Recently, a correspondent from Turmush visited Bazarali and learned about his life and work.
Local residents know him as a kumyschy — a master who prepares kumis. His regular clients come even in winter to enjoy fresh mare's milk. Bazarali started this due to the illness of his late wife.
“In 2020, my wife was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and I stayed home to take care of her. We started giving her mare's milk, hoping for its benefits. However, the milk delivered from the mountains quickly soured. So, I took one mare with a foal from my older brother and started milking it myself. My wife was able to drink only 1 liter, and I thought about producing kumis,” he shared.
Bazarali is originally from the village of Kara-Köl in the Achi valley and has been watching his mother prepare kumis since childhood. Initially, he faced difficulties with the starter culture (uyutku/köröngö), but soon he learned this craft. He cared for his wife for three years, but the illness took her life. Nevertheless, he did not give up working with the mares. “One should not rely on someone else's salary — you need to earn on your own. That’s how I live: next to my house, in front of my children, I provide for myself through honest work,” he shared.
Currently, Bazarali has three mares in his yard, which produce about 12 liters of milk a day. He milks them every four hours.
“In spring, I milk every two hours, and in winter — every four. Even at two in the morning, I get up to milk the mares, otherwise, they might get sick. It’s very hard — to give up sleep for the sake of caring for the animals,” he explains.
In winter, he sells kumis, to which he adds cow's milk, for 200-250 soms per liter, while mare's milk is sold for 400-500 soms. People appreciate his work and eagerly buy it. “From two mares, I get about 12 liters of milk, and I add about 3 liters of cow's milk to it — that’s how I live,” says Bazarali.
He feeds his mares with compound feed from the company "Atalyk": one mare eats up to 7 kg of feed a day, plus hay. The foals also require a lot of food. “If I sell about 10 liters of kumis, then about 1000 soms goes to feed, and the rest remains as profit. Thank fate for this,” he adds.
When choosing mares, Bazarali pays attention to their character and udder. “At first, I had a mare that gave birth to 17 foals and produced milk for 11 months. She was truly an ‘old mare that gives a lot of milk.’ I sold her for 104,000 soms,” he recalls.
In his yard, there is now a spotted mare that has given birth to 7-8 foals. “She is very good, and I plan to put her in the herd this year. I change mares as needed. In April-May, mares with foals are more expensive, while those that give birth in August-September are harder to sell — they are taken only for personal needs,” he adds.
Speaking about his preferences, Bazarali notes that he does not choose overly large mares due to limited space. “I prefer those that have already given birth to 7-8 foals. The udder should be convenient for milking, and the character should be calm. It is dangerous to have mares with a bad temperament, as they can kick hard,” he explains.
For preparing kumis, Bazarali uses a regular flask instead of a traditional leather vat. Well-fermented kumis can be stored for up to 3-4 months, and he smokes it using corn cobs.
“I tried to smoke kumis with white wormwood, but it’s too complicated. Corn cobs work great, as kumis does not ‘scratch the throat.’ I follow all the standards and pour kumis into plastic bottles — it doesn’t explode and doesn’t lose gas,” says Bazarali.
Those who know his kumis order it for celebrations. Some even send it to relatives in Russia. Recently, one client ordered 100 liters, and Bazarali has been busy fulfilling this order for a week. His second wife, with whom he recently tied his fate, helps him with this.
