Food culture in Central Asia Food traditions and cuisines vary across Central Asia, and are influenced by geography, climate, lifestyle, culture and the availability of ingredients, but the countries in the region have many foods in common, and all place a high value on hospitality. Special occasions bring family and friends together for wonderful meals, and wonderful meals become their own special occasions. Visitors to the region find the Central Asian food very tasty, mainly of local origin and seasonal, but at the same time predominantly energy-intensive and with greater than average portions, especially for guests.
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Contemporary Kazakh cuisine – based primarily on meat and milk products – owes a debt to the country’s nomadic traditions. Fermented milk drinks, ayran, kumis and shubat, are common as are the famous Kazakh apples, beshbarmak, plov and horse meat sausages, which are enjoyed across the region. Many fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices introduced from other cultures now mix with the traditional foods, and the local availability of newer ingredients makes for a more diverse cuisine. Kazakhstan’s climate is continental, with hot summers and cold winters. Fruits and vegetables dominate Kazakh tables in summer; meat dominates in winter. Kazakhstan is a major producer and exporter of wheat and oils, and is a proud host to globally significant wild apple forests – a genetic treasure and ancestor of all modern apple varieties. Influenced over many years by people passing through or settling in the country, Kyrgyz cuisine is rooting in the mountain climate and nomadic traditions and
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