What do people eat in Kazakhstan?
Diet
At a traditional meal, tea, called chai, is served first, with breads, nuts and sweets, as an appetizer. The main dish may be boiled mutton. Foods for special occasions include cold noodles with a horse meat sausage called qazy, a rich mutton stew known as kuyrdak and a meat-and-noodle stew called besbarmak. Pulau is a much-loved mixture of rice, fruit and spices. Noodle soup with radishes and peppers is called kespe.
Yogurt, known as katyk, is often used in cooking. Cookies, halva, raisins, nuts and fresh fruit are enjoyed for dessert. Milky drinks are popular. Koumyss is fermented mare's milk and shubat is fermented camel milk.
Mealtime
Kuirdak, is a dish prepared from freshly slaughtered meat and consists of the animal's liver, heart, kidneys and other organs cut into pieces, boiled in oil and served with onions and pepper.
Dastarkhan, a feast for special occasions consisting of meat dishes and dairy products. Usually an entire sheep is slaughtered and the various parts are given to family members as a symbol of desired traits for that family member. For example someone served the tongue will speak better. The oldest member of the family get the honor of serving the family.
Popular Kazakhstan Recipes
- Basturma - Main Dish
- Balyk Sorpa (Fish Broth) - Main Dish
- Baturma - Main Dish
- Beshbarmak- Main Dish
- Khumiss (Fermented Mare’s Milk) - Beverage
- Pelmeni (Boiled Dumplings) - Main Dish
- Shalgam (Radish Salad) - Side Dish
