Boortsog

Small pieces of fried dough, crisp outside and soft within, eaten as a snack or alongside milk tea.

Boortsog is a traditional fried dough found across Mongolia and much of Central Asia, with regional variations in shape and sweetness. In Mongolia it is especially associated with Tsagaan Sar, the Lunar New Year, when large batches are fried and stacked into towering, symbolic arrangements as part of the festive table alongside other holiday dishes. Its simple ingredients — flour, fat and a leavening agent — made it an accessible treat across pastoral households.

The dough is rolled and cut into small shapes — strips, diamonds or twists — and deep-fried in fat until golden, traditionally stacked in odd-numbered tiers for Tsagaan Sar celebrations as a symbol of prosperity.