Pull off at a Kazak yurt in the Ili Valley in July and you will be handed a bowl of thick yogurt and a cup of fizzy, faintly alcoholic mare’s milk before you have said hello.
Dairy is the quiet star of Xinjiang’s pastoral food, shaped by Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Mongol and Uyghur herding traditions. This guide walks through the main products — yogurt, kumys, qurt and fresh milk — where to try them, and the honest food-safety caveats that travellers should know.
The staple: thick Xinjiang yogurt
What locals call suyt (酸奶) is nothing like sweet supermarket yogurt. It is thick, tart, often unsweetened, and eaten with a spoon or torn naan. In Urumqi and Kashgar bazaars you will find it sold in shallow bowls topped with a little honey or white sugar, and in villages it comes straight from the pot. The texture is closer to strained Greek yogurt than to drinkable varieties, and the sourness is the point — it is a cooling counterweight to heavy polo and grilled meat.
- suyt / 酸奶 — thick, tart, usually unsweetened
- Eaten with honey, sugar or torn naan
- Sold in bazaars and village pots, rarely in drinkable form
Kumys: the fermented mare’s milk
Kumys (кимыз / 马奶酒) is fermented mare’s milk, a summer drink of the Kazakh and Kyrgyz herders. It is lightly fizzy, sharply tangy, and contains a small amount of alcohol — typically well under 2.5% ABV, though homemade batches vary. You find it at roadside yurts in the Ili Valley, around Narat and Tekes, and in Altay during the warm months. It is an acquired taste and a cultural one: being offered kumys is a sign of hospitality, and refusing flatly is poor form — a small sip satisfies the gesture.
- Fermented mare’s milk, 0.5–2.5% alcohol depending on batch
- Summer only, at Ili and Altay yurt camps
- A hospitality gesture — a small sip is enough
Qurt, cheese and dried milk snacks
Qurt (курт) are dried, salted balls of pressed yogurt or cheese — pocket-sized, intensely savoury, and built for the road. Herders have carried them for centuries as travel food because they keep without refrigeration. You will also meet fresh cottage-style cheeses, clotted cream (often spooned over bread or noodles), and blocks of yellow butter. None of these are sweet; they are salty, tangy protein that pairs with tea and flatbread.
- Qurt — dried salted yogurt balls, the original travel snack
- Fresh cottage cheese and clotted cream with bread
- All salted and savoury, not dessert-like
Food-safety: the honest caveats
The romantic version of nomad dairy hides one real risk: much of it is unpasteurised. Raw milk should be boiled before drinking, and traditional kumys is live-fermented. Most healthy adults handle it fine, but pregnant travellers, young children, and anyone immunocompromised should stick to packaged, pasteurised yogurt and skip the raw kumys. Buy from busy, reputable stalls rather than an isolated roadside pot, and keep anything perishable in a cooler if you are driving on.
- Boil raw milk before drinking
- Pasteurised yogurt is safe; raw kumys is not for pregnancy or weak immunity
- Buy from busy stalls; keep perishables in a cooler
Where to try authentic dairy
The Ili Valley is the heartland — yurt camps between Yining, Narat and Tekes serve kumys and fresh yogurt in summer. Urumqi’s international bazaar and Kashgar’s markets carry qurt and packaged dairy year-round. For something to take on the road, sealed cups of yogurt and vacuum-packed qurt travel well and survive a day in a cooler. Time your dairy detour for June through September, when the herds are out and the fresh stuff is at its peak.
- Ili Valley yurts (Narat, Tekes, Yining) in summer
- Urumqi and Kashgar bazaars for qurt and packaged dairy
- Best season: June–September when fresh dairy peaks
| Product | Origin | Taste | When | Caution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yogurt (suyt) | Wide / bazaars | Thick, tart | Year-round | Check if pasteurised |
| Kumys (mare’s milk) | Ili, Altay yurts | Fizzy, sour, low alcohol | Summer | Raw; avoid if pregnant |
| Qurt | Herder regions | Salty, savoury | Year-round | Very salty |
| Fresh milk | Villages | Rich | Summer | Boil before drinking |
| Clotted cream / cheese | Pastoral areas | Mild, salty | Summer | Keep cool |
Practical takeaways
- Try dairy in summer when the herds are out and fresh supplies peak.
- Pair yogurt or qurt with naan and a little honey for a balanced snack.
- Buy sealed, packaged dairy for the road and keep it in a cooler.
- If you are pregnant, immunocompromised or travelling with toddlers, stick to pasteurised products.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is kumys alcoholic?
- Yes, mildly. It is fermented mare’s milk with typically under 2.5% ABV, though homemade batches vary. The effect is light, but if you avoid alcohol entirely, treat it as such and stick to yogurt.
- Can I drink the raw milk?
- Boil it first. Much of the fresh milk sold roadside is unpasteurised, and boiling removes the main risk while keeping the flavour. Packaged milk in shops is already safe.
- Where do I try the most authentic dairy?
- The Ili Valley in summer — yurt camps between Yining, Narat and Tekes serve kumys and fresh yogurt. Urumqi and Kashgar bazaars carry qurt and packaged dairy all year.
- Is it safe for kids or during pregnancy?
- Pasteurised yogurt is fine. Raw kumys and unboiled fresh milk are not recommended during pregnancy or for young children and anyone with a weak immune system.