#25 Kyrgyzstan
- Jen
- Jan 3, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 4, 2022
I would have struggled to point out Kyrgyzstan on a map before this blog, and I definitely wouldn’t have put a Z in it.
It borders Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and is the country in the world that is furthest from the sea*, with all of its drainage systems being closed, which means that rivers do not flow to the sea but to a large lakes. Some of these lakes have beaches so you can still go on holiday!
*Kyrgyzstan does not have the point in a country furthest from the sea; that’s somewhere in China. It is the whole country that is furthest from the sea.
Kyrgyz cuisine
Russian, Uzbek and Uyghur (Uyghurs being a Muslim Turkic ethnic group from north-west China…the people who are held in China’s “re-education camps”…) dishes are found in areas of Kyrgyzstan but I’m going to focus mainly on Kyrgyz cuisine.
Kyrgyzstan isn’t really known for its cuisine and I was keen to find out why because surely a country on the Silk Road would be full of exotic aromas and spices…
…or just bland horse meat, mutton, beef and dairy products associated with the beasts from which their meat is taken. Kyrgyz people were historically nomadic, and their cooking methods reflect their traditional way of life.
A lot of meals consist of meat with either potatoes or noodles and possibly a few vegetables. A classic example of such a dish is kuurdak, grilled mutton and extra mutton fat with a limited amount of potatoes and vegetables thrown in. Then we have dimlama, which instead of being a meat stew with potato and veg, it’s a veg and potato stew with meat. See the difference?
A note on noodles: the word “noodle” conjures an image of soba, udon, etc. noodles but it can refer to any simple dough stretched out into flat pieces. In Kyrgyzstan, noodles are wide, sometimes square like a lasagne sheet.
Oromo is one such application of large, flat noodles and is best eaten in homes rather than restaurants. It consists of the noodles being topped or filled with a mixture of chopped vegetables such as carrot, onion and cabbage. Pieces of meat will also no doubt make an appearance in most homes.
Spices and sauces don’t seem to feature much in Kyrgyz dishes. However, you can remind your taste buds that they still exist within the country by branching out into Uzbek dishes and those that have come along the Silk Road from elsewhere. For example, Turkish shashlik, spiced street food meat skewers, or Uyghur laghman, a thick noodle soup with vegetables and a spicy vinegar sauce.
Plov is a fried rice dish that’s a staple in most of central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, where it is referred to as paloo.
Side dishes and street food snacks clearly have influences from neighbouring places. Samsas are very similar to samosas in both name and form but sadly not in their gusto, tending to be filled only with mutton and extra fat. Steamed dumplings with mince and onion are called manti and these are also popular throughout central Asia.
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
Bread and tea are very important in Kyrgyz culture and houseguests will always be offered endless cups of tea and a variety of flat breads or fried breads to go with it. The great part is that these breads are usually dipped into butter, honey or jam. Homemade jam. Raspberry jam, apricot jam, plum jam, you name it jam. The Kyrgyz people are pretty liberal with their jam: you’re allowed to have jam with all of your meals, not just breakfast, and if you want to sweeten your tea? Stir in a spoonful of jam!
Boozing
Forget beer, fermented horse milk is how we lash in Kyrgyzstan.
Beshbarmak
Beshbarmak is the national dish. It means “five fingers” in Kyrgyz because it is typically eaten with five of your fingers, presumably on the same hand but that’s not entirely clear.
It’s boiled meat mixed with wide noodles and onions, along with a shorpo, which is a meat broth. You should serve this from one big platter on the floor and everyone should sit around it and dig in with their five fingers.
Horsemeat is the preferred meat for this dish, but beef or mutton are also acceptable. It should be noted that if mutton is used, it is customary for a boiled sheep’s head to be seated on the floor with the guests and to be shared around by the most honoured guest. I found one recipe for beshbarmak that called for “one medium sheep”. I did try, but sourcing a medium-sized sheep proved tricky whilst being locked down in the city, so I bought a 400g pack of beef skirt from Sainsbury’s instead.
The dish is made by boiling finely chopped meat or meat on the bone with onions and then boiling the noodles in the meat broth. It’s important that the meat is finely chopped so that the toothless elderly relatives can enjoy it too. I simmered the beef skirt for about four hours with some onion rings. I then cooked fresh pappardelle in the same pan. The shorpo was simply the strained broth left in the pan from cooking the meat.
For authenticity I served the beshbarmak on the floor and used the five fingers (including the thumb) on my right hand in place of western-style cutlery. With the bowl of broth, I suppose this is just like any noodle soup really: pho, ramen, chicken noodle soup, but minus the spoon and minus the flavour.
I do hope we’re allowed to use forks in…HAITI.
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