Mongol Milk-Drinkers: The Impact of Milk on the Mongol Army
[Source: The Evolution of Us]
The Mongol army under Genghis Khan was no doubt one of the greatest, most effective fighting forces the world has ever seen. In the span of about 25 years, from his rise to power to his death in 1227, he expanded the Mongol domain to cover more than 16% of the world’s area and rule a quarter of Earth’s population. There are many reasons for this success: advanced tactics, capable leadership, organization skills, and opportunity-- but one of the lesser-known reasons may have come down to the Mongols’ diet, a diet which much of Mongolia maintains today.
Diet has played a strong role in the development of human biology. One such niche dietary trait that has affected human populations and their culture is lactase persistence. Humans are the only species on Earth that continue to drink milk past when infants are weaned, and this requires the ability to digest sugar lactose in milk. This requires production of the enzyme lactase. (The inability to is what causes stomach cramps and nausea associated with lactose intolerance). However, lactase production, called lactase persistence, is actually in the minority. Most people who have lactase persistence are Europeans, but some populations without lactase persistence can still have milk without problem.
[Source] Map showing the percentage of lactase persistence in populations.
Mongolians today, and in Genghis’ time, were mostly lactose intolerant. Yet, milk and cheese were (and are still) a staple of the Mongol diet. This is because of the process through which Mongolians drink their milk-- fermentation. Mongols didn’t consume raw milk, but would let it ferment first, and then drink it, or let it further ferment into cheese and yogurt. Bacteria digests lactose in the fermentation process, allowing lactose intolerant populations used to a milk diet consume them without problem. (Read more here.) The know-how to consume dairy is a great boon to non-sedentary pastoralist cultures. By contrast, the sedentary populations dwelling in territory that the Mongols conquered, most notably China, did not drink milk as part of their daily breakfast. Agriculturalist populations live off a diet mostly composed of starches. This difference in diet shapes a culture from top to bottom.
The Mongol army rode its food, in essence. The horse was not only the fundamental equipment of the Mongol army, but along with providing quick transport for its soldiers and an edge in battle, the Mongol horse was also a walking drinking fountain. A single Mongol soldier had multiple horses, not just to switch between when one needed rest, but also for nourishment. Genghis Khan’s on-the-go Mongol army had the fermented milk of their horses for their staple wartime food. Not only did this free up the majority of Mongol horses from being pack animals, it also strengthened their troops. Milk is rich in sugar, calcium, protein, and fat. All of these are important in active bodies. Sugar and fat are great sources of energy, while calcium strengthens bones and protein, muscles. Lactose sugar is a long-lasting source of energy. The Mongol soldier was fit and strong from his milk diet.
Meanwhile, the Chinese army was structured around its soldiers’ diet of starches. Per-person, when compared to the Mongols, one Chinese soldier cost a greater amount of food, because the diet of the Chinese army was less nutrient-dense. Starch provides a great source of short-term energy, although the energy from starch burns quickly. Agriculture led to a growth in human population because the energy yields from one acre of farmed land are superior to one acre of hunted-or-gathered land, but it comes at the cost of a less nutritious diet. The agricultural population has more, less-healthy people. Instead of being used as transport for soldiers, horses in the Chinese army were forced to be pack animals to carry the heavy burden of food necessary to sustain the troops, leaving soldiers tired from long marches, and less-fit because of a nutrient-poor military diet of starches.
The Mongol army, in size, paled in comparison to the Chinese Jin army of the time. In total, the Mongols probably had 80-100,000 warriors they could muster, while the Jin Dynasty had many hundreds of thousands. Still, the Mongols barreled over even the best sedentary armies of the time. We can largely chock this up to the advantage of steppe cavalry over infantry, which has been tested many times to be true. But an army is really only as successful as its soldiers are healthy. The Mongol soldier was a better-nourished man than the Chinese soldier, so next time your mom tells you to drink milk for strong bones, you’d better listen to her.
