Local Drinks

1. Сүүтэй цай

   Süütei tsai

   Süütei tsai (salted milk tea)

   Usage

   Note: this is not the sweet milk tea you may expect. Brick tea is broken up and boiled with milk and salt — it is a savoury, salted drink with no sugar, and in the countryside fat, butter or fried millet may go in too. It is the first thing offered when you enter a ger; take the bowl with the right or both hands and drink at least a sip. Do not expect to have it sweetened

2. Хар цай

   Khar tsai

   Khar tsai (plain tea, no milk)

   Usage

   One meaning is "tea without milk stirred in". If the salted süütei tsai does not suit you, show this word instead

3. Цай

   Tsai

   Tea

   Usage

   Note: if you just ask for tsai in Mongolia you will most likely be served süütei tsai, the salted milk tea. Ask for khar tsai if you want plain leaf tea

4. Хоормог

   Khoormog

   Khoormog (fermented milk drink)

   Usage

   Sour tarag loosened with boiled milk and drunk. In the Gobi the camel-milk version, ingenii khoormog, is the well-known one

5. Сүү

   Süü

   Milk

   Usage

   The word covers livestock milk in general, not only cow's. In the countryside people specify: ükhriin süü (cow), yamaany süü (goat), ingenii süü (camel)

6. Ус

   Us

   Water

   Usage

   The basic word, used both for buying bottled water and for asking for water at a canteen

7. Рашаан ус

   Rashaan us

   Mineral water

   Usage

   Natural mineral water fit for therapeutic use. Mongolia's mineral springs are resort destinations, and bottled water is sold under their names

8. Ундаа

   Undaa

   Soft drink / beverage

   Usage

   The heading you will see over the drinks column on a menu. One meaning is fruit or carbonated water, covering fizzy drinks and juices together

   Grammar Note

   Note: sogtuuruulakh undaa, "intoxicating beverage", is the blanket term for alcohol, and that is the form you will see on signs and in regulations

9. Жүүс

   Jüüs

   Juice

   Usage

   A loanword for a drink prepared from processed fruit juice.

10. Кофе

    Kofe

    Coffee

    Usage

    Understood without trouble in Ulaanbaatar cafés. Other expressions are chikhertei kofe (with sugar) and süütei kofe (with milk)

11. Сүүтэй кофе

    Süütei kofe

    Coffee with milk

    Usage

    Coffee with milk added. It uses the same -tei (with) pattern as süütei tsai.

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