Food - The Times Of Central Asia

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Turkmenistan Effectively Bans Passengers from Taking Food Abroad

Since February, passengers departing from Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat have effectively been prohibited from taking food products out of the country. The restrictions reportedly apply to meat and fish products, canned goods and even bread. No official explanation has been provided. According to turkmen.news, a ban on the export of most food items was introduced at Ashgabat International Airport in February. The measures affect passengers flying to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and other destinations. Controls are reportedly carried out before the main customs inspection, in the oversized baggage area. Only after this additional screening are travelers allowed to proceed to standard border control procedures. However, few passengers reportedly pass the initial check without issue. Eyewitnesses cited by the outlet say that many passengers are found carrying canned kaurma (meat preserved in fat), as well as sausages, smoked and salted fish, canned meat and fish, condensed milk, homemade preserves, vinegar and bread. Confiscated products must be left behind. Passengers accompanied by relatives are reportedly allowed to hand over the food to them. Those traveling alone are said to ask taxi drivers to return the items to their homes, while some leave bags on airport benches. There has been no official statement clarifying the situation. The Customs Service of Turkmenistan has not published any formal ban on the export of food products, except for sturgeon. Food items are also not listed among prohibited exports on the website of Turkmenistan Airlines. Sources cited by turkmen.news suggest that the tightened controls may be linked to cases in which Turkmen food products were confiscated at foreign airports, particularly in Istanbul and the Russian city of Kazan. In early February, more than 10 kilograms of honey and over 53 kilograms of meat were reportedly seized from Turkmen citizens in Kazan. A year earlier, turkmen.news reported increased scrutiny of passengers carrying food. At that time, checks were described as less systematic and, according to sources, were often accompanied by alleged demands for bribes rather than consistent enforcement of formal regulations. For many Turkmen students studying abroad, food brought from home is not only a matter of preference but also an economic necessity. Preserved products such as canned goods and kaurma can be stored for extended periods and significantly reduce living expenses. Turkmen food products are generally cheaper than comparable goods in Turkey, Russia or the United Arab Emirates.

Food

Beshbarmak, Pilaf, and Olivier Salad: What Will Be Served on New Year’s Eve Tables in Central Asia

New Year remains one of the most significant holidays in Central Asia. While its scale and prominence have gradually declined due to rising religiosity, many residents still regard it as the foremost secular and ideology-free celebration of the year. Across the region, households prepare their most beloved dishes to ring in the occasion. No New Year Without Olivier Salad For many families, traditional fare is an essential part of New Year’s Eve. Olivier salad has long been a staple of the holiday table. Originally created in the 1860s by a French chef in Russia, the dish once featured ingredients such as hazel grouse and seafood. Over time, particularly during the Soviet era of shortages, the recipe evolved. Today, Olivier salad typically includes beef, chicken (or boiled sausage), potatoes, green peas, pickled cucumbers, and mayonnaise. It is usually prepared in large batches to ensure there is enough for all guests. Other popular salads include herring under a fur coat, vinaigrette, and “Tenderness”, hearty dishes that can leave guests too full for main courses. Even in modest households, red caviar often finds its way to the table, adding a touch of festivity and indulgence. Kazakhstan: Beshbarmak with a Twist In Kazakhstan, beshbarmak remains the centerpiece of the New Year’s feast, as it is for most major celebrations. Traditionally, the dish combines three cuts of horse meat, kazy, karta, and zhay, served with flat noodles and onions. However, some families are adapting their menus in line with the Chinese zodiac. As the Year of the Red Horse approaches, online advice has suggested avoiding horse meat out of respect for the symbolic animal. A vegan version of beshbarmak, featuring mushrooms and pumpkin, is gaining traction. Baked koktal fish is another showpiece dish, while kuydak (lamb with potatoes and onions) and khan syrbaz (a rich stew of lamb, vegetables, barley, and broth) are popular additions. Desserts often include traditional fermented milk products such as zhent, katyk, and irimshik, and the table is rarely without kumys, a fermented mare’s milk beverage. Uzbekistan: Pilaf Reigns Supreme In Uzbekistan, New Year is celebrated with great enthusiasm. According to folklore, Korbobo, a local version of Santa Claus, arrives on a donkey with his granddaughter Korgyz to distribute gifts to well-behaved children. Pilaf, or plov, is the dominant holiday dish. Made with rice, carrots, onions, meat, and spices, regional variations might include raisins or quince for added sweetness. Each area boasts its own version of the national favorite. Samsas, meat-filled pastries baked in a tandoor, are also served, as are manti, large, steamed dumplings filled with lamb, beef, or pumpkin. Other popular dishes include kazan-kabob (fried meat and potatoes). For dessert, chak-chak (fried dough with honey) and halva (made from sesame, semolina, or nuts) are perennial favorites. Kyrgyzstan: Boorsoki and Beshbarmak In Kyrgyzstan, beshbarmak, prepared with either horse meat or lamb, is also a central dish. Families commonly serve manti, baked chicken, and boorsoki (known in Kazakhstan as baursaki), fried dough balls that are a holiday staple. Other meat-based specialties...

Food

In The Kitchen: A Reflection of Taste and Art, Savoring the Color of Flavor

In the culinary world, all eyes have turned towards Almaty, as the city becomes the stage for In the Kitchen: Anniversary Edition, an international project uniting haute cuisine and contemporary art. This year’s edition centers on Austrian conceptual artist Norbert Brunner-Lienz, whose work explores how language and reflection shape perception, turning words and images into immersive experiences. At Laureate Grand Café, his installation has become the heart of a three-night gastro-performance. Mirrored surfaces invite guests to see themselves within the art, blurring the line between viewer and participant. Each reflection reveals the unseen link between seeing and being seen, transforming perception into part of the artwork. Light and meaning shift with every glance. [caption id="attachment_38089" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Image: Ilyas Otan[/caption] Brunner, who lives and works between Vienna and New York, is personally presenting the project in Almaty, with guests having the opportunity to meet him, learn about his creative philosophy, and experience how his art connects the visual, linguistic, and culinary worlds. The gastronomic performance is led by Michelin-starred twin chefs Dominik Sato and Fabio Toffolon from The Chedi Andermatt in Switzerland. Inspired by the Japanese concept of ichi-go ichi-e, the art of treasuring each unrepeatable moment, their menu transforms dining into a multisensory journey. Completing the team is Yoshiko Sato, pastry chef at The Japanese (two MICHELIN stars), celebrated for desserts that balance technical mastery with grace and feeling. [caption id="attachment_38090" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Image: Ilyas Otan[/caption] Education plays a key role in this edition. Students from Almaty Technological University (ATU) will attend free masterclasses with the Michelin-starred chefs. Workshops are being held at both the Laureate Grand Café and ATU, giving young chefs direct access to the world of haute cuisine. Among the special guests are Giliola Masseroni, owner of Gioielleria Maison “Giglio” in Cremona, Italy; Olga Daniele, founder of 365 ART in Switzerland; and Ainur Akhmetova, founder of Laureate Grand Café and co-founder of In the Kitchen. Olga Daniele imagined In the Kitchen as a dialogue between art and gastronomy, where creative thought is served alongside taste and texture. In collaboration with Ainur Akhmetova, she brings this vision to Kazakhstan, weaving together good food with art to create an experience that speaks to all the senses. [caption id="attachment_38091" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Image: Ilyas Otan[/caption] Their partnership rethinks how we encounter art and eating: not as separate disciplines, but as intertwined forms of expression that reveal how creation lives in every brush stroke, flavour, and idea. A forthcoming book of culinary art will capture this collaboration, inviting readers to engage with these themes further. In the Kitchen: Anniversary Edition unfolds as a shared act of creation, where food becomes a language and creativity takes shape in the exchange between those who make and those who taste. The event will be held at the Laureate Grand Café, 85 Bogenbai Batyr St., Almaty, from October 23–25, 2025.

Food

Despite Official Optimism, Southern Kyrgyzstan Struggles with Food Shortages

Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, Bakyt Torobaev, has reported steady growth in both agricultural output and the processing industry. Speaking at a briefing in Bishkek, Torobaev stated that agricultural production in the first half of 2025 reached $1.3 billion, $160 million more than in the same period last year, representing an annual growth rate of nearly 4%. The processing sector also showed gains, with output valued at $556 million in the first six months of the year. Torobaev added that the population was “provided with six basic foodstuffs: milk, meat, potatoes, vegetables, sugar, and eggs.” However, figures from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) paint a less optimistic picture. The agency’s research indicates that 8% of Kyrgyzstan’s population faces food shortages, while 53% have access only to the minimum required food supply. According to a WFP report, most households (74%) rely on negative coping strategies, such as depleting savings, borrowing money, and cutting expenditures on education and healthcare to meet their food and other basic needs. Additionally, 10% of the population reported a decline in income over the past year, with an average reduction of 37%. The WFP stated that the Jalal-Abad and Osh regions, both in the more densely populated south, account for nearly half of all citizens experiencing food shortages. High poverty levels in these areas, as well as in Batken, reflect the country’s highest rates of economic and food insecurity. The WFP supports vulnerable households through research, targeted material aid, and community programs aimed at building a sustainable food system. Assistance includes fortified wheat flour, vegetable oil, and cash transfers to low-income families participating in community development or human capital projects. The agency also supplies wheat flour to schools to improve nutrition for students in grades 1-4.

Poverty

Central Asia Cuts Hunger Fivefold in Two Decades, FAO Reports

The number of people facing hunger in Central Asia has fallen sharply over the past two decades, according to a new report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The share of the population suffering from undernourishment dropped from 13.1% in 2005 to just 2.8% in 2024, equivalent to a decline from 7.8 million people to 2.3 million. Much of this progress was achieved before 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily disrupted that trend: between 2020 and 2021, undernourishment rose to 2.5 million. However, with the introduction of stronger food security policies and an economic rebound, the region has since regained positive momentum. The FAO report notes that a healthy diet in Central Asia now costs an average of $3.78 per person per day. While this is below the global average of $4.46, it remains unaffordable for many low-income households, particularly in rural Tajikistan. In 2024, FAO estimates that approximately 14% of the region’s population, roughly 11.5 million people, still could not afford a balanced diet. Child health indicators have also improved. The prevalence of stunting among children under five has halved since 2012, falling from 14.8% to 7.4%. Rates of acute malnutrition have also declined, and childhood obesity rates have decreased slightly. Nonetheless, persistent challenges remain: anemia affects about one-third of women of reproductive age, and adult obesity is on the rise, increasing from 18.8% to 25.1% over the past decade. In 2024, Tajikistan remained the most food-insecure country in the former Soviet Union. According to the Global Hunger Index published by the International Food Policy Research Institute, 8.7% of its population faces food shortages, placing the country 65th out of 127 worldwide. In a sign of regional engagement, Uzbekistan officially joined the Global Alliance to Combat Hunger and Poverty in December 2024, reinforcing its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and to global cooperation on food security.

Science

Kazakh Scientists Unveil Facility Capable of Preserving Agricultural Products for 50 Years

Researchers at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University have developed a mobile unit capable of processing and storing agricultural products for up to 50 years. The unit, named “Dayar 20,” utilizes freeze-drying technology and is designed to be transported directly to fields and orchards, an essential advantage for remote agricultural operations. Takeaway Food with a Half-Century Shelf Life The underlying technology is lyophilization, which involves removing water from frozen products by evaporation under low pressure. The process allows food to retain its taste, color, aroma, shape, and nutritional content. “Products dried using the Dayar 20 unit remain usable for a long time, retaining their taste, color, smell, shape, and vitamins,” said project manager Yerbol Ikhsanov, PhD in chemistry. The unit can process a variety of goods, including fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, and ready-to-eat meals. Shelf life ranges from three years at room temperature to 10 to 50 years when vacuum-sealed. The innovation is expected to improve the sustainability of Kazakhstan’s agricultural sector and enhance its export potential. Breakthrough in Hydrogen Production This is not the only recent scientific achievement in Kazakhstan. Researchers at the Institute of Combustion Problems have developed a reactor that decomposes hydrocarbon gases into hydrogen and carbon using low-temperature plasma, without the need for catalysts and with minimal energy input. Inside the plasma reactor, gases are heated to temperatures between 1,800 and 2,700°C, triggering pyrolysis. The result is hydrogen with a purity of up to 98.9% and technical carbon. Notably, scientists also identified giant carbon nanotubes, up to 100 nanometers in diameter, within the by-product. These nanotubes are considered a promising material for super-strong fibers and composites, far exceeding typical size expectations under normal conditions. The method offers nearly 100% efficiency in hydrocarbon recycling and significantly accelerates hydrogen production. Kazakh Anti-Cancer Drug Shows Early Promise In another separate development, Kazakh scientists have made progress on an anti-cancer drug that has yielded promising results in early clinical trials. Dos Sarbasov, Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences, reported that tumor growth had ceased in six patients and shrunk by 30% in one case. “After the first dose of the drug, the condition of fifteen cancer patients stabilized, and in six of them, the tumor stopped growing,” Sarbasov said. The drug targets cells that actively absorb glucose and has shown no signs of toxicity. Clinical testing began two years ago and has already passed two phases. The trials, conducted at the Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology, are expected to conclude within the next two to three years. The drug has received international patent protection.