Kazakhstan Info
Joined: 20 Apr 2007
Posts: 14
Home Country: kazakhstan
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 Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 5:07 am Post subject: FOOD & DINING IN KAZAKHSTAN / KAZAKHSTAN DINING GUIDE |
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FOOD & DINING IN KAZAKHSTAN
Kazakh dishes include kazi, chuzhuk, suret and besbarmak (made from horse meat or mutton). Shashlyk (skewered chunks of mutton barbecued over charcoal) and lepeshka (round unleavened bread) are often sold on street corners and make an appetizing meal. Plov is made up of scraps of mutton, shredded yellow turnip and rice, and is a staple dish in all the Central Asian republics. Other mutton dishes such as laghman and beshbermak include long thick noodles garnished with a spicy meat sauce. Manty (boiled noodle sacks of meat and vegetables), samsa (samosas) and chiburekki (deep-fried dough cakes) are all popular as snacks. Almaty is renowned for its apples – indeed the city was named after them.
Kazakh tea or chai is very popular and there are national cafes called Chai-Khana (tea-rooms) where visitors may sip this Kazakh specialty. It is drunk very strong with cream. Beer, vodka, brandy and sparkling wines are available in many restaurants. The national specialty is kumis, fermented mare’s milk. Cafes where this can be ordered are called Kumis-Khana. Refusing it when offered may cause offence. In the steppe and desert regions where camels are bred, the camel’s milk, called shubat, is offered to guests.
You can find any dishes you want in Kazakhstan, but Chinese and Japanese dishes are very expensive. The most sought after is caviar, which is very cheap. You can buy 1 kilo of caviar for less than USD300 in Almaty Zyeloniy Bazaar. However, you can't export or take it home with you as you will be stopped at the airport and pay high fines.
Cheap alcoholic drinks can be found at every little corner shop (called the astanovka). These places are open 24 hours daily. Just knock on the door if the shopkeeper is asleep. Kazakhstan's specialty is cognac, though stores still sell vodka cheaper than bottled water at times.
Tipping: This is not customary at restaurants and cafes, but is increasingly common in international hotels. A service charge is included in hotel and restaurant bills. |
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