Kazakhstan: national dishes. Peculiarities of Kazakh cuisine and the best recipes
SҮT – MILK
Milk is provided by dairy animals - mares, camels, sheep, goats, cows. Products made from milk are called ak - white.
They don’t pour out the milk or step over it. The wedding caravan is greeted with dairy products; milk poured in front of the fire prevents the spread of fire - all these rituals indicate that dairy dishes occupy a significant place in the Kazakh national cuisine. Since ancient times, Kazakhs have used dairy products for medicinal purposes. The patients were given milk, kumiss, shubat, tosap - a mixture of sheep's milk with May honey.
In a word, milk is the basis of a rich Kazakh dastarkhan.
Kumis is a Kazakh national drink, consumed by the people for several centuries. It is not only nutritious and very healthy, but also personifies the wealth and generosity of the people. There are many ways to prepare kumiss related to the customs and traditions of the Kazakhs.
In the spring, freshly milked mare's milk (saumal) is placed in a wineskin made of camel, foal or goat skin, to which a special starter is added. After 2-3 days, the koumiss is ready. Traditionally The first kumiss is served to the guests, who bless the owners of the house. This traditional ritual is called kymyz muryndyk.
Based on preparation methods, quality, and ripening time, koumiss is divided into several types.
Uyz kymyz – thick, fermented kumiss of the first milking.
Bal kymyz is well-whipped kumys with the addition of dried kazy. Compared to other types, it is thicker, has a yellowish color, a subtle sweetish taste, and is easily perceived by the body.
Tai kymyz is one-day fermented kumys.
Kunan kymyz – 2-3 day old, aged, fermented kumys.
Donen kymyz – 3-4 days old, strong kumys.
Besti kymyz – 4-5 day old, fully fermented kumys.
Sary kymyz (yellow) – prepared in the fall. This is a healing, strong kumiss.
Kysyrdyn kymyzy - kumiss from the milk of a barn mare, whipped in winter. Kysyraktyn kymyzy is kumis from a mare of first pregnancy, very high in calories.
Tunemel kymyz is fermented kumiss with the addition of saumal (fresh milk).
Korabaly kymyz is kumiss, which is stored for several days, with the addition of fresh mare’s milk.
Making kumiss requires special attention and special utensils, otherwise kumiss loses its properties. This kind of kumiss is called “ainimal”, “ainigan” or “tatyp ketken”, “tatymal” (with flavor).
Preparing kumis starter is a labor-intensive task. It is prepared in a vessel made from cattle hide, which is smoked with juniper, meadowsweet, birch bark and coated with oil. Large-sized dishes made from skin are called saba, smaller ones are called mes, torsyk. Smoked kazy is put into kumiss and beaten for a long time, this makes it strong and less sour. This kumys is called “Oltirilgen kymyz” - it is of very good quality.
Kumis is a drink, food, medicine, support for the soul.
The utensils for kumys must be separate: kymyz shara (shara - bowl), kymyz ayak (bowl), kymyz ozhau (ladle).
At the end of the milking season, village residents are invited to the last kumiss, who bless the owners. This wonderful folk tradition is called “sirge zhiyar” (last kumys).
Among dairy products, the most valuable after kumis is shubat, which is made from camel milk. Like kumis, shubat is fermented and stored in special containers made of leather, wood or ceramics. Only the shubat is not whipped, but brought to the desired condition by stirring. This is a tasty, fatty and thick drink, in terms of calorie content and healing properties it is not inferior to koumiss. A two- to three-day shubat is considered the best and highest quality.
When you add cow's or sheep's milk to camel milk, you get katyk, and when you add suzbe (thick sour cottage cheese) or kurt, you get ezhigey (tender kurt).
In different regions of Kazakhstan, shubat is called differently: in Central and Western Kazakhstan - shұbat, in Southern Kazakhstan - kymyran, in Eastern Kazakhstan tүye kymyz (camel kumis).
KURT
Kurt is made from cow's or sheep's milk, but the most delicious and fatty is from sheep's milk.
To prepare kurt, sour milk is poured into a wooden barrel (kespek) for several days. Then irkit (curdled sour milk) is poured into a large cauldron, put on fire and stirred continuously until it thickens. After cooling, it is transferred to a clean linen bag to drain excess liquid. The resulting mass is rolled into small balls, which are dried on clean sheets (shypta or ore).
Kazakhs eat only dry kurt, because folk superstition, if there is a kurt that is not dry, it may rain. Kurt is a national, very filling product that can be stored for a long time. As a rule, it is prepared for the winter.
Kurt Kozhe
The ancestors of the Kazakhs called kurt kozhe “winter kumiss”. To prepare this drink, place washed rice or millet in boiling water and add salt to taste. In another bowl, stir 1-2 cups of flour in a small amount of water until smooth. This mass is gradually poured into boiling water with rice or millet. It turns out to be the skin. Kurt gets dissolved in cold water and added to the skin. The amount of kurta is taken depending on the amount of water.
The drink is especially tasty with the addition of sheep's milk kurt. Unfortunately, such kurtas are rarely made these days.
Butter and shyzhyk (internal fat greaves) are added to the finished kurt kozhe to taste. Then the dish is prepared, poured into kes and served. Kurt kozhe can be added to the broth. This is a very nutritious drink that restores strength and has healing properties.
This is a type of kurt, red-brown in color, tender, and sour in taste. Nowadays it is rarely done. It is prepared in the same way as kurt. It is served to guests along with sour cream and butter.
Or dried cottage cheese - a dairy product that has occupied its place of honor on dastarkhan for thousands of years. Irimshik, made from sheep or goat milk, has a special taste and does not harden during long-term storage. To prepare irimshik, an enzyme produced by the pancreas of the lamb (rennet) is used, which is stored in salted form specifically for these purposes.
There are two types of irimshik: ak (white) and kyzyl (red). Ak irimshik is prepared from fresh cottage cheese, to which butter is added. It is usually given to young children and elderly people. It is very high in calories, cannot be stored for a long time and is consumed as it is prepared.
Kyzyl irimshik is cooked for a long time until it turns reddish. Then it is transferred to a linen bag and dried in the sun. It is usually prepared in the summer and eaten with butter or sour cream. It is stored for a long time and does not lose its taste.
Sarysu (sary - yellow, su - water) is a yellowish whey remaining after making cottage cheese. Sugar is added to sarysa to taste and boiled until a thick reddish mass is obtained, which is transferred to a flat container to cool. The resulting solid mass is cut into pieces of different shapes. Sarysa is also called “Kazakh chocolate”. Sarysu has laxative properties, so it is consumed in small quantities with tea. Nowadays it is almost never prepared.
Aklak is a white cottage cheese made from sheep's milk. The milk is boiled and allowed to curdle, then removed from the cauldron with a colander, May butter is added and stirred thoroughly. Aklak is given to children, elderly people, as well as people with weakened bodies (belkoterer) and women giving birth “kalzha”. New neighbors are treated to it - “erulik”. Aklak is usually prepared in livestock villages.
Uyz – colostrum, the first milk after lambing. According to Kazakh customs, newborn children and offspring of animals must taste yuz in order to be stronger and more resilient. Those who have not tried colostrum are called “uyzyna zharymagan” (unsaturated with colostrum).
Skin care is prepared from 2-3 days of sweet colostrum. To do this, add rice or millet to it and cook over low heat. Guests are invited to yuz kozhe, who after the treat give a bata (blessing) to the hosts.
When the owners milk a lot of colostrum, they boil the meat and serve boiled and chopped intestines seasoned with colostrum along with it in a flat bowl.
UYZQAGANAK
During lambing, shepherds always have a ladle and a buyen (specially dried large intestine used instead of utensils) with them. The shepherds milk the sheep, the colostrum is placed in a buoy, which is tightly tied and boiled in water poured into a ladle. The resulting dish is called uyzkaganak.
KORYKTYK
This dish is also called “taskoryk”. On hot summer days, when the stones become very hot in the sun, shepherds find a stone with a depression and boil milk from sheep in it.
KATY
To prepare it, sheep, cow or goat milk is boiled for a long time over low heat, cooled until warm, the starter is introduced, mixed and kept for 2-3 hours in a warm place. This is a tasty and thick dish. Such a katyk is called “dirildek” (trembling) or “menireu katyk” (mute).
Ayran is prepared from both skim and full-fat cow, sheep, goat and mare's milk. The milk is boiled and cooled until warm, the starter is added, shaken and allowed to stand for 2-3 hours. Ayran cannot be stored for more than a day, as it loses its beneficial properties.
Previously, after the first thunder, adults sent children to collect wild onions. After washing and grinding it, they added it to ayran, which became even more useful.
Suzbe (strain) is a type of cottage cheese. To obtain it, sour ayran is kept for some time, then poured into a linen bag and hung. When the liquid drains, a thick mass remains in the bag, which is salted to taste and carefully moved. Suzbe is usually prepared in autumn or winter. The bitter-sour taste of suzbe causes appetite. Suzbe is added to sorpa, which gives it a spicy taste. To quench thirst, suzbe is placed in milk or boiled water.
BUTTER
Not a single Kazakh dastarkhan can do without this valuable high-calorie product.
To prepare butter, first, by separating the milk, sour cream is obtained, which is whipped (mai shaykau) in a large container. The finished oil is cleaned (kylshyktaydy) by repeatedly cutting it with the blunt side of a knife. In this case, the lint caught in the oil sticks to the knife. May oil is especially valued for its color, taste and unique smell.
The oil is salted to taste, the water is drained and stored in a specially treated animal rumen (karyn). Karyn is filled with oil, leaving no air or water. Then the hole is tied, after which the karyn is sprinkled with salt. In summer, the oil is stored in a cool, dark place. If a foreign body gets into the oil, it will spoil. “One pellet spoils a whole karyn of butter,” says a Kazakh proverb.
When oil is stored in the rumen, its quality improves. There are several types of karyn in terms of volume: “koi karyn” (ram tripe), “goat karyn” (lamb tripe), “buzau karyn” (calf tripe). If there is no rumen, excess oil is stored in the buyen (small part of the stomach).
According to tradition, karyn is opened on especially solemn occasions: at the birth of a child, during oraza, toy, in honor of respected guests, in the event of the arrival of relatives.
The hostess announces with particular pride: “karyn bastadym” (opened the scar). Karyn is an expensive gift that is presented to family and friends as a sign of special recognition and love.
After receiving ghee, a thick mass of “cake” (melting) remains at the bottom of the dish, which has a unique sourish taste. Torta causes appetite, it is eaten eagerly. Guests are not treated to cake.
BALKAYMAK
Bal - honey, kaymak - sour cream, a sweet dish that occupies a special place at dastarkhan and is considered gourmet food. To prepare it, cook fresh sour cream over low heat so that it does not turn into butter, adding no a large number of honey and premium flour. Everything is moved carefully. This is a rare treat.
Honey and May butter are added to thick sheep's milk and, stirring, they are boiled slowly. Tosap has healing properties and is easily absorbed by the body.
Tosap is given to people with colds and weakened women in labor to quickly restore strength.
ASHIGAN KOZHE
Fermented stew is a fermented milk drink. To prepare it, boil salted water in a large container. In another bowl, flour is diluted in cold water and poured into boiling water in a thin stream. At the same time, the proportions of the components are strictly observed. The finished mass is poured into a special kubi container. For fermentation in the skin, kumys and ayran are added, which improves its taste; the skin has a white color. In some places, such leather is called “ashymal” (fermented) or “siyr kymyz” (cow kumis). It has a pleasant sour taste and quenches thirst well. Rice or millet can be added to the skin. This type of skin is called “kara kozhe” (black), and it is well beaten before use.
Sumetsut is a dish whose recipe is preserved in the memory of only a few old people. It was prepared in advance and used during times of war and long nomadism. For children it was a kind of food, and for adults it was “nutritious chewing gum.” To prepare sumetsut, fat lamb was cut white, whose wool was sheared and then singed. After this, the skin was thoroughly washed and kept in running water for 2-3 days to remove the smell. Then, in a large cauldron, the skin was boiled in thick sheep's milk. During boiling, the skin swelled, absorbing milk. When the swelling process was completed, the skin became like an udder full of milk. Sumetsut was stored in the shade, laid out on a flat dish. During long journeys, an oblong piece of “suttik” was given to the child. To prevent him from swallowing it, a thin long branch was attached to the tip. The baby sucked out the delicious, thick, nourishing milk, leaving a thin skin that could be chewed like gum.
Kobik (foam), in the summer, Kazakhs prepare kurt for the winter. When strained sour milk is boiled, a fatty, sourish and very pleasant-tasting foam appears on the surface. Women skim off this foam with a wooden spoon; for children this is the greatest delicacy.
KOPIRSHIK
Kopirshik (bubbles) - cow's milk is boiled with the addition of kumys. When boiled, bubbles appear, which is why it is called that. It is especially high in calories, both as food and as a drink, and gives a person strength. Nowadays it is rarely prepared.
White drink. Add ayran, katyk, kumys or other fermented milk drink to the sorpa (broth) of dried meat and mix thoroughly. This mixture has a special property of quenching thirst and is used as a dessert after a hearty meal. Nowadays, it is often prepared in villages, and for city dwellers it is considered a delicious drink.
The crushed remains of kurt that have not dissolved in the broth. Kazakhs love Malta. Once the kurt is crushed and malta is prepared from it, it cannot be added to the broth a second time. Dry malta is loved by adults and children; it is very nutritious, and if diluted with water, it becomes a tasty drink.
Kazakh national cuisine is popular not only in its homeland. There are restaurants serving national Kazakh cuisine in many cities around the world - Moscow (Kostanay), Paris (Kazakh), Beijing (Astana), Kyiv (Panorama). The basis of the traditional Kazakh menu is made up of dishes whose recipes have been formed over centuries. Just look at the pilaf alone, the preparation of which is a real art. Which Kazakh dishes are the most famous?
"Five fingers"
The hallmark of a feast in Kazakhstan is beshbarmak. This is a very ancient dish consisting of pieces of boiled lamb, broth and pieces of dough. Translated, “beshbarmak” means “five fingers,” because they eat it with their hands. The traditions of serving beshbarmak are interesting: the head of lamb, placed on a separate platter, is entrusted to the most honored guest to cut. The ears go to unmarried men, the palate to unmarried girls. Other parts are for the remaining guests.
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Noodles
Each kitchen has its own dishes made from boiled dough - pasta, dumplings, dumplings. For the Kazakhs, these are kespe, lagman (homemade noodles, served both as a main dish with a large piece of meat and vegetables, and as a side dish, without meat) and naryn (noodles made from very thin dough with meat). It is noteworthy that in the old days, Naryn was served only on major holidays, and only when only men gathered at the table.
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Kazy
There is no kitchen where sausage is not made. For the Kazakhs, this is kazy - horse meat sausage, a true delicacy. It is prepared simply: they stuff the horse intestines with fatty horse meat from the ribs, after coating them with spices and herbs. Sometimes the entire rib is placed in the gut for shape. Kazy can be boiled, raw smoked, or dried. This is an indispensable dish at Kazakh holidays and weddings. It is noteworthy that before slaughter the horse is fattened for a long time, and, according to tradition, is slaughtered before winter.
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"Fry"
When you go to a restaurant serving national Kazakh cuisine, ask them to bring you kuyrdak - roast meat, a lot of onions and vegetables. The name of the dish comes from “kuyru” (to fry). This, in fact, is the recipe. By-products are used from meat (liver, kidneys, heart, lungs). Vegetables - traditional potatoes, carrots, onions, pumpkin.
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"Stuffed Head"
Kazakh cuisine also includes manti: a dish made from finely chopped meat and thinly rolled dough, which is steamed. There are several recipes for making manti, and the secrets of originality lie in the minced meat. Today, every Kazakh housewife has her own version of the national dish, which dates back to the times when nomads learned to knead dough and boil water. By the way, in translation “manty” means “stuffed head” (“barbarian head”).
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Both fish and meat
Meat dishes are typical for Kazakhs. In Kazakhstan, kaual (kebab), tushpara (dumplings), shulyum (meat soup), and sorpa are prepared from lamb, beef, horse meat and even camel meat. Sorpa (as an option - shurpa) is a dish that is served in all restaurants of Kazakh cuisine. This is a thick soup made from lamb: sorpa is not prepared from other meats.
Fish and seafood are more traditional for residents of the Aral and Caspian coasts, the Irtysh, Syrdarya, and Ural rivers. The most famous fish dish is koktal (fish with vegetables, grilled over coals).
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Daily pilaf
The main dish that Kazakhs eat both on weekdays and on major holidays is considered to be pilaf. There are a large number of recipes for preparing it. Each region, each village and even street presents its own version of pilaf. The ingredients remain unchanged: rice (grain legumes) and meat. At the annual festival of Kazakh cuisine “Toi Kazan” you won’t be able to try any variety of pilaf! It's hard to believe, but this dish is over 2 thousand years old.
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Baursak with leather
In addition to the meat menu, traditional Kazakh cuisine is known for dairy products. These are kumis (fermented mare's milk), shubat (sour camel milk), kaymak (sour cream), kozhe (kefir with cereals).
Kazakh cooking also includes a variety of breads, muffins, and pies, the most famous of which are tandoor flatbreads, tabanana (charcoal bread), baursak, and samsa. What a wonderful phrase - baursak with leather! But it’s just a bun with yogurt...
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Sweet!
A feast is not complete without desserts. And Kazakh - even more so! Among the traditional sweets for Kazakhstan, I would like to highlight shertpek (a mixture of honey and... horse fat, this was served by Kazakh bais at dastarkhan), chak-chak (or shek-shek: a sweet made from dough and honey) and talkan (considered sweet snack, prepared from well-dried, fried and crushed wheat mixed with sugar).
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The cuisine of Kazakhstan is beautiful in terms of the sound of the names, the content of the dishes, and the presentation. In Almaty and Astana there are many restaurants of national, haute Kazakh cuisine, which every tourist strives to visit.
Kazakhstan is one of my favorite countries. And there are many reasons for this. One of them is national cuisine. That is why I decided to write this post so that you have an idea of how amazing the cuisine of Kazakhstan is. And when you are in this country, be sure to try the famous pilaf, as well as ayran, beshbarmak and other equally amazing dishes.
In general, the Republic of Kazakhstan can rightfully be called simply a paradise for gourmets, that is, people like me who love tasty and satisfying food. It is worth noting that the country is the homeland of nomads, and is famous for its meat dishes, in Kazakh they are all called “et”. But don’t forget about dairy dishes and drinks. And most importantly, they all have a secret ingredient: they are prepared with special love and trepidation.
Some information about local cuisine in Kazakhstan
Compared to the cuisines of other countries of the world, Kazakh cuisine is relatively “young” cuisine. The formation of folk dishes began at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. But during the period when the Kazakhs finally chose to live in one place, cooking finally took shape. For a long period, the basis of Kazakh dishes was meat and milk. Moreover, milk was used not only from cows, but also from goats, mares, camels, and sheep.
They made dishes from Kazakh lamb and horse meat, as well as processed products. That is, the list of products was not impressive and did not differ in variety. As a result, it is quite difficult to cook something new, even with excellent imagination. Moreover, grain products and vegetables were quite rare here.
The Kazakhs did not particularly like this scenario, so they began to develop dishes from produce, meat and milk, which could be stored for a very long time, but they did not lose their taste.
Lamb and liver (fried) dishes have become especially popular, and, of course, semi-finished products different types: salted and smoked, smoked-boiled and so on. Fermented milk products and semi-finished products have also become quite popular. But local residents began to use agricultural products quite late. Mostly flour and grain are added to dishes. And the real highlight can be considered the predominance of various delicacies of flour and meat type.
Peculiarities of Kazakh mastery in cooking
Among other features of the cuisine of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the predominance of dishes boiled until fully or half cooked. But they don’t cook soups here, well, practically. The famous shurpa, which was borrowed from the Uzbeks, is eaten with pleasure. I’ll tell you the most delicious thing, be sure to try it. I recommend. Another feature is the consistency of some dishes. They are not like either first or second courses, something in between.
The third feature of Kazakh cuisine is the preparation of national dishes from offal, which is what the local population really loves. In fact, these products are considered real delicacies by the aborigines. Modern kitchen more diverse. It contains fish, vegetables, and various cereals along with fruits.
The most popular dishes of the Republic of Kazakhstan
It is worth noting that many of Kazakhstan’s dishes are known to gourmets far beyond the borders of this country. I want to start my story with popular types of bread. There are two of them in Kazakhstan: baursaks and tandoor flatbreads. The first option is small pieces of dough that are fried in boiling vegetable oil. And the second type of Kazakh bread is baked inside a tandoor. Baursaki is more popular, since it can be easily cooked on the go, in an ordinary cauldron. Other types of bread products in Kazakhstan include:
— shelpek (essentially our thin flatbread);
- tandoor-nan;
— taba-nan (baked over coals);
It is worth noting that Kazakh dishes are mainly dishes made from flour and meat. Well, who doesn’t know the famous samsa? Meat pies. And there is also puktermet - the same pies only with offal, kausyrma (chebureks, but special). One of the dishes that is especially popular is kuyrdak - a roast containing: lamb kidneys, heart, lung, liver, tail fat. Naturally business card Kazakhstan has their world-famous pilaf.
Having visited Kazakhstan and tasted this delicacy, I could not resist and wrote down several recipes for the most popular dishes. I will be happy to share them with you, my dear readers.
Kazakh baursaks (original recipe)
This recipe is truly Kazakh. Baursaks are prepared with kefir, a classic dish of national cuisine made from flour. As a rule, yeast or unleavened dough is used to prepare it. Small round or diamond-shaped donuts are formed and deep-fried, of course, in a cauldron. This dish is not served on its own, but with shurpa or simply with tea.
Baursaks made with kefir are very tasty. And so, a real recipe brought from Kazakhstan.
- 500 grams of flour (wheat);
- Three hundred milligrams of kefir;
- Four tablespoons of oil (vegetable);
- 1 tbsp. spoon of sugar;
- Salt - a teaspoon;
- Eggs - two pieces;
- 15 g industrial baking powder for dough.
Take a convenient bowl, thoroughly mix eggs, butter, kefir, sugar and salt. Mix thoroughly and add sifted flour mixed with baking powder. Mix well again and add the rest of the flour. Knead the dough, divide it into four equal parts, each of which must be kneaded additionally.
Then form these little balls and leave them covered with a clean cloth for about 15 minutes. Pour a sufficient amount into a deep frying pan. vegetable oil so that the dough floats freely in it. While heating the oil from the koloboks, roll out the cakes and cut them into strips seven centimeters wide. They, in turn, are cut diagonally again into pieces 2 centimeters wide. That's all, now you can fry until a beautiful golden crust forms on the baursaki.
At first glance, everything may seem quite complicated, but in fact everything is done very simply, but it turns out incredibly tasty.
Kazakh baursaks
Traditional Kazakh Palau
Behind the beautiful name Palau lies nothing more than the famous real Kazakh pilaf. I also just couldn’t help but write down this recipe. So, we take: lamb - 110 grams, lamb lard - forty grams, onions - 36 grams, carrots - 50 grams, dried apples (can be replaced with dried apricots) and 100 grams of rice. Take a thick bottom pan, heat the oil and fry the onion, chopped into medium cubes. Cut the lamb into pieces, add salt and pepper, and fry until a golden, appetizing crust appears on the meat.
Then add carrots cut into strips and fry again. Now it’s time for thoroughly washed rice, chopped dried apricots or apples and fried onions into small pieces. Add water, keeping in mind that a kilogram of rice requires one and a half liters of water. Make punctures all the way to the bottom, two or three will be enough. Cover the cauldron or saucepan and cook over low heat until done.
Kazakh drinks deserve special attention. I couldn’t ignore them either.
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Ayran
There are probably few Russians who do not use or like kefir. Likewise, in Kazakhstan there are few local people who do not use ayran. This is a fermented milk drink that has some similarities with our kefir. To prepare it, you will need goat, sheep or cow's milk, to which special lactic bacteria are added. Spring water and salt or sugar to taste are also added to the milk.
Place the container with all the ingredients in a warm place until it turns sour. It is worth noting that ayran is a summer drink in Kazakhstan, and should only be consumed fresh. At the same time, it serves as an ideal base for cooking different dishes, cereal stews. Ayran is also used to make fatty cottage cheese, which has an interesting name - irimshik.
Sweets of Kazakhstan
In fact, this is another highlight of Kazakh cuisine. The sweets of this republic deserve special attention. These dishes have such a taste that you simply cannot tear yourself away from them. I'm generally not a big fan of sweets, but I can't ignore them. As in any country, there are especially popular options among different dishes. These include:
- Chak-chak, a dish of dough (baked or fried), generously brushed with syrup and topped with walnuts;
- Zhent, the oil is responsible for the taste of this dish, it must be fresh (you will find the recipe below);
- Maysek, very well delicious dessert, which is prepared from containers. It can be consumed on its own or added to tea.
To prepare zhent you need half a kilo of talkan, 100 g of biscuits (shortbread), honey - 2 tablespoons, jam syrup - 1 tbsp. And also 200 - 250 grams of butter, but add raisins and sugar to taste. Grind the cookies and sugar in a coffee grinder. Over very low heat, melt the syrup, honey, and butter. Add the mixture into the talkan in a thin stream. Place the mixture while still warm into the molds. And for two hours, put it in the refrigerator.
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There are dishes that are definitely worth trying as soon as you find yourself in Kazakhstan. And below I will list those that I personally tried and recommend to you.
First of all, I recommend trying beshbarmak. This is boiled meat, cut into small pieces, with noodles. As a rule, beef, camel, horse or sheep are used to prepare it. I also advise you to pay attention to a delicious dish with a beautiful name - sorpa. This is the soup most famous throughout the east. It is traditionally prepared from meat; some chefs add onions, herbs and various vegetables.
Who among us has not heard about the famous manta rays of Kazakhstan? So, Kazakh manti are made from lamb and onions cut into small pieces, with the addition of salt and pepper. If you love sausage, be sure to try shuzhyk, a type of Kazakh sausage. It is prepared from horse meat.
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And finally, a few words about the hospitality of the Kazakhs, and about some unwritten laws.
Friendly Kazakhs
Today, the cuisine of Kazakhstan is so diverse that it is almost impossible to describe all the dishes in one post. At the same time, it is worth paying attention to the hospitality and cordiality of the local population. Every guest is always welcome here. And whoever enters the house, first of all, he is seated at a rich table. This is where you need to be very careful and under no circumstances refuse treats. Otherwise, you risk offending the owner, and this is no longer good.
And here again there is one more rule, more precisely characteristic feature: Eating food for Kazakhs is a whole ritual. To some extent, it is similar to the Chinese tea ceremony. At the beginning of the feast, the guest is treated to tea in a bowl. And then they offer to try the dishes that are available in the owner’s house or yurt. Of course, now in Kazakh cuisine there are quite a few dishes borrowed from other countries. And at the same time, the national cuisine is one of the best.
Read where to eat deliciously in Astana.
Bon appetit!!!
Kazakh cuisine is the youngest. Because became fold only into late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century, and took shape after the completion of the transition of the Kazakhs to sedentary position. For a long time, the entire Kazakh cuisine was built on the use of Kazakh food in food. meat and milk.
Here is a very incomplete and monotonous list of products from which the Kazakhs prepared food - this Kazakh horse meat with lamb, Kazakh mare's milk, Kazakh sheep, cow and camel milk and Kazakh products their processing. It is clear that it was difficult even with the most sophisticated imagination to come up with many dishes only from meat with milk and their derivatives, almost in the absence of grain and vegetable food Kazakh raw materials.
He did not allow Kazakh cuisine to develop to its full potential and deficit kitchen utensils, which would help diversify technologies, as was the case in Transcaucasia. Kazakhs, due to the nomadic lifestyle, at first they generally used only leather and wood Kazakh utensils used mainly for storing food and only partly for preparing it.
The development of Kazakh cuisine moved in direction development of Kazakh semi-finished products from Kazakh meat and milk that can be preserved for a long time and be delicious. This is how Kazakh fried lamb preserves and Kazakh lamb became widespread liver, as well as semi-finished smoked, salted-smoked and smoked-boiled (that is, horse sausages).
Kazakh meat has always been considered the decoration of any dastarkhan and the most favorite dish among the Kazakhs. Boiled meat was usually served in large uncut pieces. The owner cut the meat, treating each guest with tasty morsels: the pelvic bones and drumsticks were given to honorary old men, the brisket to the son-in-law or daughter-in-law, the cervical vertebra to the girls, etc. The owner presented the most honored guest with a ram's head prepared in a special way. The guest had to share his head among those present, observing a certain ritual, which reflected the ancient custom of respectful treatment of guests, the elderly, children, close and distant relatives.
The main national dish of the Kazakhs is beshbarmak (five fingers). Beshbarmak is prepared from lamb, horse meat or beef. The aromatic meat is eaten with thinly rolled and boiled pieces of dough. An excellent addition to the dish is a rich, aromatic meat broth - sorpa, which is usually served in bowls. Also popular are snacks made from horse meat or lamb - kazy, shuzhuk, zhal, zhaya, sur-et, karta, kabyrga. At the end of the meal, kumiss is served, followed by tea. Tea is traditionally served with milk or cream, baursaks, raisins, irimshik, kurt. There were always flatbreads made from wheat flour on any table.
National drinks kumys, shubat, kymyran. The healing drink kumiss (mare's milk) has medicinal properties and tonic effect and is used to cure diseases of the lungs and gastrointestinal tract.
Shubat is the most valuable drink among dairy products after kumys, prepared from camel milk. The technology for preparing shubat is less complicated than kumys. Like kumis, shubat is fermented and stored in special containers made of leather, wood or ceramics. Shubat is not whipped, but brought to condition by stirring. Shubat is a tasty, fatty and thick drink. In terms of calorie content and healing properties, it is not inferior to kumiss. A two- to three-day shubat is considered the best and highest quality.
By adding cow's or sheep's milk to camel milk, you get katyk, and by adding suzbe (thick sour cottage cheese) or kurt, you get ezhigey (tender kurt).
The Kazakh land is wide and vast. IN different places In Kazakhstan, shubat is called differently. In Central and Western Kazakhstan - shubat, in Southern - kymyran, in Eastern - thuye kymyz (camel kumys). However, the methods for making it are the same everywhere.
Also, kymaran or khymyraan is a drink usually made from a mixture of boiled water with the addition of milk (sour or fresh). The soft drink is also called kyaram in Mongolian.
In our time, the feast has changed its forms in many ways, but has not lost the ancient laws of hospitality. On the contrary, its borders have expanded: today’s dastarkhan gathers not only Kazakhs, but also numerous guests living in a large multinational republic - Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Germans, Uyghurs, Dungans, Koreans...
Having lived next to the Kazakhs for decades, sharing grief, bread and joy with them, the fraternal peoples could not help but influence the culinary skills, life and culture of the Kazakh people, simultaneously borrowing the best from their culture and way of life.
The range of products from which food is prepared today has changed in many ways.
Much space was devoted to the preparation and long-term storage of products. During the slaughter of livestock, part of the meat was prepared for future use, for which it was salted, dried, and sometimes smoked; delicacies were prepared mainly from horse meat - kazy, shuzhuk, zhal, zhaya, karta, etc.
Bread was most often baked in the form of flat cakes; among the baked products, baursaks were and are the most popular.
Ancient utensils were made of leather, wood, and ceramics; every family had a cast-iron cauldron where food was prepared. Tea was boiled in cast iron jugs, and later in samovars.
Kazakhs never consumed milk in food. cheese form. The use of Kazakh fermented milk products and semi-finished products, which are most convenient for transportation in nomadic conditions and storage, has become popular in Kazakhstan. That is, Kazakh cuisine was mainly kitchen cold table.
Kazakhs began to cook food from products late agriculture. Most often they are prepared from grains and flour. The predominance of meat and flour dishes is a characteristic peculiarity Kazakh cuisine.
Another characteristic feature of Kazakh cuisine is predominance boiled and semi-boiled meat and dough dishes, not fried dishes. Soups are unknown in Kazakh cuisine, except for shurpa, borrowed from the Uzbeks. But Kazakh cuisine is characterized by dishes that occupy its consistency is intermediate between soup and main course.
In Kazakhstan one of dishes, the oldest and most traditional, is the Kazakh beshbarmak, that is, Kazakh lamb and pieces of rolled test, boiled in broth. In addition to it, Kazakhs also like to cook Kazakh kuyrdak, that is, roast Kazakh liver with potatoes, baursaks, etc. Of course, of course, try the Kazakh kumys, from which it is forbidden refuse.
For a long time the most distinctive feature The Kazakh people had hospitality. The dear guest was warmly welcomed, seated in the place of honor, and treated to the best that was in the house. Meat is the basis of most dishes. Delicacy meat products kazy, shuzhyk, zhal, zhaya and karta are prepared from horse meat. In traditional Kazakh cuisine, preference is always given to cooking. Milk and fermented milk products have long been widely used. Kumis, shubat and ayran were easier to preserve in nomadic conditions. Bread was baked in the form of flatbreads, the favorite dough product was baursaks, and the most popular drink was tea with milk. Any feast in a Kazakh family usually begins with milk drinks - kumis, shubat or ayran, then tea is served with milk, baursaks, raisins, irimshik, kurt. Then cold horse meat appetizers are served - kazy, chuzhuk, zhal, zhaya, karta. The only hot appetizer in Kazakh cuisine is kuyrdak. And yet the most favorite dish was and is beshbarmak, or meat in Kazakh. At the end of the meal, kumiss is served, followed again by tea.
Kazakh meat has always been considered the decoration of any dastarkhan and the most favorite dish among the Kazakhs. Boiled meat was usually served in large uncut pieces. The owner cut the meat, treating each guest with tasty morsels: he gave the pelvic bones and drumsticks to honorary old men, the brisket to his son-in-law or daughter-in-law, the cervical vertebra to the girls, etc. The owner presented the most honored guest with a ram's head prepared in a special way. The guest had to share his head among those present, observing a certain ritual, which reflected the ancient custom of respectful treatment of guests, the elderly, children, close and distant relatives.
The aromatic meat is eaten with thinly rolled and boiled pieces of dough. An excellent addition to the dish is a rich, aromatic meat broth - sorpa, which is usually served in bowls. At the end of the meal, kumys is served, followed again by tea.
In our time, the feast has changed its forms in many ways, but has not lost the ancient laws of hospitality. On the contrary, its borders have expanded: today’s dastarkhan gathers not only Kazakhs, but also numerous guests living in a large multinational republic - Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Germans, Uighurs, Dungans, Koreans...
Modern Kazakh cuisine includes not only traditional Kazakh dishes, but also favorite dishes of Uzbek, Uyghur, Russian, Tatar, Korean and other cuisines. That is why in modern Kazakh cooking, while maintaining purely national features, it is not difficult to notice international features.
If over the centuries-old history the Kazakh people have accumulated vast experience in processing and preparing meat and fermented milk products, then modern life expanded this assortment with dishes from vegetables, fruits, fish, seafood, baked goods, flour products and sweets.
And yet, the most popular product in the Kazakh national cuisine was and remains meat.
Meat is the basis of most dishes, namely meat products decorate any dastarkhan, and judge the richness and variety of the festive table by the abundance of meat dishes.
Since ancient times, Kazakh cooking has been distinguished by its unique technology. Peculiarity way of life of the Kazakh people left its mark on the methods of cooking. In traditional Kazakh cuisine, preference has always been given to cooking. It is this process that allows you to obtain soft and delicate flavors of meat, giving it juiciness and aroma.
Much space was devoted to the preparation and long-term storage of products. During the slaughter of livestock, part of the meat was prepared for future use, for which it was salted, dried, and sometimes smoked; delicacies were prepared mainly from horse meat - kazy, shuzhyk, zhal, zhaya, karta and others.
Milk and dairy products were widely used. Preference was given to fermented milk products, since they were simpler and easier to preserve in nomadic conditions.
Dairy and cereal dishes occupy a significant place in the Kazakh national cuisine. Milk contains everything necessary for the body nutrients - fats, proteins, carbohydrates, mineral salts, vitamins. In traditional cuisine, milk was rarely used in its raw form; it was mainly used to make various fermented milk products. Low fermentation is also provided in individual milk and cereal dishes.
Among grain crops, Kazakh cooking gives preference to wheat and millet. The unique technology for preparing dairy and cereal dishes ensures their unique taste and original assortment, which is not found in the cuisines of other nations.
Bread was most often baked in the form of flat cakes; among the baked products, baursaks were and are the most popular. Flour products have long occupied a significant place in Kazakh cuisine. Kazakh national flour products and sweets are prepared from premium or first grade flour with the addition of milk, yeast, sour cream, eggs, fats, nuts, honey, sugar, water and salt. It is very important to follow the cooking technology, dosage of products in the recipe, temperature and baking time.
The favorite drinks were always kumys, shubat and ayran; tea occupied a special place.
Traditions and specific features of Kazakh national cuisine have a long history. In ancient times, the northern section of the Great Silk Road passed through these lands, along which caravans traveled from Turpan to Sogd, and the territory of modern Kazakhstan was part of the Turkic Khaganate, which united pastoral nomadic tribes. The culinary traditions and rituals of nomadic peoples have left an indelible mark on the Kazakh national cuisine.
Whether in a modern house or in a yurt, the shepherd's guest will be greeted and seated at the table by the owner. First of all, he will be offered a bowl of tea, which in a Kazakh house is poured only by girls or young women. The guest who has quenched his thirst will be presented with a sy-ayak - a bowl of honor. Tea will be served with flat cakes, milk cream - kaymak, butter, dried fruits, nuts, and sweets.
Kazakh cuisine traditionally has a lot of meat dishes. One of the most popular is kuyrdak - a hot, fatty roast made from lamb liver, kidneys, heart, lungs and tail fat.
Smoked, dried boiled lamb and horse meat is usually washed down with milk tonic drinks. If katyk from fermented boiled cow's milk tastes like yogurt and is pleasantly refreshing, then such exotic drinks as shubat from camel milk or kumiss can give you a feeling of slight intoxication. The world-famous kumiss is obtained from fresh mare's milk, fermented in large leather wineskins. Its fermentation time is from three to five days, depending on the fat content and thickness of the milk. Aconite root, which is added to the starter, gives kumiss a low alcohol content of 1.5 to 3 degrees. Kumis contains biologically active substances, is famous for its healing power and improves immunity.
The main traditional dish of the Kazakhs is besbarmak - boiled horse meat or lamb with small pieces of dough boiled in broth and generously sprinkled with dill, parsley and cilantro, served on a large oval dish. Treating with besbarmak is accompanied by a peculiar ritual.
Koi-bass, a boiled lamb head, is placed in front of the guest of honor. He cuts it up and divides it among the rest of the guests, while each part of the head is given a certain meaning. Boys are given the ears of a ram with the wish to be attentive, girls receive the palate so that they are hardworking. The most respected guests are also served hams and drumsticks of lamb. The brisket goes to the young daughter-in-law, the cervical vertebrae go to married women. Boys receive kidneys and a heart, from which they supposedly mature faster, but sheep's brain is forbidden for children: they will be weak-willed. To prevent a young girl from becoming a virgin, she will never have her ulna bone put on her plate.
Special flatbreads will be served with the besbarmak, and broth - sorpa - will be poured into the bowls.
Having once tasted Kazakh national dishes, you will feel the fragrant breath of the steppe wind, the romance of nomadic life.
Another characteristic feature of Kazakh cuisine is cooking from offal, a very favorite food of the Kazakhs. Modern Kazakh cuisine, of course, is more diverse, because includes, along with Kazakh meat, Kazakh fish with vegetables, and various Kazakh cereals with fruits, and so on.
Flour Kazakh dishes are Kazakh flatbreads, flavored mainly with Kazakh onions or wild garlic.
If you don't know what beshbarmak is... cook this dish, as well as how to properly prepare good pilaf, then given the kitchen will help in this figure out.
And from drinks to Kazakhstan especially popular, except kumiss, Kazakh tea. It is prepared morning, afternoon and evening.
National Kazakh cuisine is a product of the life treasure of nomadic peoples. Initially, the Kazakhs did not have the many recipes that they have today: due to frequent travel, people did not use dishes and stoves, but cooked food over an open fire, boiling meat in cauldrons, and making fermented milk drinks in special bags.
The development of modern Kazakh cuisine began at the end of the 19th century, when the people gradually began to switch to a sedentary lifestyle. Due to the specific characteristics of the life of previous generations of Kazakhs, who lived by raising small and large livestock, the national cuisine of Kazakhstan mainly consists of meat, cereals and dairy products. The Kazakh people also lived by fishing and gathering, so Kazakh cuisine has many recipes based on fish, mushrooms and berries.
Features of Kazakh cuisine
- Kazakhs use 4 types of meat for cooking: beef, lamb, horse meat and camel. The bird is rarely used and is included in later dishes: initially, the Kazakh nomadic tribes did not raise the bird.
- The main combination in Kazakh cuisine is meat and flour products. This applies not only to savory baked goods, but also to soups and main courses.
- Most traditional Kazakh dishes must be eaten with your hands.
- The Kazakhs' favorite drinks are based on mare's, goat's or cow's milk. Even popular tea in Kazakhstan is always drunk with milk, cream or even sour cream.
Main dishes of Kazakhstan cuisine
Every Kazakh feast necessarily includes: meat soup, a main course, savory pastries, homemade bread, sweets based on honey and milk, as well as sour-milk drinks beloved by Kazakhs. Let's look at each category using the example of the most famous Kazakh dishes.
Meat
Meat is the basis of dastarkhan - a traditional Kazakh feast. Both in the old days and now, the presence of meat dishes on the table is used to judge the well-being of the home. Here are some of the most famous meat dishes of Kazakh cuisine:
- Beshbarmak is a main dish of three types of meat, dough, potatoes, and onions, which is cooked in a cauldron and eaten with hands.
- Kazy is horse meat with spices in the intestines, dried or smoked.
- Shuzhuk is a Kazakh smoked sausage.
- Sorpa is a rich meat broth with pieces of lamb.
- Kuerdak - fried lamb with onions and spices.
- Manti are similar to dumplings: minced meat with onions, wrapped in thin unleavened dough.
- Lagman - meat soup with vegetables and homemade noodles.
- Kazakh pilaf with lamb and garlic.
- Kebabs are a favorite dish of Kazakhs. They cook it with a brine solution and serve it with thinly sliced onion rings.
Dairy
Kazakhstan is famous for its variety of fermented milk drinks:
- Katyk is prepared by boiling sour milk at a certain temperature.
- Suzma is a thicker fermented milk product that is slightly salted.
- Kurt are cottage cheese balls made from suzma with the addition of salt and ground red pepper. Then they are dried in the sun and then stored in a dark place.
- Ayran is a refreshing fermented milk drink made from katyk with the addition of spring water and ice.
- Kaymak is a thick fermented milk product with a yellowish tint, very similar to Russian sour cream.
Sweets
Kazakhs love to drink tea with various homemade sweets:
- Chak-chak - flour sticks in honey - is a traditional oriental delicacy, which is considered a national dish of both Kazakh, Tatar, and Uzbek cuisine.
- Kustil - thin medallions made of unleavened dough, fried in oil.
- Halva is a hard-textured delicacy made from ground sunflower seeds with sugar, flour and melted butter.
- Baursak – pieces of curd dough, first boiled and then fried in oil.
Beverages
The most common drink in Kazakhstan is, of course, black tea with cream or milk. Kazakhs drink it after dinner from bowls - deep bowls without handles. Chinese green tea is also quite popular in Kazakhstan.
Another popular one Kazakh drink- this is kumiss. It is made from mare's milk by fermentation and infusion.
Kazakh national cuisine is relatively young, but at the same time it has its own deep-rooted traditions. Like other cuisines of nomadic peoples, the national cuisine of Kazakhstan mainly consists of hearty meat dishes, flour sweets and fermented milk products, which are used both as ingredients in various dishes and separately.