ExploFood · Asia
What to eat in Kazakhstan
Five dishes to try in Kazakhstan, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Kazakhstan
Beshbarmak Бешбармақ
Boiled horse meat or lamb over flat noodle sheets with onion broth.
How to have it: The national dish for guests and holidays; drink the sorpa broth from a bowl afterwards.
Kazy Қазы
Horse-meat sausage made with rib meat and fat, smoked or dried.
How to have it: Served sliced as a cold starter at feasts and in beshbarmak; markets like Almaty's Green Bazaar sell it.
Manty Манты
Large steamed dumplings filled with minced lamb or beef and onion.
How to have it: Eaten with sour cream or vinegar; also try versions with pumpkin in canteens.
Baursak Бауырсақ
Puffy fried dough pieces served with tea and at every celebration.
How to have it: Piled on the table at a dastarkhan spread; dip in honey or eat with butter.
Kumys Қымыз
Fermented mare's milk, sour, fizzy and mildly alcoholic.
How to have it: Best fresh in summer from roadside yurts and markets; start with a small bowl.
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Questions
What food is Kazakhstan famous for?
Beshbarmak (boiled horse meat or lamb over flat noodle sheets with onion broth) comes first on our list, followed by Kazy, Manty, Baursak and Kumys.
What is the national dish of Kazakhstan?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Kazakhstan is Beshbarmak: boiled horse meat or lamb over flat noodle sheets with onion broth. The national dish for guests and holidays; drink the sorpa broth from a bowl afterwards.
Which dishes in Kazakhstan are vegetarian?
Two of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Baursak and Kumys. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
What do people drink in Kazakhstan?
Kumys: fermented mare's milk, sour, fizzy and mildly alcoholic.
How reliable is this list?
The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.
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Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.