Traditional Kazakh

Traditional Kazakh cooking is rooted in the nomadic life of the Central Asian steppe, built for two millennia on two things: horse and sheep, and the many fermented or reduced dairy products made from mare's, camel's and cow's milk. The nomad's kitchen had to travel with the tent, work with minimal equipment, and use every part of the animal to make the most warming meal. The soul of the feast is beshbarmak — boiled horse or lamb laid over wide noodles and bathed in broth, traditionally carved by the host and served to guests in order of rank. The first dish at a slaughter is kuyrdak: liver, lung and intestine of the freshly killed animal quick-fried with meat and onion, eaten hot. Samsa are baked pastries stuffed with meat and onion; baursak are deep-fried dough puffs; kumis is the lightly fizzy, tangy fermented mare's milk. Dried horse sausage, cultured cheese and pressed curd are all steppe foods built to last.