Sulkhar flour processing method
Title
Sulkhar flour processing method
Alternative Title
Сульхарын гурил боловрсуулах арга
Publication Type
Language
mon
eng
Location
Mongolia
Keywords
Sulkhar
Flour
Method
Food making
Plant
Relevance to ICH Safeguarding
ICH Genre
Description
Sulkhar (Agriophyllum pungens) is a wild cereal species that is widely used by the people of the Gobi region, a herbaceous plant that grows in the sandy soils of the Gobi. It has linear rust-shaped leaves with narrowed thorns at the ends. After flowering, it hardens and becomes hard with thorns
it has flat oval seeds. It grows well when it rains, and when it doesn’t rain, it grows low, and the seeds don’t ripen. Throughout the winter, it collapses and, like a nettle, is driven by the wind and accumulates in depressions and ravines. Sulkhar is collected in the fall before the seed falls, dried for a few days, and when the seeds are dry, it is rubbed on a specially prepared mat, separated from the stems and thorns, and cleaned with a stick in a gentle breeze. The seeds can be ground into flour or ground and eaten as rice. The seeds contain a variety of amino acids that are high in protein and fat, and the chemical composition of the seeds with skin is 21.25 percent protein and 3.4 percent fiber. Sulkhar has long been used by Mongolians to make tea, flour, and food. It’s also used in traditional medicine as a product for relieving stress and to treat the liver and kidneys. The heritage element “Sukhar flour processing method” is registered in the “Traditional methods and techniques” domain of the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding of Mongolia.
Publisher
National Center for Cultural Heritage
Place of Publication
Mongolia
Date of Publication
2022
Academic Field
heritage management
Community/Ethnic Group
Mongolia
Active Contribution
Mongolia, FY 2024