy-vegetables-1647.html

http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthy-kitchen-11/leafy-greens-rated

https://vegetarian-nutrition.info/green-leafy-vegetables/

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