Work through the list in order. Hide the notes when you know what to do.
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Try beshbarmak
Kazakhstan's crown jewel dish consists of tender boiled horsemeat and mutton served over large, hand-rolled pasta sheets, finished with a rich warm onion gravy (tuzdyk). Locals order it for celebratory gatherings and pair it with sips of hot broth.
Regional variations exist: western regions near the Caspian Sea sometimes substitute meat with sturgeon.
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Try kazy
A revered horsemeat sausage made by stuffing rib meat and strip fat into natural casings, seasoned strictly with black pepper, garlic, and salt. It is sliced into thick medallions and served warm on beshbarmak or cold as a premier appetizer.
Look for sausages with a balanced ribbon of white rib fat alongside deep-red meat; it should slice cleanly without crumbling.
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Try kuyrdak
A hearty skillet hash cooked from freshly butchered lamb or beef offal—liver, kidneys, heart—simmered with onions, potatoes, and rendered tail fat. It delivers deep, earthy, savory flavors best mopped up with flatbread.
Always eat it piping hot straight from the skillet before the rich animal fats start to cool and solidify.
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Try baursaks
Golden, airy pillows of yeast dough deep-fried in a hot cauldron until puffed and blistered. They serve as the ubiquitous bread of Kazakhstan, eaten alongside savory stews as readily as with sweet jam and tea.
They are best enjoyed fresh out of the oil while crisp outside and tender inside; cold baursaks lose their signature texture.
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Try shelpek
Thin, flat unleavened rounds of dough flash-fried in bubbling oil until blistered, soft, and slightly chewy. Traditionally made in sets of seven on holy Fridays in honor of ancestors, they accompany stews and soups.
Locals roll them up and dip them into thick fermented sour cream (kaymak) or clear lamb broth.
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Try manti
Large, delicate steamed dumplings filled with hand-chopped lamb or beef, sweet pumpkin, and diced sheep tail fat. The pumpkin melts into the savory meat juices, creating an intensely flavorful broth inside each pocket.
Bite a small corner first to slurp the hot broth before finishing the dumpling; eat them with spicy lazdjan chili condiment.
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Try Uyghur-style lagman
A signature dish across southern Kazakhstan and Almaty, featuring thick hand-pulled wheat noodles tossed with seared beef, bell peppers, celery, and garlic scapes. Order it soupy as suyru lagman or wok-fried as boso lagman.
Seek out dedicated lagman-khanas or Uyghur neighborhood diners for the chewiest, freshest noodles.
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Try a bowl of sorpa
A deeply concentrated, clear golden broth simmered for hours with bone-in mutton or horsemeat, seasoned only with whole onions and pepper. It is drunk from deep bowls alongside or immediately after beshbarmak.
Whisking a crushed ball of dried qurt curd into the hot broth creates ak-sorpa, an invigorating, tangy elixir.
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Try syrne
Tender young lamb stewed slowly in a heavy cast-iron cauldron in its own juices alongside onions and potatoes. Hours of gentle cooking yield meat so succulent it falls off the bone without requiring a knife.
This specialty is especially prized in southern regions and open-air steppe eateries cooked over wood fires.
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Try zhal and zhaya
Noble cold cuts of horsemeat: zhal is a delicate cured strip of sub-mane neck fat with lean meat, while zhaya is cured and boiled top rump steak. Served chilled in translucent slices, they deliver a silky, rich mouthfeel.
Traditionally garnished with razor-thin rings of pickled onion and vinegar to balance the profound richness.
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Try Kazakh-style palau
The local interpretation of pilaf, where plump grains of rice are steamed over yellow carrots, lamb tail fat, cumin, and chunks of mutton or kazy sausage. In southern Kazakhstan, chickpeas and dark raisins are folded in.
In tea houses of southern cities, massive pots are fired up for midday lunch; arrive by 1:00 PM before it sells out.
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Try tandoor samsa
Flaky, multi-layered savory pastries baked slapped against the vertical clay walls of a blazing tandoor oven. Inside is a steaming mix of roughly chopped beef or lamb, sweet onions, fragrant cumin, and pocketed juice.
Eat with care: flip it upside down and cut the base or sip the molten juices first to avoid staining your clothes.
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Try zhent Desserts and pastries
An ancient nomadic confection made from roasted crushed millet (talkan) blended with clarified butter, sugar, honey, and dried curd. It has a crumbly, fudge-like consistency reminiscent of roasted nut halva.
Modern pastry shops in major cities mold zhent into bite-sized bonbons enrobed in dark chocolate.
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Try kyzyl irimshik Desserts and pastries
A naturally sweet, golden-red dried curd produced by slowly simmering whole milk and whey for hours until caramelization occurs. It tastes sweet, nutty, and buttery without any refined sugar added.
Sold by weight at open-air markets; firm sun-dried versions keep indefinitely and make great hiking snacks.
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Try balkaymak Desserts and pastries
A rich dessert spread concocted by gently reducing fresh heavy clotted cream (kaymak) with raw honey and a pinch of flour. The resulting fondue-like spread is eaten warm, scooped up with torn pieces of hot baursak.
Served in small ceramic bowls alongside breakfast tea, ideal for smearing over fresh fried pastries.
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Try chak-chak Desserts and pastries
A celebration treat of tiny strips of unleavened egg dough flash-fried crisp, then bound together with bubbling hot honey syrup. Molded into pyramids or cut into chewy, crunchy cubes, it is a centerpiece of local weddings.
Artisanal versions boast a crisp chew that dissolves smoothly, unlike dense, sugary commercial box varieties.
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Try kymys Non-alcoholic drinks
The legendary drink of nomadic horsemen, made by fermenting raw mare's milk. Naturally sparkling, smoky, and boldly tart, it carries a distinct effervescence from lactic acid and wild yeasts.
Drink it chilled; springtime visitors can also sample saumal, the warm, unfermented sweet mare's milk.
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Try shubat Non-alcoholic drinks
A rich fermented beverage made from camel's milk, noticeably thicker, creamier, and higher in fat than mare's milk. It boasts a snowy white color, a velvety foam head, and a delightfully sour-salty dairy profile.
Indigenous to the desert regions of southern and western Kazakhstan, where camel breeding has thrived for millennia.
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Drink Kazakh tea with milk and tary Non-alcoholic drinks
Strong black tea brewed dark and combined in shallow bowls with warm baked milk, heavy cream, and roasted millet grains (tary). The grains swell at the bottom of the cup, adding a nutty aroma and pleasant crunch.
Hostesses continually pour refills just a few sips at a time to ensure the guest's tea never grows lukewarm.
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Try qurt Non-alcoholic drinks
Rock-hard, sun-cured balls or cylinders of heavily salted fermented curds made from sheep or cow milk. They pack an intense, concentrated salty-sour punch that nomadic shepherds used as indestructible travel provisions.
Bazaars sell dozens of varieties ranging from smoked dark nuggets to soft, chewy spiced disks.
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Try Kazakhstan brandy Local alcohol
The country's beloved grape brandy, aged in oak casks to produce a deep amber color and a smooth, mellow profile. It features accessible sweet aromas of vanilla, dried apricots, and dark chocolate.
A classic souvenir; look for aged varieties labeled with higher star ratings or vintage designations in reputable shops.
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Try Assa Valley wine Local alcohol
Terroir-driven dry wines harvested from high-altitude vineyards tucked at the foot of the Tian Shan mountains in the Almaty region. Cool nights and gravel soils produce crisp Rieslings, Pinot Noirs, and bold Saperavi.
Kazakh winemaking is undergoing a quiet renaissance; sample reserve bottles at independent wine bars in Almaty.
