Traditions, as well as Central Asian dishes recipes, have been observed and remained for centuries.If you don’t know Asian culture code and are mistaken accidentally it may lead to confusion; moreover, the out of place conduct can offend the hospitable owner. It is the observance of Asian customs that endows its cuisine with sophistication and attractiveness.
Traditions are all in all
One of the most ancient and favorite dishes in Kazakhstan is beshbarmak — mutton boiled in broth, and pieces of rolled out dough. Beshbarmak literally means “five fingers” because traditionally they eat it with hands.
On holidays beshbarmak is garnished with a blockhead under separate cover, and someone may have the right to cut it only being the guest of honor. Moreover, they do it in accordance with such order: mutton ears are offered to young men, and the mutton palate — to girls, and the remaining meat slices are given out to the rest of guests.
Save for beshbarmak, kuyrdak — the roast of liver with potato, baursaki — pieces of sour dough larded with bacon are among the favorite dishes in Kazakhstan. Bread is cut off with samsu — triangular flat cakes baked in ancient ovens — tandyrs. Sure you must try koumiss — fermented mare’s milk that has healing power. It is considered rude to refuse koumiss even if its exotic taste seems to be overwhelming.
Noodles — specialty of Uzbek cuisine
Uzbeks are fond of homemade noodles, taking it as a main dish, as well as a dressing for soups. The very essence of their cuisine are dishes of noodles such as lagman — long noodles boiled in water dressed with a meat sauce and plenty of vegetables, and naryn — the noodles with bouillon, which were sliced of thinly rolled dough and boiled in water. They used to take naryn on very important occasions, especially when only men dropped in at the house.
Even in the kitchen man must be senior
The well-known Uzbek pilaf — the dish rice with meat, onions and carrots — stands no female hands. There are plenty of pilafs differing not only with meats (mutton, goat, mare, poultry), but also with the way they cook them. For example, in Tashkent vegetables and rice are cooked in the same saucepan, and in Bukhara they are cooked in the Afghani way, i.e. under separate covers: rice in itself, seasoning in itself.
Anyway, an absolute man should know three “key stages” of cooking pilaf.
The first phase is preheating fat in the pig-iron bowl. In that case heat the bowl until incandescent, then pour oil (its smoke should turn out white). If preferred add an onion or carrot to extract the bitter taste. As soon as oil is heated through, add diced mutton suet, then transfer the cracklings, and cook through the fat over moderate heat for a while.
The second stage — cooking zirvak (special seasoning) and stewing meat with onion and carrot. Take care that food doesn’t stick to bowler’s walls and bottom and keeps natural appearance. Simmer zirvak for a while. Spices are added after cooking.
And the last, third stage — adding rice. Don’t mix rice with the seasoning, but bed it on zirvak in a thick layer. If preferred, add in pilaf quince, peas, dried fruits, grape leaves (as they do, for example, in Tajikistan). Serve pilaf shaping a hill on plate, top with meat slices, and sprinkle with chopped greens and pomegranate grains. Of all spices and seasonings they prefer black and red ground pepper, anise, barberry, zira, saffron, garlic and sultanas.
It is matter of respect to follow table code of behavior
Normally, ahead and after a meal you ought to wash your hands, but in the East it is a special bowl filled with water which you use for this purpose, and all guests are offered to do it during the reception.
The esteem of bread in the East is hard to overvalue. Since the very childhood Uzbeks are acquired a habit to pick up every fallen crumb in case bread wasn’t profaned. Bread is usually kept in an honorable, main part of a room in the house. To break bread into pieces (flat cakes are not cut) — the duty and the right of the senior member in family. Tajiks have also the prohibition to put bread on dastarkhan (table) with its bottom upwards.
Green the whole year round
In Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, of all drinks they like green tea, or kok tea, most. They take it in the morning, and in the afternoon, and in the evening as well. No one reception, or a party, or a conversation goes without tea. Tea is usually served in phials, with fruits and a various cookies such as twiglets, puff cakes, fritters, and also with butter, kaimak (boiled cream), dried fruit or honey.
