KazakhstanTraditional Kazakh cuisine revolves around mutton and horse meat and as well as various milk products. For hundreds of years Kazakhs were herders who raised fat-tailed sheep, Bactrian camels, and horses, relying on these animals for transportation, clothing, and food. The cooking techniques and major ingredients have been strongly influenced by the nation's nomadic way of life. For example, most cooking techniques are aimed at long-term preservation of food. There is large practice of salting and drying meat so that it will last, and there is a preference for sour milk, as it is easier to save in a nomadic lifestyle.
Meat in various forms has always been the primary ingredient of Kazakh cuisine, and traditional Kazakh cooking is based on boiling. Horse and mutton are the most popular forms of meat and are most often served in large uncut pieces, which have been boiled. Kazakhs cared especially for horses which they intended to slaughter- keeping them separate from other animals and feeding them so much that they often became so fat they had difficulty moving.
Besbarmak, a dish consisting of boiled horse or mutton meat, is the most popular Kazakh dish. It is also called “five fingers” because of the way it is eaten. The chunks of boiled meat are cut and served by the host in order of the guests’ importance. Besbarmak is usually eaten with a boiled pasta sheet and a meat broth called shorpa, and is traditionally served in Kazakh bowls called “kese”. Other popular meat dishes are kazy, which is a horsemeat sausage that only the wealthy could afford, shuzhuk (horsemeat sausages), kuyrdak (also spelled kuirdak, a dish made from roasted horse, sheep, or cow offal, such as heart, liver, kidneys, and other organs, diced and served with onions and peppers), and various horse delicacies, such as zhal (smoked lard from horse's neck) and zhaya (salted and smoked meat from horse's hip and hind leg). Another popular dish is Palaw, which is made from meat fried with carrot and onion or garlic, then coocked with rice. Shyrtyldak, also known as crackler, is melted fat in a large bowl with sugar added, and is eaten by dipping bread in it and is often eaten with tea. Kylmai is a sausage made during winter and fall slaughtering and is made by stuffing intestines with pieces of ground meat, fat, blood, garlic, salt, and pepper. Zhauburek, also known as kabob, is popular among hunters and travelers and is a dish in which small pieces of meat are roasted over a fire. Ulpershek is a dish made from the heart, aorta, and fat of a horse, prepared in a kettle, and is often shared between sisters-in-law as a sign of unity. Koten is a sausage eaten in the spring when a cow has a new calf; it is a giant sausage sometimes served with rice or kurt. Mypalau is a dish made from sheep’s brain made by putting the brain in a wooden bowl, add marrow and some pieces of meat, add salted fat broth and garlic, and this dish is often served to honored guests. Akshelek is a large camel bone distributed to children after slaughtering and cooking meat from a camel. Kylmai is another kind of sausage eaten later in the year after it has aged- if smoked it will last a long time, something important in Kazakh cooking. Zhal is the layer of fat under a horse’s mane and is served only to special and honored guests, as it is such a rare commodity. Zhaya is the rump of a horse, probably served boiled. Ak Sorpa is a white broth made in the fall, and is a special meal for rich men. Kuiryk-bauyr is a meal which used to be served to kinsmen at wedding parties- boiled meat, sliced thinly, then sour milk and salted broth are added.
Traditional milkproducts incleudes Sut is boiled milk. Kalmak is sour cream made from boiled milk, and is sometimes served in tea. Sary mai is butter made of old milk, often in a leather bag. Kurt is prepared by pressing thick sour cream, and is dried until white and salty. Irimzhik is a cottage cheese processed in the spring, made from boiled, unskimmed milk and added sour cream. Suzbe and Katyk are strained and thickened sour milk. Koryktyk is a herdsman’s food- thickened milk made out on the steppe. Tosap is made from the scum on the sides of a metal pot and is used as medicine. Airan is sour milk used in winter and summer. And finally, Shubat and Kumys (fermented camel’s milk and fermented mare’s milk) are seen as good for one’s health and are imbibed often.
The introduction of flour to Kazakh cuisine brought about dishes such as baursak, shelpek, manti and tandyr-nan. Baursak is made by frying dough balls, and shelpek is a flat cake made in a similar fashion. Manti, a very popular Kazakh dish, is a spiced mixture of ground lamb (or beef) spiced with black pepper, enclosed in a dough wrapper. Manti are cooked in a multi-level steamer and served topped with butter, sour cream, or onion sauce. Tandyr-nan is a type of traditional bread made in Tandoor, popular in cities of along the Silk Way. Kuimak, kattama and oima are flat puff cakes fried in oil then covered in cream.
The traditional drinks are fermented mare's milk (kumys),[10] camel's milk (shubat), cow’s milk (airan), as well as sheep milk and its products–kaymak (sour cream), katyk or ayran (buttermilk), kurt, which is made from dried cheese and whey and rolled into balls , and irimshik (dried sour milk product similar to kurt, but not rolled into balls). These drinks were traditionally consumed with the main course. However, meals often end with Kumys as well and then tea. In the summer, chal is one of the staple foods of the Adai Kazakhs. Black tea was introduced from China since the foundation of Silk Way and was traditionally consumed with sweets after the main course. Nowadays tea (with milk) has virtually replaced other traditional drinks. The traditional sweets are Baursaks, Shecksheck and Zhent.
In nomad cookery, the amount of equipment is minimal because it must be transported from location to location to follow the grazing herds. In addition, there are no luxuries such as electricity or running water. The iron qazan is the most indispensable piece of cookware- it is used for cooking pilafs, soups, and even bread- if the qazan is shallow, it can be turned over to cook flatbread on the back. Many parts of the sheep and goat are used for holding milk products or for making cheese.
The host of the meal cuts the meat himself (or herself) and gives the best cuts to more honored people, with the worst cuts going to children. This meat is most often eaten with thin boiled pieces of pastry. Sometimes the most honored guest at a meal will receive a cooked head of a ram, which is passed around in ceremonial or ritual practice. A guest is always given the place of honor and a special welcome in Kazakh practice.
Kazakhs traditionally eat at a low table called a “dastarkhan”. Kazakhs also maintain a tradition of using beautiful dishware when possible. Kumis is served in wide bowls decorated with silver or in painted cups, and meat is often served on wide platters. Tea is steeped in ornate teapots and served in lovely cups. Unusual ingredients such as dried melon and small intenstines were regularly woven into interesting patterns, and the breads boasted floral designs painted with berry juice. Bigger and deeper bowls are used to serve dairy products, and small wooden basins are used for making dough. Futher, each family has its own wooden spoons, which are cared for and transported in felt and wooden cases, showing their importance in food culture in Kazakhstan.
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