Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz cuisine is strongly influenced by nomadic herding life: hearty dishes meant to provide enough energy for a long day working in the cold, mostly based on meat. You can try:

• Plov: a traditional Central Asian dish made of rice, carrots, onions, and fried meat, lightly seasoned with red peppers. Different regions use different rice varieties and recipes.

• Beshbarmak: a typical Kyrgyz dish traditionally served at celebrations. It combines boiled pasta with horse, mutton, or beef. It is eaten by hand—its name means “five fingers.”

• Lagman: a delicious spicy dish consisting of homemade noodles, meat, and peppers, served as a soup or stir-fried.

• Manty: large dumplings stuffed with meat and onions, eaten by hand.

• Samsy: small meat-filled pastries baked in a traditional clay oven.

• Shashlik: flavorful skewers marinated for hours and grilled over charcoal, served with raw onions and vinegar.