Buuz

Buuz are Mongolian steamed dumplings filled with meat, prepared in both Mongolian and Buryat cuisine, made from minced lamb, mutton or beef seasoned with caraway seed, onion and garlic, with modern versions sometimes adding carrot, cabbage, other vegetables, rice, fennel seed or fresh herbs. The name traces etymologically to the Chinese baozi, the Mandarin term for steamed buns, reflecting the dish's spread into Mongolian cooking. A ball of seasoned meat is wrapped in a dough pocket that is pinched closed with a small opening left at the top to prevent the dumpling bursting as it steams, and it is eaten by hand so the dough can catch the meat's juices. Buuz hold particular importance during Tsagaan Sar, the Mongolian lunar new year celebrated in February, when they are traditionally prepared weeks in advance and frozen, and they are eaten alongside salads, fried bread, Mongolian tea and vodka, while today they are also served year round in restaurants and cafes across Ulaanbaatar.