Mongolia <You light fires with horse dung?>

Mongolia

Capital: Ulaanbaatar

Area: 1,567,000 km2 (approximately 7.1 times the size of the Korean Peninsula)

Population: 2.4 million people

Language: Mongolian

 

You light fires with horse dung?

 

Most Mongolian people live in a type of house called a "ger." Gers are made entirely of natural materials, with wooden poles forming the structure and wool spread thinly around the circumference. There are also small holes on the roof for ventilation.

 

The Mongolian grasslands can reach temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius in the summer. Conversely, temperatures can drop to as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius in the winter. That's why Mongolian people light fires with horse dung in the middle of their homes during the winter.

You light fires with dung? But fires lit with horse dung hardly produce any smell. That's because horse dung isn't used directly as fuel. Instead, it is spread out and dried in the sun. Once it hardens, it becomes an excellent fuel.

When lighting a fire with horse dung in a stove, first break up the hardened dung into small pieces and light it with a match or lighter. Then place the broken up pieces on top of the burning dung.

 

That's why Mongolian people love horses the most among the animals they raise. Without horses, they wouldn't be able to endure the cold winter.