Kyrgyz cuisine is a true discovery for gourmets and lovers of authentic dishes. Juicy meat delicacies, refreshing drinks, and a variety of dairy products — each dish carries a piece of Kyrgyz history and culture.
Beshbarmak
The most beloved national dish. Its ingredients are simple, but the taste is unforgettable: thin boiled dough, meat, usually lamb or horse meat, and a sauce made from finely chopped onions with black pepper, all based on a rich meat broth.
Kymyz
A fermented, mildly alcoholic drink made from mare's milk. In Kyrgyzstan, kymyz therapy is popular due to the drink's healing properties, which are used in traditional medicine to boost immunity and improve digestion.
Tash Kordo
One of the earliest national dishes of Kyrgyz cuisine, made from lamb. It is believed that nomads used this cooking method before the invention of cookware. They would dig a pit about one or two meters deep, line it with stones and firewood, and light a fire. The lamb meat, rubbed with salt, was placed in a cleaned lamb’s stomach, then buried or covered with skins and large leaves to keep it clean. The cooking process took five to six hours.
Today, Tash Kordo is prepared both in ovens and in the traditional pit. When cooked in a pit, the meat is hung on special hooks without using the stomach. This dish is considered a delicacy in Kyrgyz cuisine.
Chuchuk
The main delicacy of Kyrgyz gastronomy. This delicious sausage made from horse meat is served to honored guests during large celebrations and events.
Maksym
Maksym is an important element of Kyrgyz cuisine, often referred to as liquid bread, quenching both thirst and hunger. The recipes for this drink vary, giving it a unique flavor in each region. It is made from roasted barley flour, water, regular flour, sourdough, and salt. Maksym is rich in vitamins B1, B2, C, and PP, and it benefits the nervous system, vision, blood vessels, and lowers cholesterol levels.
Köölöngön Talkan
A dessert that many Kyrgyz associate with childhood. These sweets are made from natural ingredients such as roasted barley flour, clarified butter, honey or sugar, and optionally, nuts.
Byzhy
A sausage made from lamb liver, rice, and onions — the perfect combination and a favorite delicacy among Kyrgyz people.
Chalap
A fermented dairy drink made from natural cow's milk. Its taste can be compared to a liquid version of kurut.
Kattama
A favorite pastry — a layered flatbread with onions, cooked in a pan.
In the Boom Gorge, there is a place called "Apamdyn Kattamasy," where every self-respecting Kyrgyz stops on the way to Issyk-Kul to enjoy milk tea from a samovar and delicious Kattama — just like at home with grandma.