Cook Like a Kyrgyz

By JULIETTE ROSSANT In 1991 on a trip to far off Turkmenistan, I was invited to a village outside Mary (ancient Merv) to stay for the night in the headman's house. The Turkmen slaughtered a sheep and we (a visiting Turkish businessman and I) sat down to eat as much of it as we could. First came dried fruits to wet our appetites, then dish after dish of lamb –grilled, stewed, boiled and fried – washed down with kumiz, beer, vodka and imported alcohol. I shocked them, asking for water. Honored guests get the fattier parts and the tastier bits of offal, so our bowls were heaped after each dish appeared on the floor covering where we sat. Luckily, we slept in the same house for I could not move far after such a meal. I was reminded of that meal by Martha E. Weeks' new book, Kyrgyz Cooking. Kyrgystan is in the news lately because of recent parlimentary elections and upcoming presidential elections in October in which President Askar Akayev is barred from seeking another term. Kyrgyzstan is former Soviet republic further east than Turkmenistan, but sharing its meaty shepherd's diet. Weeks too was invited by a shepherd family to eat a great deal of lamb offal. I found her wonderful self-published, spiral-bound book of 75 recipes like a voyage through Kyrgyzstan in the Tien Shen mountains. I always think that the vocabulary of food opens up a culture and where ever I have traveled I strive to learn the words for local dishes. The Kyrgyz have been heavily influenced by the over 80 minorities who live in the republic, and their predominantly meat and dairy cuisine is lightened by the Koreans, Dungans, and others who live among them. Especially interesting to me are recipes for the national dish, Besh Barmak (Five Fingers) a noodle and meat dish, probably originally eaten with the hands. There is also a recipe for manti, a kind of Turkish ravioli that I have been served from Istanbul to Almaty (Kazakstan). These Kyrgyz kind are large and if made with the mutton, undoubtedly a generous meal. I once tried a sweet prepared grain in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan but have never learned what it was. Now I know. It was probably Kyrgyz Talkan, a toasted grain mixture, usually millet, eaten with honey, butter and milk. Martha Weeks, a lexicographer, cookbook author and teacher, is also the author of The Kyrgyz-English Culinary Dictionary. She spent over a year in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek teaching English and researching local cuisine. This unusual book can be ordered directly from the author for $20 at: Martha E. Weeks P.O. Box 306, Northampton MA 01061-0306, USA (Please include your name, complete mailing address and e-mail address when ordering. All orders for Massachusetts addresses please add 5% sales tax.) Shipping: - Within the USA: 20% of the order - International: 40% of the order Please contact Martha Weeks with any questions at Russell396@aol.com Previous articles: Personal Favorites: The Chefs of Las Vegas Anne Willen: The Good Cook Gale Gand's short+sweet More Food from Alton Brown Manju Malhi's India With Passion SOS: Baking from the Heart Madhur Jaffrey: Our Lady of India, CBE All Hail Alfred Portale Agassi's Star Palate: Celebrity Chefs Technorati Tags: chefs restaurants food cookbooks Central Asia -> back to superchefblog