Dear Food Diary #4: Kazahkstan & Kyrgyzstan

Dear Steemian Foodies,

The food here in Central Asia is fantastic, a mixture of western and eastern cuisine. The eating culture, table setting, and roadside refreshment are all so interesting. Where do we start?

Everyday is Cake day

Upon arriving in Kazakhstan, just after getting some cash from an ATM we found a little cafe and went in for some cake and tea. To our delight they had western style cakes!

In an Almaty supermarket they had cakes where you can buy a quarter piece slice priced by weight! They were still cheap so we got three different slices to try. The translator didn't cope well with cake names — one translated as "Pie Honey Shocks" …we didn't get that one.

Everything's on the Table

You'll find at most homes in Central Asia there'll be jam and bread on the dinner tables at anytime. We've been lucky to be invited for lunch or dinner several times by the locals and noticed a similar set up every time.

In addition there's also yoghurt, horse milk (or the fermented variety which we recommend you try just once), and of course, tea.

Have a Break, Have a Snack

Occasionally we get lazy and eat out. We've done so much exercise, some take-outs won't hurt! We've tried doner kebabs and they're pretty filling — with meat, vegetables and sometimes fries. The other snack we tried was Samsi (Самсы). It's filo pastry with meat, mushroom and potato filling. Very tasty and definitely worth a try here.

Snack that we pack for the road are usually wafers, Nan (Нан) bread, stringy cheese and cinnamon biscuits with icing.

Drinking Culture

Apart from the drink driving we heard in Kyrgyzstan, there's a different drinking culture here for the hot weather. More common in cities, there are drink stalls offering several options of cool refreshment. They could be juice, milk, compote or a mixture. We tried compote which is made from dried fruit soaked back in water, it's fruity and sweet, and perfect for the 30+ degree heat.

Pan Fried Bread

One afternoon we met a British couple who had just cycled through Tajikistan's Pamir Highway. We camped together and shared a lot of stories and travel tips over a delicious pasta dinner. We taught them horse poo campfire and they taught us pan fried bread. It was quite simple really: add flour, salt and water, then mix. We would definitely do this every time we have a campfire going as it requires a lot of cooking time.

Apricot Orchard Tour

On another afternoon we asked a fruit grower if we could camp on his grass. The grandfather let us in and we happily set up our tent. The family was very interested in our way of travel — looking through our tent and riding our bikes (initially with the bags, then without). They were very welcoming even though we struggled to communicate fluently.

The grandfather asked if we eat apricot? We said yes! Then he took us through the orchard and he showed us the apricots on the ground are ready to eat, or if you shake the branches those that fall are also ripe.

For the hospitality provided we gave the two little boys a felt pen each and helped the grandparents pick through a bucket of blackcurrent. They were happy we showed enthusiasm and speed helping out.