Kazakhstan

🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan

Airag

Айраг

Mare's milk fermented in a leather or plastic churn and stirred thousands of times, ending mildly alcoholic, fizzy and sharply sour.

🇹🇷Turkey

Ayran

Ajran

Ayran is a cold drink of yogurt, water and salt, whisked until lightly foamy. In Bulgaria it is a summer fountain and meal drink, never a sweet yogurt.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Bal Kaymak

Балқаймақ

A quintessential Turkish breakfast combination of honey drizzled over kaymak, a rich clotted cream made from water buffalo milk. The contrast of sweet honey and creamy, slightly tangy kaymak on fresh bread is one of the most beloved morning treats in Turkey.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Baursak

Бауырсақ

Baursak is Kazakh fried yeast dough that puffs and turns golden, served with tea, soups, or main courses.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Chak Chak

Чак-чак

Tatar fried-dough mound tossed in honey and piled like a pinecone, crisp outside and syrup-soaked within; wedding-table centrepiece in Kazan.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Irimshik

Ірімшік

A Kazakh soft curd cheese from goat's or sheep's milk

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Karta

Қарта

A Kazakh boiled horse intestine dish

🇹🇷Turkey

Kaymak

Қаймақ

Thick clotted cream, essential for breakfasts and desserts.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Kazakh Tea

Шай

A Kazakh black tea, served in piyala bowls with milk or butter, a national and hospitality icon.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Kazy

Қазы

Horse-rib meat and fat are packed into a natural casing, then salted, smoked or boiled, and sliced into rich coins.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Kespe

Кеспе

Kazakh hand-cut noodles served with meat and broth.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Kurt

Құрт

Salted sour milk is strained, shaped into firm pieces, and dried into a tangy travel cheese.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Kuyrdak

Қуырдақ

Heart, liver, kidneys, onion, and pepper are browned together into a rich Kazakh offal dish served hot from the pan.

🇨🇳Xinjiang, China

Lagman

Lag'mon

Lagman is a Uyghur and Central Asian noodle dish built from hand-pulled strands served with meat, peppers, onions, and tomato in a savoury broth or sauce.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Manty

Мәнті

Manty are Kazakh steamed dumplings filled with minced lamb or beef, onions, and spices, served with kaymak.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Nauryz Kozhe

Наурыз көже

A Kazakh festive Nauryz soup with seven symbolic ingredients: meat, milk, salt, grain, butter, flour, and water, a spring and cultural icon

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Plov

Плов

A Kazakh rice pilaf with meat, carrots, onions, and spices, a daily and festive classic

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Samsa

Самса

Samsa is a Kazakh tandoor-baked pastry filled with meat, onions, or pumpkin, with a browned shell surrounding a juicy interior.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Shalap

Шалап

A Kazakh cold yogurt drink with water, salt, and herbs, a summer and daily classic

🇦🇲Armenia

Shashlik

Шашлық

Shashlik is marinated meat grilled on skewers with onion and rendered fat, a shared Eurasian form rather than a single national dish.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Shelpek

Шелпек

A Kazakh thin fried flatbread, served with tea or main courses

🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan

Shubat

Шұбат

Fermented camel's milk, thick and white with a clean sourness and a faint natural fizz.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Shyrchay

Шыршай

Shyrchay is Kazakh salty milk tea made with butter, flour, and fried tail fat, served hot as a rich winter drink.

🇦🇫Herat, Afghanistan

Sumalak

Sprouted wheat is ground with water and flour, then stirred overnight into a dark, naturally sweet Navruz pudding shared from a cauldron.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Syrne

Сірне

A Kazakh fried young lamb with onions and potatoes

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Taba Nan

Таба нан

A Kazakh bread baked on coals between two frying pans., a traditional and ancient bread

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Talkan

Талқан

A Kazakh sweet of ground and fried wheat mixed with sugar, a daily and tea classic

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Ulpershek

Үлпершек

A Kazakh dish of boiled offal — liver, heart and lungs — with broth.

🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan

Zhal

Жал

Zhal is Kazakh smoked lard made from horse neck, sliced thin and served as a rich savory food for honored guests.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Zhaya

Жая

A Kazakh salted and smoked horse meat from hip and hind leg., a festive and celebratory dish

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Zhent

Жент

A Kazakh festive dessert of millet, crushed curd cheese, butter, sugar, and raisins, a Nauryz and tea classic