Kumis, Ayran and Xinjiang’s Fermented Drinks: A Field Guide to the Region’s Sours and Cultures
Before you fall for salty milk tea, try the drink that divides first-time visitors: kumis (fermented mare’s milk), a lightly alcoholic, fizzy, sour sipper that nomads have relied on for centuries. Xinjiang‘s drink culture is far broader than tea, and most of it is honest, homemade, and unexpectedly good.
The essentials
Xinjiang‘s traditional drinks split into two worlds: fermented dairy (kumis, ayran, suzma) and tea-based (milk tea, brick tea). Kumis is made by fermenting fresh mare’s milk with a starter culture; the result is 0.5–2% alcohol, effervescent, and tangy. Ayran is a salted yogurt drink (non-alcoholic). Both are staples of Kazakh and Kyrgyz herding communities in the north.
| Drink | Base | Alcohol | Taste |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumis | Mare’s milk | Low (0.5–2%) | Sour, fizzy |
| Ayran | Yogurt + water + salt | None | Salty, cooling |
| Suzma | Strained yogurt | None | Thick, tart |
| Milk tea | Tea + milk + salt | None | Creamy, savory |
Getting There (Where to Try)
Your best chance at real kumis is in pastoral northern Xinjiang — around Ili, Naraty, and the grassland guesthouses of the Tianshan — in summer when herds are milking. City versions exist in Urumqi and Yining night markets but are often milder. Ili Valley trips in June–August line up perfectly with fresh kumis season.
Ticket prices
Kumis is cheap: a bowl at a herder’s yurt or a market stall runs about 10–20 RMB. Bottled versions in supermarkets are 8–15 RMB. You are paying for freshness, not branding.
Season by season
Kumis is a warm-season drink — peak freshness is June to August, when mares are foaling and milk flows. Off-season, you’ll mostly find pasteurized bottles, which lose the fizz.
How to Drink It (Without Regretting It)
| Step | Tip |
|---|---|
| 1 | Start with a small bowl; the sour-fizz is an acquired taste |
| 2 | Drink it cool, not iced |
| 3 | Pair with naan or samsa to soften the tang |
| 4 | Don’t overdo it — low alcohol still adds up |
Where I stayed
For the authentic version, stay at a grassland yurt homestay (summer only). In towns, any standard hotel puts you within walking distance of a bazaar that sells it.
Food Pairings
Kumis loves grilled meat and flatbread; ayran is the all-day refresher with kebabs. Both cut the richness of lamb beautifully.
The mistake I made the first time
The gate is not the site. The other mistake is about distance on the map. There is a shuttle, a walk, sometimes another shuttle, and the stretch everybody underestimates is between the second gate and the thing you crossed the country to see. So: work out how far it is from where the vehicle drops you to the feature, then double it. That is the number of hours the visit needs.
I assumed two hours would be plenty. It was, in the sense that I saw everything, and it was ruined in the sense that I saw everything at the same hour with the same crowd, and I spent the drive home meaning to come back and never did. What I would tell the version of me who planned it: put the slow hours in, not the fast ones. I did come back the following trip, at seven in the morning, and it was a different site. The whole point of coming this far is to have the place to yourself for a while, and that only happens if you are willing to be there when it opens or when it is nearly shut.
That stretch of the trip is described in our [[hami-melon-and-xinjiangs-sweet-side-a-guide-to-the-regions-melons-grapes-and-fru|Hami Melon and Xinjiang’s Sweet Side: A…]] too.
The money, line by line
On top of it comes a shuttle or sightseeing bus inside the site, and if you want a far viewpoint rather than the main one that is another leg. The headline entrance ticket is only the first line. Parking, a printed map, and a guide are the other three places the number moves. Two of us covered the whole thing for well under what a single hotel night in Xinjiang costs, but only because we shared the car and shared the entry between us.
On your own the same afternoon comes out at maybe half again as much. Prices at the gate are reasonable by European standards, which is exactly why they are easy to underestimate. The admission is cheap, the internal transport is what adds up, and a family of four in one car turns a small ticket into a real line in the budget. Ask once at the ticket office what the full circuit costs before you commit.
Staff there are used to it, and the answer takes ten seconds.
A second look on day two
If your itinerary has a spare morning, spend it here again rather than at the bigger name on the far side of town. The second time you can skip the obligatory viewpoint and walk along the base of the ridge where the light comes in sideways, and that is the photograph you keep. I did, and the second visit was better, because the first had been spent working out where to stand. Almost nobody does Kumis Ayran And Xinjiangs twice.
What locals know
- Fresh kumis is unpasteurized — travelers with sensitive stomachs should prefer bottled.
- It does not travel; drink it where you buy it.
- Ask “qymyz” (Kazakh) or “kumis” (Russian loan) if pointing fails.
FAQ
Does kumis get you drunk? Barely — it’s usually under 2% ABV, more of a probiotic fizz than a beer.
Is it safe? From reputable stalls and yurts, yes; the fermentation itself inhibits many pathogens. Sensitive stomachs should choose bottled.
What if I hate it? Try ayran or milk tea instead — same culture, gentler flavor.
Can I buy it outside Xinjiang? Rarely fresh; some Central Asian shops in big cities stock bottled versions.
