Central Asian cuisine
旅遊主題
The cuisine of Central Asia reflects its history and cultural influences with its Turko-Mongol nomadic heritage, Silk Road connections, Persian and Russian rule and Islamic dietary laws all shaping the food eaten in the region. You will find common dishes throughout Central Asia as well as dishes unique to one or two countries.
Countries and regions
Generally the further south you go, the more flavorful the food becomes with greater use of spices in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Noodle-based dishes are more popular in Kyrgyzstan, reflecting its closer ties to China.
Ingredients
Central Asian cuisine relies heavily on meat and dairy products. The high level of consumption of horse meat in particular distinguishes the region from much of the rest of the world. Some types of food — kebabs, flatbreads and a soft cheese like Greek feta or Indian panir — are common everywhere between Greece and northern China, and in the Indian subcontinent and all the Arab countries, though the details vary considerably from place to place. Central Asia has local variants of all those.
Kaymak is a slightly fermented clotted cream used as a filling, spread or condiment with various kinds of breads The region has a profusion of melons and a very wide range of types. Some towns, such as Hami in Xinjiang, are widely known for their melons.
Beverages
Kumis is fermented mare's milk and has a sharp, sour taste. The alcohol content is around 2%, which is higher than similar fermented dairy drinks such as kefir. This is due to the higher amount of sugar in mare's milk compared to cow's milk.
Dishes
Plov is a fragrant dish consisting of meat (beef or lamb), rice, carrots and onions. Most closely associated with Uzbek cuisine though plov is found everywhere in Central Asia. Beshbarmak - one of the signatures dishes of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Meat, traditionally horse though also can be beef or lamb, is served on top of sheets of egg noodles and with an onion broth. Qazi - sliced horse meat sausages popular among Kazakhs, Tatars and Kyrgyz. Considered to be a "strong" and "hot" food, so it is eaten during the winter. Mantu/Manti - ground meat and onion dumplings served with a garlic yogurt sauce. Ashak - leek or chive dumplings from Afghanistan covered in a meaty sauce, garlic yogurt and a sprinkle of mint powder. Svezhiy salat - the most common salad in Central Asia. An onion, tomato and cucumber salad dressed in mayonnaise of oil, or sometimes just salt, pepper and fresh herbs.
本指南改寫自 Wikivoyage （CC BY-SA）