Sandrine Ruhlmann's new book on food production, food consumption, and food sharing in Mongolia is the first work to cover this topic comprehensively, and it does so in an impressive manner. Beginning with an outline of nomadic space (the steppe, the social organization of the yurt, etc.) and a detailed description of the stove and kitchen utensils, Ruhlmann explains the fundamentals of the Mongolian meal, basic culinary techniques, and the gendered process of slaughtering and butchering animals. This is followed by an analysis of Mongolian food classification and the distribution, consumption, and sharing of food. Mongolian ideas of hospitality assume a prominent role in an extended section on food sharing practices. The second part of the book relates the Mongolian food universe to religious concepts and extraordinary situations. It contains elaborate chapters, full of ethnographic detail, on the human soul, birth, death, and White Month—the traditional Mongolian New...

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