Kazakhstan cuisine
The cuisine of Kazakhstan was formed under the influence of Central Asian culinary traditions, and since there is also a Russian population in the country, elements of Russian cuisine can also be traced here..
National cuisine of Kazakhstan
After serving ayran or kumis, in Kazakhstan, guests are served tea with cream (for example, baursaks are served with it - deep-fried donuts, and “irimshik” - local semi-hard cheese), then mainly meat snacks, after which it is the turn of hot dishes. Snacks worth a try “kazy” (horse meat dish), “kurt” (small balls made from dried cottage cheese) and “shuzhuk” (it is a gut stuffed with salted pieces of meat - it is boiled before serving), from the main dishes - “palau” (pilaf) or “kuyrdak” (fried kidneys, liver, lung and heart, and Kazakh noodles are an addition to this dish “kespe”).
As for traditional sweets, it is worth trying in Kazakhstan “shertpek” (a mixture based on honey and horse fat from “kazy”) and “shek-shek” (product made from dough with honey).
Popular dishes of Kazakh cuisine:
- “beshbarmak” (a dish made from pieces of beef, lamb or horse meat with noodles - depending on the region, it is supplemented or not supplemented with broth);
- “kabyrga” (a dish of lamb brisket with a vegetable side dish);
- “sirne” (a dish in the form of fried lamb and potatoes);
- “sorpa” (meat soup, to which vegetables, herbs and onions are often added);
- “manti in Kazakh” (is a dough in which minced lamb meat, spices and a piece of fat tail fat are wrapped).
Where to try Kazakh cuisine?
In upscale restaurants, a tip of 5-15% is automatically included in the bill, while in other dining establishments it is left to the discretion of visitors..
You can visit a restaurant in Almaty “Gakku”. He specializes in cooking Kazakh dishes (beshbarmak, steamed manti, kuyrdak, horse meat steaks), including old ones. It is worth noting that here you can order dishes that will be cooked for you on a grill on volcanic stones. And if you wish, you can stay here in the VIP-zone in the form of a real Kazakh yurt, inside which there is a table.
Cooking courses in Kazakhstan
While relaxing in Almaty, you should look into the culinary studio “Compote”, where master classes are held for those who wish and are taught to cook Kazakh and dishes of other cuisines of the world. Important: it is necessary to sign up for cooking courses of interest in advance, classes last from 10:00 to 18:00, and at the end of the course “pupils” issue personalized certificates and technological cards, according to which they cooked in the culinary studio.
A trip to Kazakhstan can be timed to coincide with the Gastronomic Festival “The good life” (May, Almaty), during which visitors will be offered to taste the culinary works of titled chefs and will be taught how to cook them as part of master classes.
