Joanna James
Kazakhstani cuisine blends hearty meats, fresh milk, nourishing dairy, homegrown spices, and multi-ethnic cooking techniques. Here are some unmissable delicacies to savour in this wildly majestic land.
Kazakhstan’s unique culinary heritage is influenced by its nomadic lifestyle, vastly diverse landscapes, extreme climate, and a fusion of Central Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and European cultures. For a slurp-worthy treat that you’ll only find in Kazakhstan, you can’t go wrong with its classic noodle dish. Lagman is a medley of hand-pulled noodles, tender meat, and colourful bell peppers, onions, and vegetables in a savoury sauce rich with herbs and spices. This stir-fried masterpiece has been compared with both udon noodles and La Mian, with a nod to the delicious Uyghur cuisine. There’s also a broth-based variation of this iconic dish, which involves chewy noodles, succulent lamb, and chunky vegetables swimming in an aromatic stew.
Whether you’ve spent the day soaking in the gorgeous era-defining architecture and jewel-toned markets of Almaty, discovering the natural wonders at Ile-Alatau National Park, or enjoying the cosmopolitan glamour of Astana City, fuel up with Kazakhstan’s stomach-warming national dish! Beshbarmak, named “five fingers” after five nomadic tribes in the region who would tuck into this sublime meal with their hands, comprises three different cooked meats, most commonly horse, lamb, and beef, mixed with paper-thin pasta squares. The star of this dish is the broth, a heady concoction of meat stock, onions, and local seasonings that makes it the ultimate hug in a bowl.
A cross between dumplings, Tibetan momos, and Chinese baozi, this Turkic delicacy consists of spicy ground beef, horse, or lamb paired with bits of squash or pumpkin and wrapped up in thin dough. These meaty little parcels are then steamed to perfection and served with sour cream dip or a sauce laced with onion and garlic. If you’re on the hunt for reputable outbound travel agents in Sri Lanka who specialise in authentic bespoke adventures, venture no further than the likes of Mackinnons Travels.
While Kazakhstan's dishes are primarily solid, filling, and nourishing, special occasions call for more indulgent treats. From Zhent, a creamy, crumbly cottage cheese dessert sweetened with sugar and raisins, to samanu pudding with its chocolaty colour and caramel-sweet richness, these festive delicacies can be found wherever there’s a bakery, traditional market, or celebration. For doughnut lovers, Baursak is a puffy, golden-brown Kazakh bread that is slathered with honey, jam, or butter, and it will simply melt in your mouth!
If you’re craving a street food snack reminiscent of the Southeast Asian samosa or Middle Eastern samboosa, bite into the flaky, buttery layers of this tandoor-baked pastry. Stuffed to bursting with minced meat, onions, spices, and herbs, these traditional short eats have an addictive smoky flavour and a beautifully crisp pastry shell.
If you can’t go a day without rice, this Central Asian spin on pilaf is a comforting delight. This flavourful one-pot dish includes generously seasoned meat, such as beef or lamb, spices, onions, herbs, and vegetables cooked together with long-grain rice until everything is tender and fragrant.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
