A huge pleasure of visiting different countries, comes from trying the local food. Even if the ingredients are familiar, the spices, herbs, or what it is consumed with can be vastly different than what our palete expects. Its not often I am visiting a country where I can afford to dine out, but I’ll make an exception here. On this my first visit, I am really excited to be tasting food in Kazakhstan, horse meat and all.
Horse
Okay let’s get this ingredient front and centre, it is part of the national dish after all. Horse meat is the main protein source for Kazakhs. The horse has been part of these nomadic peoples lives for centuries, infiltrating their culture, heritage, diet and lifestyle. This majestic animal is woven into every aspect of their lives.
When I visit the grocery stores, I see various forms of the meat, where as in Uzbekistan, I only found the dried salami style. On my first significant food shop I purchase thin horse pepperoni sticks that are delicious paired with the local vodka and pine tree flavoured cola drink.
Navat
The most memorable meal for me was at Navat, a local chain restaurant that has several establishments in both Almaty and Astana. Here I order Beshbarmak which is the national dish. It consists of wide flat noodles, a clear broth, boiled potatoes and horse meat of course.
The meal begins with a traditional drink of fermented milk called Chalap, either horse, camel or cow. I tasted all three and by far prefer the cow. The horse milk is incredibly gamey and whops a punch to the palette and nose. 😂I was also given these small pillowy, piping hot non-sweetened doughnuts as a starter, free of charge. They are so delicious I had to be conscious not to eat to many or ruin my appetite!
Now for the main dish, those handmade noodles are amazing, cooked a little longer than al-dente, the flavour is rich and fatty from the broth. The horse meat is incredibly tender, dense and delicious. I would have eaten twice that much if offered it. 😊 To drink at Navat I enjoyed another local specialty called compote. It’s a juice made from boiling fresh or dried fruit in water until it is filled with flavour. This particular one tasted of plums. An excellent meal that costs 7,755KZT or $22 CAD.
Grocery Stores
They come in all sizes, just like anywhere else and are uniquely different depending on the brand of the company. A favourite near my Airbnb in Astana is called Anvar and has a very local ambience. The building is huge; they have an excellent ready to eat section. Many evenings I enjoy a healthier meal consisting of roast chicken, buckwheat (a starchy staple here), carrots and/or beets, lovely roast potatoes and again their doughnuts fresh from the kitchen.
This brand of store also has the large barrel shaped ovens in which they bake traditional bread that is stuck to the inside edge. Those large disks in Uzbekistan? They are also consumed here and getting them hot hot hot fresh daily is such a luxury! Perfect to tear a piece off and have it with eggs and cheese for brekkie.
Chippies, I can’t forget to mention those. I always check out which unique flavours of crisps or chips are available in each destination and sometimes I am really surprised. This is one of those times. Lobster, salmon and crab! In a landlocked country with no natural access to these flavours, how in the world did these become the most popular chip flavours?
GalMart
Made me giggle thinking of ‘Walmart’ each time I see this supermarket; however, it couldn’t be further from that one. This store is gorgeous, bougee and has the most incredible ready-to-eat counters I have seen outside of a store in Doha.
Plov, a traditional rice dish, noodles, dumplings, fresh salads, Asian inspired meals, you name it they make it. And don’t get me started on the bakery section, these beautiful fresh sweetened cheese filled buns is what I enjoyed one day while filling out my postcards. Fridges and cases full of local cheese, portioned into take away sizes, olives, pickled veg, the selection almost makes one dizzy with glee.
Luxuries
Caviar. Not something I have partaken in very much during my lifetime I can tell you that. But here in Kazakhstan I eat it every single day, gobs of it I’m not ashamed to say. 😂 At a cost of $2 CAD for those small jars and only a few dollars more for the larger ones, it has become a daily staple. I adore the black roe that comes from sturgeon. The pink is from salmon and much too fishy tasting for me.
Vodka. An absolute must try, the local varieties anyways. Some of the purest and least offensive tasting I have ever had. Average cost of the bottles I am purchasing is $6 CAD for 500ml, again a fraction of what it would cost in Canada and supremely better. Paired with the local food and their unique drinks and beverages, it rounds out any meal in the most perfect way.
Between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, I have probably dined out or purchased prepared food outside my home, more than in any other destination, by far. The food is incredibly delicious, full of depth and flavour and affordable enough for this frugal traveller to imbibe. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful that I could enjoy so much of the local cuisine, it has made an impact on my time spent in these two amazing countries.
