country Essentials · 10 foods
Kyrgyzstan Essentials
A considered first route through Kyrgyzstan: the foods that carry its everyday habits, celebrations, ingredients, and memory.
Explore all Kyrgyzstan foods →THE
ESSENTIALS
The complete shortlist
10 foods to know.
Each selection includes the reason it belongs here—so this is a guide, not just a pile of names.
Tashkent, Kyrgyzstan
Naryn
Нарын
Hand-shredded meat and thin noodles are served cool with a bowl of broth on the side.
Karakol, Kyrgyzstan
Ashlyamfu
Ашлямфу
Cold noodles and starch jelly sit in chilli vinegar, especially around Karakol's food stalls.
Kyrgyzstan
Oromo
Оромо
A sheet of dough spread with meat is coiled, steamed, and sliced into rounds.
Kyrgyzstan
Kuiruk Boor
Куйрук боор
Fat-tail and liver are sliced together and offered to an honoured guest.
Kyrgyzstan
Airag
Айраг
Fermented mare's milk is drunk by the bowl on summer pastures, tart and faintly alcoholic.
Kazakhstan
Kazy
Қазы
Horse meat and fat are cured into a sausage and sliced for a ceremonial platter.
Uzgen, Kyrgyzstan
Devzira Rice
Девзира
Uzgen rice leaves red bran dust on the palm and swells without breaking in plov.
Kyrgyzstan
Kattama
Каттама
Layered dough is coiled, flattened, and pan-fried into a flaky breakfast flatbread.
Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan
Arslanbob Walnuts
Арстанбап жаңгагы
Wild walnuts gathered above Arslanbob carry the distinctive identity of Jalal-Abad's mountain forests.
Kyrgyzstan
Tash Kordo
Таш кордо
A whole lamb is stone-roasted until tender and smoky for a large Kyrgyz gathering.