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Aarts (Mongolian fermented-milk curds)
Аарц · Mongolian aarts · Mongolian curd from tarag
Aarts is a soft Mongolian curd made by draining boiled fermented yogurt; it remains wet, unlike aaruul, which is dried.
A soft curd, distinct from aaruul
Aarts (аарц) is a Mongolian wet curd made from fermented dairy. The 1995 IFAD survey lists it as a heated fermented-milk curd or concentrate. The National Center for Cultural Heritage describes filtered curds as aarts or aaruul, while the Mongolian Tourist Information Center separates the two: aarts is drained curd, and aaruul is made by drying it.
This page follows one documented route using boiled fermented yogurt, or tarag. Sources also mention tsagaa, so this is one route among variations, not a universal formula.
Boil and drain the yogurt
The Mongolian Tourist Information Center says aarts is made by pouring boiled yogurt into a cloth sack and letting the whey drip away. It gives no input quantity, boiling duration, draining time, or finished yield. This record preserves those omissions instead of adding a household batch size or a visual percentage.
For a home adaptation, start with plain yogurt made from pasteurized milk. Heat it to a boil, then drain it through clean cloth until the curd is soft and thick. The source does not say whether the cloth is hung or set in a sieve, so either arrangement that lets whey drain into a clean bowl follows the stated method.
Sources for this section
Handle the fresh curd safely
Aarts made this way is moist and perishable. The historical account gives no storage life or safety limits. This modern adaptation uses pasteurized-milk yogurt and clean equipment, then chills the curd promptly in a covered container. FDA guidance sets the refrigerator at 4°C or below and says perishable foods should not remain at room temperature for more than two hours.
This is a fresh cooked curd, not a validated preservation method.
Sources for this section
History
The archive identifies aarts as a Mongolian heated fermented-milk curd or concentrate. The cited sources distinguish the wet curd from dried aaruul but do not establish when the preparation began or one universal method.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
Fermented yogurt (tarag)For a modern home adaptation, use plain yogurt made from pasteurized milk.
Amount not stated
The source gives no quantity.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Perishable dairy curd
Aarts is a moist fresh dairy product; contamination after heating or warm holding can allow pathogens to grow.
Hazard sourceUse yogurt made from pasteurized milk, clean the cloth and utensils, transfer the curd to a covered container, and refrigerate it within two hours at 4°C or below.
Control sourceThis recipe gives no validated storage life. Keep the fresh curd refrigerated and discard it if it has been left out beyond the cited two-hour limit.
- Set a clean cloth sack or cheesecloth-lined strainer over a clean bowl.
- Heat plain fermented yogurt until it boils. The source gives no measured temperature or boiling time.
- Pour the boiled yogurt into the cloth and let the whey drain into the bowl until the curd is soft and thick. The source gives no draining duration or moisture endpoint.
- Transfer the curd with clean utensils to a covered container. Refrigerate promptly; do not leave this fresh dairy curd at room temperature for more than two hours.
Places
Mongolia
Traditional preparation · Country evidenceThe sources associate aarts with Mongolian dairy practice but do not locate a precise origin.
Related
Read more
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Cultured butter
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Cultured buttermilk
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Ghee, clarified butter and rendered fats
Butter heated until most water leaves and the milk solids separate, giving a fat that keeps far longer than butter. Rendering applies the same heat to animal tissue to make lard and tallow.
Greek-style strained yogurt
Greek-style strained yogurt is cultured whole milk drained through cloth to remove whey. This modern Utah home method makes a thick yogurt from a gallon batch.
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Sources
Mongolian Tourist Information CenterMethod · History · Geography
Tsagaan ideeDescribes aarts as curds obtained by draining boiled yogurt or tsagaa in a cloth sack; distinguishes wet aarts from aaruul, which is dried from it.
Cited in: A soft curd, distinct from aaruul; Boil and drain the yogurt
IFADInspiration · History · Geography
Mongolia Arkhangay Livestock Development Project: Sociological Survey, AppendicesThe survey appendix lists aarts as a Mongolian heated fermented-milk curd or concentrate; it does not provide a household recipe or quantities.
Cited in: A soft curd, distinct from aaruul
International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region; National Center for Cultural HeritageHistory · Geography
The traditional technique of preparing the dairy milk productsThe record describes Mongolian dairy processing and identifies filtered curds as soft or dried products including aarts and aaruul.
Cited in: A soft curd, distinct from aaruul
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Refrigerator Thermometers: Cold Facts about Food SafetyFDA recommends keeping a refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below and refrigerating perishable food within two hours.
Cited in: Handle the fresh curd safely