Turkmenistan

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Plov

Плов

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

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Plov (Osh)

Osh / Palov

Rice, meat, carrots, onion, and spices are cooked together in a kazan until the grains are separate and richly flavoured.

🇰🇿Kazakhstan

Samsa

Самса

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

🇦🇲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.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Shule

Şüle

Shule is a Turkmen rice porridge cooked with meat and sometimes shredded carrots, served as a thick savory bowl.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Shurpa

Sho'rpa

A Uzbek soup with large pieces of fatty mutton, fresh vegetables, and herbs

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Shurpa Mash

Şurpa maş

Shurpa Mash is a Turkmen mung-bean soup built on meat bouillon, with a creamy texture as the beans soften.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Somsa

Baked Central Asian pastries stuffed with minced meat and onion.

🇦🇫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.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Suytlas

Süýtlaş

Thin vermicelli is simmered in milk with sugar and sometimes cardamom, then chilled into a spoonable pudding.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Suzma

Süzmə

A thick, tangy Azerbaijani drained yogurt spread, made by hanging qatiq in cloth to remove whey, seasoned with salt and garlic.

🇹🇯Tajikistan

Tajik Street Samsa

Самбӯсаи хом

Flaky pastry parcels of lamb and onion sold hot from tandoor shopfronts and bazaar corners all day.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Turkmen Chorba

Çorba

Turkmen chorba is a meat soup built on shurpa broth, with vegetables, legumes, or noodles added and bread served alongside.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Turkmen Clotted Cream

Agaran

Agaran is a Turkmen dairy product made by slowly simmering milk until the cream rises and thickens; it can be eaten with bread or honey.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Turkmen Green Tea

Gök çäý

Green tea is served throughout the day in small piala bowls and is central to Turkmen hospitality.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Turkmen Manti

Manty

Steamed dumplings filled with spiced lamb or beef and onions; a popular Turkmen street food and home dish; listed in azcuisines as a popular Turkmen dish; usually served with sour cream or suzme; the filling is juicy and the wrapper is thin; a Central Asian shared tradition.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Turkmen Plov

Aş

Turkmenistan's version of pilaf, known locally as ash; long-grain rice cooked with lamb, sautéed onions and carrots in a kazan over open flame; distinguished from Uzbek plov by sweeter carrots, less mixing, and rice layered on top; sometimes with chickpeas, raisins, or quail eggs; served at weddings and celebrations with green tea.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Unash

Unaş

A traditional Turkmen noodle soup made with milk and noodles or with beans and noodles; one of the most traditional Turkmen soups; listed in Wikipedia's Turkmen cuisine; the milk version is creamy and comforting, the bean version is hearty; a homely dish of everyday Turkmen life; served hot with bread.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Whole Roasted Lamb

Tamdyrlama

A whole lamb roasted in a tamdyr (tandoor oven); the meat is seasoned and slow-cooked until tender and falling off the bone; a festive dish for large gatherings and celebrations; listed in Wikipedia's Turkmen cuisine as a ceremonial food; the tandoor imparts a distinctive smoky flavor to the meat.