17 Traditional Kazakh Food Dishes

Beshbarmak is a delicacy of Central Asian cuisine, often consumed using their hands. This dish is traditionally presented on expansive communal platters.

Known by various names such as naryn, turama, dograma, kullama, and more across different regions, its ingredients include boiled meat combined with egg noodles, and chyk, an onion sauce.

Also, beshbarmak is customarily preceded by shorpo, a mutton broth appetizer, and succeeded by ak-serke, a broth blended with kymyz or ayran.

Pilaf is a traditional dish in Kazakhstan, combining meat with carrots, onions, garlic, and rice. This rice staple is often prepared during gatherings, celebrations, and traditional events to mark the occasion’s significance.

Furthermore, Kazakhstan locals like pairing pilaf with dishes like “besbarmaq”, which consists of boiled horse or mutton meat.

Qazı is a traditional horse sausage embraced by Kazakhs, Bashkirs, Tatars, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, and other Turkic or Central Asian communities.

This special sausage is a common item on the dastarkhan, a table arranged for celebratory feasts in Kazakhstan.

Typically crafted from horse meat, the meat goes through a process of blood drainage, salting, seasoning with pepper and garlic, and then encased in intestines.

Usually, Kazakh people savor qazı cold or with accompanying dishes like plov or beshbarmak. In Kazakhstan’s mountainous terrains, venison can be the choice of meat for qazı.

Kuurdak is a meat dish originating from the communities of Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Turkmen, and Uyghurs. The name “kuyrdak” is derived from a nominalization of the terms “roast” or “fried”, illustrating its preparation method.

Typically, kuurdak consists of lamb, mutton, beef, or sheep liver and is occasionally complemented with vegetables like onions, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and carrots.

The cooking process involves searing the meat with diced vegetables in a large pot over an open flame or in a skillet until it turns brown. Then, locals gently simmer the mixture with broth, spices, and herbs for a tender experience.

Manti is a kind of dumpling traditionally consumed in Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Central Asian regions. These dumplings are mainly created from a spiced meat blend, lamb or ground beef, enveloped in a thin dough sheet.

Then, this dumpling is subsequently boiled or steamed. In Kazakhstan, people often use minced lamb to make the filling. Manti has many different shapes, often sold as a street food item.

Laghman is a traditional noodle soup creation in Kazakhstan, featuring meat, vegetables, and pulled noodles. Especially popular in Kazakhstan, laghman is considered a national dish of the local Uyghur and Dungan (Hui) ethnic minorities.

The dish is prepared with lamb or beef, combined with various vegetables such as eggplants, Bulgarian peppers, potatoes, and radish.

Inspired by Chinese lamian, laghman appears to be an adaptation of Han Chinese noodle dishes, yet its flavor and preparation methods remain distinctly Uyghur.

Sorpa is a classic soup or stew of Kazakh cuisine, crafted from lamb meat and broth.

This hearty soup is paired with bread, rice, or noodles and often complements beshbarmak.

To enjoy sorpa, locals use a spoon or simply dip bread into the flavorful broth. Wide pasta or noodles are often cooked in sorpa’s broth, after which the meat is reintroduced to the pot.

As a finishing touch, the soup is adorned with fresh herbs like parsley and chives before serving.

Nauryz kozhe is one of the oldest dishes in Kazakh cuisine that is still traditionally consumed in the country. This national food is an indispensable option for the Nauryz holiday on March 22.

A standard portion of nauryz kozhe consists of milk, oil, millet, rice, raisins, corn, and horse meat. Kazakh people enjoy this lovely holiday treat during the New Year with the hope of bringing good luck and wealth to their families in the following year.

Baursak is a traditional fried dough recognized as bawïrsaq in the Kazakh and Bashkir languages. These dough balls are crucial for the dastarkhan meal.

Once prepared, the dough is segmented and deep-fried in hot oil until it achieves a golden hue. There are variations where baursak is enriched with kaymak, a clotted cream.

Often relished as a dessert, it’s paired with syrups, jams, or honey. Additionally, people dip baursak in tea or savor it alongside sorpa.

Shelpek is a traditional flatbread in Kazakhstan. The dough is molded into balls and flattened for deep-frying in hot oil until it achieves a golden hue.

Some variations incorporate yeast to prolong the dough’s soft texture. In Kazakhstan, shelpek is important on Fridays, the sacred day in the Muslim world, and is made to commemorate the departed.

Typically served in the afternoon alongside tea, shelpek pairs delightfully with cheese, jam, or sour cream. Additionally, it complements various stews and curries.

Qatlama is a fried layered bread notably found in countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Central Asian regions. The term “Kattama” translates to “folded” in Turkish, aptly describing the technique of repeatedly folding the dough prior to frying.

Depending on regional preferences, qatlama is served as either a dessert or a savory treat, contingent on its fillings and toppings. This fried layered bread goes by various names and interpretations, including katlama, katmer, qatlama, and qator gambir.

Tandyr nan is a traditional snack option in Kazakhstan, having a recognizable disc shape. This delicious bread is a Central Asian version of the famous naan bread from India cooked in a tandyr (tandoor oven).

Aside from the disc shape, tandyr nan also comes with a signature stamp pattern. In various regions, it has many other names, such as tandir non, tonur non, and patyr nan.

Kurt is one of Kazakhstan’s national dishes, traditionally made from the milk of goats, cows, sheep, or camels. It appeared in Kazakhstan in the Middle Ages and became an essential snack in the daily meals of Kazakhstan people.

This type of fermented cheese comes in small balls, possessing an intense salty taste due to its high salt content. The cheese is an additional element for adding to stews, soups, or salads in Kazakhstan.

Zhal is a smoked lard derived from a horse’s neck, celebrated as a traditional delicacy in Kazakh cuisine and among other Central Asian nomads. This treat is typically savored as an appetizer or snack, accompanied by bread or cheese.

With its salty and smoky undertones, zhal requires salting the lard from the horse’s neck and then smoking it over several days.

One of its notable attributes is its longevity without the need for refrigeration, making it particularly appropriate for the nomadic way of life.

Orama is a traditionally steamed pie in Kazakhstan, with the term “orama” derived from the words “to roll” or “to wrap”. The dough for orama is crafted from simple ingredients like flour, water, and salt.

Once kneaded, it’s rolled out thinly, ready to be layered with a filling. This filling includes minced potatoes, meat, animal fat, and occasionally minced pumpkin or other vegetables.

After spreading the filling, the dough is rolled around it in sections, forming long, thin wraps. These wraps are then arranged in a circular pattern within steamer pots and steamed.

Irimshik is a traditional sweet cottage cheese cherished in Kazakh cuisine. Making irimshik often involves boiling unskimmed milk and adding sour cream.

The cheese boasts a reddish-golden hue, leading to its alternative name, “kyzyl irimshik”, which translates to red. Irimshik possesses a naturally sweet flavor, even without incorporating sugar.

This cottage cheese is often savored as a snack or dessert, paired with bread or drizzled with honey. Additionally, irimshik serves as an ingredient in other culinary creations, such as shelpek.

Zhaya is a traditional food in Kazakhstan created using horse meat from the hind leg and hip section. Usually, horse meat will be salted and smoked to bring out the meat’s salty taste and rich flavor.

Before serving, the chef will boil meat at a low temperature for about 2 to 3 hours. After that, the meat will have a certain tenderness.

People often feature zhaya as snacks or appetizers, making the horse meat dish a popular feature of a traditional Kazakh meal.