Sary mai

Sary mai is a Kazakh butter that is traditionally made by churning sour milk or cream inside an animal skin bag (often sheep’s skin). The sour milk or cream is poured into the bag, and it is then processed by vigorous shaking for several hours.

Butter is mixed with salt, and it is placed into a cleaned and dried stomach of a sheep, a lamb, or a calf to be preserved for future use. An intense yellow color distinguishes this type of butter, hence its name sary, meaning yellow in Kazakh.