Farmer from Leninogorsk region: During the pandemic, the demand for kumis tripled
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Tatarstan pays great attention to the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the countryside. Today in every district there are people who have opened their own business and are successfully developing it. One of these is an individual entrepreneur from the Leninogorsk region, who has chosen for himself not just a business, but a life-long work - the revival of the Tatar horse breed.
In December 2015, Farit Nabiullin, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan, purchased 54 Tatar horses. Now his farm maintains 362 horses (236 are Tatar breeds), including 130 mares. Farit Nabiullin not only breeds horses, but also makes kumis.
Kumis is a fermented milk drink made from mare's milk. For the first time, nomadic peoples learned how to make it, and they kept the recipe for its manufacture secret for many centuries.
- I make kumis from the milk of real mares so that people can benefit from it. Buyers from districts and cities of Tatarstan take koumis for treatment against many diseases, including cancer. They even came from Krasnodar Territory for this drink. This year, during the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for kumis has tripled, says the farmer.
For one milk yield, a mare gives from 1.5 to 2 liters of milk. Several horses produce 25-50 liters per day. Fat content of milk - 1%, in summer only 0.5%. While cow's milk is rich in casein protein, mare's milk contains albumin.
“This year we have sold three times more products. The koumiss season is over, but they still call and ask us. They say that they have heard about the benefits of koumiss in the fight against coronavirus and lung disease. And it really helps. Mare's milk contains albumin, which strengthens the human immune system. Mare's milk and kumis are useful for immunity, cleanse the lungs. The useful substances in it fight against coronavirus, tuberculosis and pathogenic bacteria, ”the farmer notes.
Kumis is made in a special 20-liter vessel, and it is called a "buttermilk". Farit Nabiullin has plowing machines with a capacity of 50, 80 liters. It was made by a master who knows the subtleties of the craft.
Kumis is made at room temperature of 26-28 degrees. First, 3 liters of kumis, heated to 28 degrees, are poured into the ponder. This is instead of leaven. Then they gently begin to stir the kumis. After that, mare's milk is added to the sourdough, passing through several layers of gauze material. One third of the container should be left empty. Begin to whip milk with a special device, in 20 - 30 minutes the foam should appear and rise.
As Farit Nabiullin notes, the quality of kumis depends on three factors: what sourdough is added, what kind of feed the mare was fed and the hands of the manufacturer.
After beating the kumis until foamy, it is covered with clean material and left in a warm place closed from the sun.
Usually the mare is milked at 19.00, at 20.00 - 21.00 milk is put in a warm place. By 4 o'clock the next morning, the healthy drink is ready. Kumis can also be made from the morning milk.
First, kumis is poured from a plow-plow into an enamel dish. Then it is poured into plastic bottles. The farmer sells a liter of kumis for 200 rubles.
According to Farit Nabiullin, doctors and nurses in Almetyevsk bought kumis every day. “They said that kumis gave them hope, protection from diseases. Kyrgyz and Kazakh scientists are also constantly talking about the benefits of kumis, ”he says.
Farit Nabiullin advises to consume half a liter of kumis daily. The farmer also stressed that kumis cheers up and is good for the stomach.