Autumn in Kazakhstan is traditionally a time of abundant treats. Today, local chefs and experts are trying to break the stereotype of Kazakhstan having a bland and unhealthy national cuisine, and are actively marketing it to foreign guests.

The modern cuisine of Kazakhstan has absorbed a variety of Asian dishes, but also includes dishes from Soviet cuisine. Almost every Kazakhstani family is familiar with borscht and dumplings borrowed from Russians and Ukrainians, pilaf and samsa brought by Uzbeks, shashlik taken from the Caucasian peoples, and funchoza (Asian salad with noodles) and kuksi (cold noodle soup) adopted from Koreans. Of course, as in many parts of the former Soviet Union, Olivier salad is traditionally prepared on New Year’s Eve in Kazakhstan.

Turkish dishes have also become part of the daily diet in the years since independence. For example, it is impossible to imagine today’s fast food without the doner kebab. International fast food, such as pizza, hamburgers, and sushi, have also become popular in big cities. Nevertheless, traditional Kazakh dishes form the basis of the country’s eclectic cuisine.

Beshbarmak is truly a Khan’s dish. Any festive occasion is unthinkable without it, and restaurants specializing in traditional cuisine must include it in their menus. In its original version, beshbarmak is prepared from salted horse meat, including kazy, shujuk, and karta (horse intestines). Unleavened dough, potatoes, onions, and spices are also added. However, today, a variant using beef is also widespread.

Kazakh national dish, beshbarmak; image: iStock

Beshbarmak, like many Turkic dishes, is the subject of constant dispute between Kazakhs and Kyrgyz. The neighboring peoples will always espouse different views on the question of whom created the dish. The differences in the recipe are not very significant; in Kazakhstan, the dough is usually cut into large rhombuses, and in Kyrgyzstan, into small oblong pieces. Tatarstan and Bashkiria also lay claim to the Khan’s dish. There, mutton rather than beef is most often added to horse meat.

Another pillar of Kazakh cuisine is kuirdak. Each family cherishes its version of the recipe, and kuirdak must be served in any restaurant claiming to serve the national cuisine. The dish starts with cuts of mutton and organ meat, such as heart, liver, and kidneys. These cuts are fried in sheep fat alongside potatoes, onions, parsley, and spices.

Traditional dish kuirdak; image: iStock

Unfortunately, the most traditional Kazakh dishes are not always available to foreigners, as some can now be tasted only in villages. For example, in honor of the arrival of guests, before the main meal, guests are offered a boiled sheep’s head. It is cut right at the table, and each part (ears, eyes, tongue, etc.) is served according to the status of the guests. Another dish rarely served in restaurants is baked mutton brains.

Ethnographers continue to search for and re-popularize national dishes that were common before the Russian Revolution but have now virtually disappeared in cities. For example, the ritual dish Ylpershek was usually prepared for a daughter leaving home to get married and move into her husband’s house. For this dish, a large animal was slaughtered, and the heart was cut in half so that it opened like a book. Then, it would be cleaned of blood, and salt and pepper were added. The meat and fat of the animal are then cut into thin slices. These slices are stuffed into the heart before it is closed tightly and sewn back together before being stewed. This dish symbolizes that the parents will always be in their daughter’s heart.

Another once-famous dish is zhauzhurek. The traditional food of batyrs (warriors) and children being raised to be batyrs, it is mainly made of lamb liver and fat. As scientists have found, liver is nutrient-dense and helps prevent heart disease. Today, it would be appropriate to serve zhauzhurek as a hot appetizer, but it is still rarely found in restaurants.

In rural areas, the tradition of cooking dishes on the ground, which is widespread among many cattle-breeding peoples, has also been preserved. For example, to cook karynbyrme, lamb meat wrapped in tripe is smeared with clay and placed in a prepared pit, which replaces a modern oven. The meat is then cooked in its own juice for about two hours.

Of course, according to nutritionists, the meat-heavy diet of Kazakh cuisine is not particularly suitable for those who want to lose weight. However, it is important to remember that, like the traditional dishes of other nations, this food was intended for people engaged in hard physical labor. However, horse meat is a nutritious and lean meat, which is one reason it costs more than beef in cities.

Traditional Asian wooden utensils with kumys; image: iStock.

According to Elena Ushanskaya, a candidate of medical sciences and associate professor at the Department of Nutriciology at the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition named after Sharmanov, “horse meat contains polyunsaturated fats, which are close in structure to vegetable oils, and therefore we can recommend eating horse meat even to patients with heart disease or people suffering from obesity; though not in large quantities, of course.”

Ushanskaya says that Kazakh sour milk products should be singled out as health products. Kumys, fermented horse milk, is an excellent dietary aid that promotes intestinal health. “One liter of kumys contains as much vitamin C as 1.5 kilograms of oranges,” Ushanskaya notes. “It also has a high content of vitamin A and B, which have a favorable effect on immunity. Also, kumys contains antibiotic substances that inhibit the growth of tubercle bacillus.”

In addition to kumys, other products made from mares and camel milk, such as kurt and shubat, are extremely nutritious. Besides dairy products, traditional dishes made from Kazakh cereals: talkan, tary, and zhent serve as excellent sources of amino acids and B vitamins.

During the World Nomad Games held in Astana in September, scientists from Central Asian countries and Russia debated the future of nomadic cuisine. Most concluded that Kazakh cuisine needs to be popularized and supported. Ethnographer Aigerim Musagazhinova said in particular that “we need to develop domestic production, support our farmers, help them get subsidies, and make a collaboration between science and businesses. We can develop gastronomic tourism.”