Mongolia: A White House in the Grasslands The grasslands continue as far as the eye can see. White specks dot the landscape here and there. As you get closer, you can see that these specks are actually houses. These are yurts (or gers), the portable, folding homes of people who live as herders of sheep and horses. Yurts are set up in places where water is easy to get and where there is grass for the horses and sheep to eat. When I visited this home on the steppe plateau of Tov Aimag, I was greeted with a big bowlful of koumiss, a fermented drink made from mare's milk. (A mare is a female horse.) When I finished one bowl, they poured me another. I ended up having four big bowls, or about half a gallon. The air is very dry here in Mongolia, and the koumiss made me feel very good. Who lives here? A father, a mother, and three children Captions: The outside is covered in felt. The framework of the house is made of wood. After the framework is set up, it is covered with felt made from sheeps' wool. Once the felt is tied down, the house is finished. When it is time to move, it is taken apart and moved on horseback. Horse droppings are used as fuel for the stove. Children learn to ride horses when they are about four years old. Koumiss, a beverage made from mare's milk Having a foal nearby at milking time encourages the mare to give more milk. Excerpted from Wonderful Houses Around the World by Yoshio Komatsu All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
