A Turmush correspondent visited Bazarali and learned about his passion.
Local residents know him as a kumyschy, a master of making kumis. In winter, regular customers often come to him to enjoy mare's milk. The inspiration for starting this business came from 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 in hopes of improvement, but it often arrived sour due to long delivery from the mountains. Then I took a mare with a foal from my older brother and started milking myself. My wife drank only one liter; the rest of the milk remained, and I thought about producing kumis," he recounts.
Bazarali is originally from the village of Kara-Köl and has watched his mother prepare kumis since childhood. At first, he struggled with the fermentation, but after some time, he learned. He took care of his wife for three years, but unfortunately, he lost her. Despite this, he continued to keep mares, as he did not want to depend on others for income. "This is how I live, working honestly and close to home, in front of my children," he shares.
Currently, Bazarali has three mares in his yard. He receives about 12 liters of milk a day from two of them, milking 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 take care of the mares; otherwise, they may have problems with their udders. Caring for them at night requires considerable effort," he explains.
The kumis he sells in winter (with the addition of cow's milk) costs between 200 to 250 soms per liter, while mare's milk costs between 400 to 500 soms. "People see my hard work and take it with gratitude. I add about three liters of cow's milk to the mare's milk," he adds.
Bazarali feeds his mares with compound feed from the "Atalyk" company, which amounts to up to 7 kg per mare per day, plus hay. "If I sell about 10 liters of kumis, then about 1000 soms goes to feed, and the rest remains as income," he shares.
When choosing mares, he pays attention to their temperament and udders. "I had a mare that gave birth to 17 foals and produced milk for 11 months. It is true that an older mare gives a lot of milk," he recounts.
Currently, he has a mare in his yard that has given birth to 7-8 foals and has good qualities. "I plan to let her into the herd this year. Mares that give birth in April-May can be sold for a higher price, while those that give birth in the fall are harder to sell," Bazarali adds.
He ensures that the mares are not too large, as space in his yard is limited. "It is important for the udder to be convenient for milking; a calm temperament also matters. If a mare is aggressive, it can be dangerous," he emphasizes.
For making kumis, Bazarali uses a regular flask instead of the traditional "chanach." He smokes the kumis using corn cobs, which helps preserve its taste for 3-4 months. "I tried smoking with the dust of white wormwood, but it's hard to find," he says.
Clients who are well acquainted with the quality of his kumis often order it for celebrations. Some even send it to Russia. "Recently, one client ordered 100 liters, and I have been working on this order for a week with my second wife, with whom I recently tied my life," Bazarali adds.
