[Sca-cooks] Cooks Pot Luck - Bal-po Soup

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

On Wed, 21 Aug 2002, Michael Gunter wrote:

> >There have to be sheep--where would the Mongols get
> >the wool to make the felt for their yurts, otherwise?
>
> >Margaret
>
> You will have to check with an expert in Mongol-ing
> but I would think they used the winter fluff of their
> horses or the thick wool of the goats they herded.

Current gers use the wool of Mongolian sheep. I am unsure about the
felting ability of horsehair, but I don't think it does. For that matter,
I don't know how well goat hair felts, either. Haven't tried it.

>
> And getting back on the "sheep" thing. Are Cashmere considered
> goats or sheep? What's the difference between the designations?
> I'm sure what the Asians had weren't quite the nice English
> sheep that are so common to us round-eyes.
>
> Gunthar

Cashmere is from cashmere goats. They've been bred through the centuries
to emphasize the downy undercoat rather than the long kempy overcoat.
Pashmina is also cashmere, regardless of what the clothing designers say.

Bear will probably have useful information on the differences between
goats and sheep. ;-)

Margaret