我国是个幅员辽阔的国家，各地的风俗习惯各有特色。蒙古族与新疆、西藏的牧民一样，蒙古族人民喜欢喝与牛奶、盐巴一道煮沸而成的咸奶茶。
China is a country with a vast area, wher different places have different customs. Just like the herdsmen in Xinjiang and Tibet, Mongolians like to drink salty milk tea that is cooked with milk and salt.
蒙古族人民喝的咸奶茶，用的多为青砖茶和黑砖茶，并用铁锅烹煮，这一点与藏族打酥油茶和维族煮奶茶时用茶壶的方法不同。但是，烹煮时，都要加入牛奶，习惯于“煮茶”，这一点又是相同的。这是由于高原气压低，水的沸点在100℃以内；加工砖茶不同于散茶，质地紧实，用开水冲泡，是很难将茶汁浸出来的缘故。
The Mongolians often use oolong tea and dark brick tea to make salty milk tea. They usually make tea with an iron pot, which is different from the way Tibetans use teapot to make buttered tea and Uygurs use teapot to make milk-tea. But they have one thing in common which is they add milk when they are “cooking the tea”. The reason why they “cooking the tea” is because the atmospheric pressure on the highland is low and the boiling point of water is less than 100℃, also the process of producing brick tea is different from that of loose tea. Since brick tea is compact and dense, it is very hard to soak the brick tea totally by boiled water.
煮咸奶茶时，应先把砖茶打碎，并将洗净的铁锅置于火上，盛水2-3公斤。至水沸腾时，放上捣碎的砖茶约25克。再沸腾3-5分钟后，掺入牛奶，用量为水的五分之一左右；少顷，按需加适量盐巴。等整锅里茶水开始沸腾时，就算把咸奶茶煮好了。
When cooking salty milk tea, brick tea should be smashed into small pieces first. Place the clean iron pot on the stove and fill the pot with 2-3 kilograms of water. When the water in the pot boils, add about 25 grams of small pieces of brick tea. After the water has been boiled for 3-5 minutes, mix some milk into water, the amount of which should be about one-fifth of that of the water. After a short while, add a moderate amount of salt, and the salty milk tea will be ready when the tea water in the iron pot begins to boil.
煮咸奶茶看起来比较简单，其实滋味的好坏，营养成分的多少，与煮茶时用的锅、放的茶、加的水、掺的奶、烧的时间，以及先后次序都有关系。如茶叶放迟了，或者将加入茶与奶的次序颠倒了，茶味就会出不来。而烧煮时间过长，又会使咸奶茶的香味逸荆蒙古族人民认为，只有器、茶、奶、盐、温五者相互协调，才能煮出咸甜相宜、美味可口的咸奶茶。
It seems very easy to cook salty milk tea. But in fact, whether the tea tastes good or bad and how many nutritional ingredients the tea contains are mostly depending on the pot used to cook the tea, the amounts of tea, water and milk that is used, the cooking time, and the order of adding them. If the adding of the tea is delayed, or the order of adding the tea and the milk is reversed, then the taste of the tea is not going to be so good. Further more, if the cooking time is too long, then the tea will lose its flavor. So the Mongolians think that one can make a good tea only when the iron pot, the tea, the milk, the salt and the temperature are correct and in a good balance..
以游牧为主的蒙古族人，只有到晚上放牧归来，才能吃一餐晚饭，因而他们平日的饮食习惯，则习惯于“三茶一饭”。早上、中午只吃茶（饮用用碎砖茶如牛奶烧煮的“奶茶”）、乳和乳制品，称为“早茶”和“午茶”。同时也吃些炒米、奶饼、手扒肉一类的点心。晚餐以牛羊肉为主食，为帮助消化，至临睡前需再喝一次奶茶。至于中、老年男子，喝茶的次数就更多。所以，蒙古族人民平均茶年消费量高达8公斤左右，多在15公斤以上。
The nomad Mongolians usually have one meal in the evening after they come back from herding. They are used to their everyday diet of “three teas and one meal”. For breakfast and lunch, they only drink tea (“milk tea” made with brick tea and milk), milk and milk products which are commonly referred as “breakfast tea” and “lunch tea.” They eat some fried rice, milk cookies and grilled meat as well. For supper, they have beef and lamb as their main food, and also drink some milk tea for better digestion before going to bed. Middle-aged and old men drink tea more often. An average Mongolian consumes up to about 8 kilograms of tea every year, and some of them consume more than 15 kilograms of tea every year.
如有客人至蒙古族人家作客，总会受到敬奶茶的款待。主人在客人面前放置小几一张，几上碗中分别放有盐、糖、炒米和奶豆腐。女主人将一碗茶献上后，可根据各人爱好，在茶中添加盐或糖，炒米要放于奶茶中一起饮用，奶豆腐则可蘸白糖吃（此为耐饥食品）。奶茶不可一次喝尽，而要有剩余，可让主人不断添加，以示礼节。喝完最后一碗奶茶后，客人可施礼道谢，主人则要出帐送行，“奶茶敬客”之礼也至此完毕。
In Mongolian families, guests are usually treated with milk tea. The host usually places a small table in front of the guest, on which bowls of salt, sugar, fried rice and milk curd would be served. The hostess would present a bowl of tea, and the guest can then add salt or sugar. Fried rice should be put in the milk tea, while milk curd can be eaten together with the sugar (this is a hunger-resistant food). The guest should not drink the milk tea all at once, but should always leave some milk tea in the cup so that the host can add more all the time and this way show respect for the guest. After finishing the final cup of milk tea, the guest should thank the host, and the host should go out of the tent to see the guest off. The ceremony of “respecting the guest with milk tea” is thus over.
蒙古族人民如此重饮（茶）轻吃（食），却又身强力壮，这固然与当地牧区气候、劳动条件有关，但还由于咸奶茶的营养丰富，成分完全；加之蒙古族喝茶时常吃些炒米、油炸果之类充饥的缘故。
The Mongolians value drinking (tea) much more than eating (food), and yet are still so strong. This, of course, has a lot to do with the climate of the local pastoral area, and the working conditions. But it is also because the salty milk tea contains a lot of nutrition, because it has lot of ingredients. Besides, the Mongolians often have something like fried rice or cookies when drinking to keep themselves full.