Kumis (Qymyz): Kazakhstan's Fermented Mare's Milk Explained

Kumis is fermented mare’s milk, a sour, lightly fizzy drink that Kazakh horse breeders have made for generations. The Kazakh name is қымыз, written qymyz in Latin letters; English sources also spell it koumiss, kumys or kymyz. It is a drink of the horse-milking season, and the first batch of the year has its own rite.

This page explains what kumis is, how it is made, what the named kinds mean, and how to try it sensibly as a visitor. It does not give health advice or an alcohol percentage, because those depend on the batch and the producer.

How is kumis made?

Fresh mare’s milk is poured onto a starter left from earlier kumis and then churned for a long time. The Kazakh-language guide published by Massaget describes the method this way:

1. The mare is milked and the milk is strained.
2. While still warm, the milk is poured into a saba or kubi on top of the qor, the remainder of earlier kumis that acts as the starter.
3. The mixture is churned for close to an hour. The source adds that the more it is churned, the better the kumis.

The vessels matter. According to the same source, a saba should be made of horsehide, while the kubi and the ladle should be wooden, and both vessels are regularly smoked with meadowsweet or birch. The source also ties quality to the grasses the mares eat and to the person looking after the batch, which is one reason kumis tastes different from one household and region to the next.

Fermentation makes kumis sour and produces some alcohol. How much depends on how long the batch has matured, so treat any single number you see quoted as a description of one batch, not of kumis in general.

What do the different names of kumis mean?

Kazakh has separate names for kumis by maturity and by season. The names below are as given by Massaget; spellings in Latin letters are approximate.

Name	Kazakh	What the source says
Saumal	саумал	Slowly fermented kumis, or sour kumis softened with fresh milk and churned
Qunan qymyz	құнан қымыз	Fermented for three days
Donen qymyz	дөнен қымыз	Fermented for four days
Besti qymyz	бесті қымыз	Fully matured and strong; the most highly valued
Uyz qymyz, or May kumis	уыз қымыз	Made early in the season, thicker in texture
Summer kumis	жазғы (сары) қымыз	Made in midsummer, when the grass has matured
Autumn kumis	күзгі қымыз	Shared with relatives when the mares are released in autumn
Winter kumis	қысқы қымыз	The winter kind

Saumal is the mildest; the source says it is mostly given to older people and children. If you are offered a choice, the day-count names tell you how sharp the drink is likely to be.

Kumis is not the same as shubat, which is fermented camel’s milk. Our guide to popular food in Kazakhstan covers both alongside the dishes they are served with.

What is qymyzmuryndyq, the first-kumis rite?

Qymyzmuryndyq is the gathering at which the first kumis of the season is shared. Massaget describes it as the feast of tethering the mares and drinking the first kumis: once two or three days of kumis have been collected, the household invites elders and neighbours, serves the first kumis with the wish that it be enough for many, and receives the elders’ blessing in return.

UNESCO inscribed the wider practice in 2018 as the Traditional spring festive rites of the Kazakh horse breeders. Its description, based on Terisakkan village in the Ulytau area, names three parts:

• Biye baylau, the first milking, when mares and foals are separated from the herd;
• Ayghyr kosu, the joining of stallions to the herds;
• Kymyz muryndyk, the first kumis sharing, which opens the season of making and sharing kumis.

UNESCO says the rites last about three weeks, until the sharing ceremonies in every household are over, and that they express traditional Kazakh hospitality. The Committee decision on the inscription adds that the rites are held every year to give thanks for people and horses coming through the long winter, and that family members and neighbours celebrating together is central to them. The rite is also held as a public festival. The Astana Times reported a regional Kymyzmuryndyk festival in Talas district of Zhambyl Region on 14 May 2022, where guests tasted kumis after the first milking and were greeted with kumis and baursak.

For the place of horses in that culture, see Kazakhstan traditions.

How should a visitor try kumis?

Start with a small serving and ask when it was made. Kumis is a live fermented drink, so freshness and storage change both the taste and how your stomach responds.

• Ask what you are getting. Saumal and young kumis are milder; a mature batch is sharper and stronger.
• Expect some alcohol. If you must avoid alcohol completely, are pregnant, are immunocompromised or have a dairy allergy, do not rely on a general guide. Ask the producer about the actual batch and follow medical advice specific to you.
• Do not assume one standard. “Farm” or “homemade” does not describe a single controlled recipe.
• Mind the etiquette when it is offered in a home or a yurt. Our Kazakh yurt guide explains how to accept a bowl and what hosts expect.

Markets and restaurants that serve Kazakh food are the usual places to find it in a city; our food guide and the beshbarmak guide explain the meal it often accompanies. For the wider picture of customs around guests, read the culture of Kazakhstan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is kumis?

Kumis is fermented mare's milk, a sour and lightly fizzy drink. The Kazakh name is qymyz. It is made by pouring fresh mare's milk onto a starter from earlier kumis and churning it.

Is kumis alcoholic?

Fermentation produces some alcohol. The amount depends on how long the batch has matured, so it varies between producers and batches. Ask about the actual batch if you need to avoid alcohol.

What is the difference between kumis and shubat?

Kumis is made from mare's milk and shubat from camel's milk. Both are fermented and sour, but they are different drinks.

What is saumal?

Saumal is the mildest form: slowly fermented kumis, or sour kumis softened with fresh mare's milk and churned. A Kazakh-language source says it is mostly given to older people and children.

Is kumis on a UNESCO list?

The first-kumis sharing rite, Kymyz muryndyk, is one of three parts of the Traditional spring festive rites of the Kazakh horse breeders, inscribed by UNESCO in 2018.

Sources

• Massaget: “Қымызмұрындық дегеніміз не?”, 5 November 2016, in Kazakh: the first-kumis feast, the making method, vessels, and the named kinds.
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Traditional spring festive rites of the Kazakh horse breeders, inscribed 2018.
• The Astana Times, 18 May 2022: the Kymyzmuryndyk-2022 festival in Zhambyl Region.
• UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee, Decision 13.COM 10.b.21: the criteria on which the rites were inscribed.

Last reviewed: 10 November 2026. All four sources were read on that date. This page does not state an alcohol percentage or health effects, because no source read for this review supports a single figure.