Central Asia is not on most food travel itineraries, and that’s partly what makes it interesting. The food cultures of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan are among the least documented and least commercially commodified in the world. At the centre of all of them is fermented dairy, in forms that predate recorded history and remain largely unchanged today.
Kumiss: Fermented Mare’s Milk
Kumiss (also spelled koumiss or qımız) is fermented mare’s milk and the most culturally significant food in the nomadic traditions of Central Asia. It’s mildly alcoholic, slightly carbonated, tangy, and unlike anything else in dairy culture. For nomadic peoples, it was historically a complete food source during the summer months when mares were producing milk and the herds were moving across the steppe.
Drinking kumiss is not optional if you’re eating with a Kazakh or Kyrgyz family. It’s an act of hospitality and refusing it is genuinely impolite. The flavour is an acquired taste: thin, sour, slightly fizzy, with a faint alcoholic warmth. Approach it the way you’d approach anything genuinely new and give it a fair chance. Many people who initially find it off-putting come to genuinely like it within a few days.
Qurt: Dried Fermented Dairy Balls
Qurt (also called kurt or kurut) are small balls of strained, dried, and heavily salted fermented dairy. They’re eaten as a snack, dissolved in water to make a drink, or crumbled into soup. The salt content is very high, which historically served as a preservation method for nomadic people who needed foods that would keep without refrigeration during long journeys.
You’ll find qurt for sale in markets throughout Central Asia, often stacked in pyramids by vendors who’ve made it themselves from local sheep’s or cow’s milk. It’s an intense, acquired taste – very salty, quite dry, with a sharp dairy tang. Try a small piece before committing to a bag. Some people love it immediately; others take longer. Either way, it’s one of the most distinctive food experiences available in the region.
Katyk and Suzma: Yoghurt and Strained Yoghurt
Katyk is the Central Asian equivalent of yoghurt – a thick, fermented milk product made from cow’s or sheep’s milk and eaten at almost every meal. Unlike the smooth commercial yoghurt most people know, katyk often has a slightly grainy texture and a stronger flavour. It’s used as a side dish, stirred into soups, and eaten with bread as a simple meal.
Suzma is katyk that has been strained, similar to labneh in the Levant. It’s thicker and more concentrated, and is used in Uzbek and Tajik cooking as a topping for plov (rice pilaf) and as a filling for pastries. Eating plov with a dollop of suzma is one of the small pleasures of eating in Uzbekistan.
Where to Eat Well in Central Asia
Almaty in Kazakhstan and Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan both have markets (the Green Bazaar in Almaty is excellent) where you can buy fresh dairy products directly from producers. Samarkand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan have smaller markets alongside their significant historical monuments. The food in all of these places is most interesting in the markets and at small local restaurants rather than in the tourist-facing establishments near the main sites.
If you have the opportunity to eat with a local family or to visit a yurt camp in Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan during summer, take it. The hospitality food culture is extraordinary and the quality of the dairy products you’ll encounter is something that can’t be replicated in a restaurant setting.
