Home Regions Asia Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia, is a rugged, mountainous nation with Bishkek as its Soviet-tinged capital, cradling alpine lakes like Issyk-Kul and the Tian Shan peaks. Known for nomadic traditions, felt yurts, and epic horse games, its economy relies on gold, hydropower, and remittances. Kyrgyz culture thrives in eagle hunting and Manas poetry. Its wild beauty draws trekkers to an untamed heart.

Kyrgyzstan

Featured Dishes from Kyrgyzstan

Kulich

Kulich

Kulich is a village in Zherizhah Rural District, in the Central District of Sarvabad County, Kurdistan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 201, in 41 families. The village is populated by Kurds.

Oladyi

Oladyi

Oladyi are small thick pancakes or fritters common in Russian and Ukrainian cuisines. The batter for oladyi is made from wheat or (nowadays more rarely) buckwheat flour, eggs, milk, salt, and sugar with yeast or baking soda. The batter may also contain kefir, soured milk or yoghurt. Oladyi may also include various additions, such as apple or raisins. Oladyi are usually served with smetana (sour cream), as well as with sweet toppings such as jam, powidl, honey etc. Savoury versions may be served with caviar, similarly to blini. Generally, the term oladyi in Eastern Slavic cuisines may also denote fritters made with other ingredients, e.g. potato pancakes (картофельные оладьи), carrot fritters (морковные оладьи), bean pancakes (оладьи из бобовых), rice pancakes (рисовые оладьи), summer squash fritters (кабачковые оладьи) etc. Syrniki (tvorog pancakes) may also be considered a type of oladyi.

Syrniki

Syrniki

Syrniki or syrnyky (Ukrainian: сирники, cheese cakes) are fried Eastern Slavic quark (curd cheese) pancakes. They are a part of Belarusian, Russian, Ukrainian, Latvian (biezpiena plācenīši) and Lithuanian cuisine (varškėčiai). In Russia, they are also known as tvorozhniki (творо́жники). The name syrniki is derived from the Slavic word syr (сир), meaning a soft curd cheese. The Ukrainian language retains the old Slavic sense of the word, as in domashnii syr (домашній сир, literal translation 'domestic cheese'), whereas in Russian another old Slavic word for curd cheese, tvorog (творог), is used. Syrnyky or tvorozhniki are made from creamy tvorog, mixed with flour, eggs and sugar, sometimes adding vanilla extract. Pot cheese or farmer's cheese or quark is suggested as a substitute for the tvorog. The soft mixture is shaped into cakes, which are pan- or shallow-fried in vegetable oil or in hot butter. The consistency should remain slightly creamy, while they are slightly browned on both sides. They are traditionally sweet and served for breakfast or dessert, but can be made savory as well. Raisins, chopped dried apricot, fresh apples or pears are sometimes added into the batter. They are typically served with varenye, jam, smetana (sour cream) and / or melted butter.

Zapekanka

Zapekanka

Casserole, cheesecake or coffee cake, can be savory or sweet, there are many different ways to prepare this dish

Apple pie

Apple pie

An apple pie is a pie in which the principal filling is apples. Apple pie is often served with whipped cream, ice cream , custard or cheddar cheese. It is generally double-crusted, with pastry both above and below the filling; the upper crust may be solid or latticed (woven of crosswise strips). The bottom crust may be baked separately ("blind") to prevent it from getting soggy. Tarte Tatin is baked with the crust on top, but served with it on the bottom. Originating in the 14th century in England, apple pie recipes are now a standard part of cuisines in many countries where apples grow. Apple pies are an unofficial symbol of the United States and one of its signature comfort foods.

Biskvit

Biskvit

Boortsog

Boortsog

Boortsog[a] or baursaki is a type of fried dough food found in the cuisines of Central Asia, Idel-Ural, Mongolia and the Middle East. It is shaped into either triangles or sometimes spheres. The dough consists of flour, yeast, milk, eggs, butter, salt, sugar, and margarine. Tajik boortsog are often decorated with a criss-cross pattern by pressing the bottom of a small strainer on the dough before it is fried. Boortsog is often eaten as a dessert, with syrup or jam or honey. They may be thought of as cookies or biscuits, and since they are fried, they are sometimes compared to doughnuts. Mongolians and Turkic peoples sometimes dip boortsog in tea. In Central Asia, baursaki are often eaten alongside chorba. Uštipci are doughnut-like fried dough balls popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia, especially in Vojvodina, Srem district and Slovenia where they are known as "miške".

Çäkçäk

Çäkçäk

Chak-chak[a] is a popular fried dough food in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Chak-chak is made from unleavened dough cut and rolled into hazelnut-sized balls, which are then deep-fried in oil. Optionally, hazelnuts or dried fruit (e.g. apricots and raisins) are added to the mixture. The fried balls are stacked in a mound in a special mold and drenched with hot honey. After cooling and hardening, chak-chak may optionally be decorated with hazelnuts and dried fruits. Traditional wedding chak-chak is larger and is often covered with candies and dragées. The biggest chak-chak weighed 4,026.4 kilograms (8,877 lb) and was prepared on 14 June 2018 during start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Kazan.

Cake

Cake

Кекс — кондитерское изделие, выпекаемое из масляного бисквитного или дрожжевого теста. Первый рецепт кекса можно найти в Древнем Риме, когда гранат, орехи, изюм смешивались в ячменном пюре. Начиная с XVI века, когда из американских колоний стал поставляться сахар, кексы стали очень популярны (высокая концентрация сахара сохраняла фрукты). Кексы распространились по всей Европе, но рецепты их приготовления многообразны в разных странах и зависят от местных ингредиентов.

Eklerki

Eklerki

An éclair is a pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with a flavored icing. The dough, which is the same as that used for profiterole, is typically piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside. Once cool, the pastry is filled with custard (crème pâtissière), whipped cream or chiboust cream, then iced with fondant icing. Other fillings include pistachio- and rum-flavoured custard, fruit-flavoured fillings, or chestnut purée. The icing is sometimes caramel, in which case the dessert may be called a bâton de Jacob (lit. 'Jacob's staff'). A similar pastry in a round rather than oblong shape is called a religieuse. The word comes from the French éclair, meaning 'flash of lightning', so named because it is eaten quickly (in a flash); however some believe that the name is due to the glistening of the frosting resembling lightning. The éclair originated during the 19th century in Lyon, France where it was called pain à la Duchesse ('Duchess-style bread') or petite duchesse ('little duchess') until 1850. The word is first attested both in English and in French in the 1860s.

Khvorost

Khvorost

Angel wings are a traditional sweet crisp pastry made out of dough that has been shaped into thin twisted ribbons, deep-fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Common to many European cuisines, angel wings have been incorporated into other regional cuisines by immigrant populations. They are most commonly eaten in the period just before Lent, often during Carnival and on Fat Thursday, the last Thursday before Lent—not to be confused with "Fat Tuesday" (Mardi Gras), the day before the start of Lent (Ash Wednesday). There is a tradition in some countries for husbands to give angel wings to their wives on Friday the 13th in order to avoid bad luck. In the various national cuisines, angel wings are referred to as:

Kissel

Kissel

Kissel or kisel[a] is a simple dish with the consistency of a thick gel, and made of sweet fruit, berry, grains , peas, or from milk. It belongs to the group of cold-solidified desserts, although it can be served warm. "Kissel" is derived from a Slavic word meaning 'sour', after a similar old Slavic dish—a leavened flour porridge (or weak sourdough) which was made from grain, most commonly oats, but any grain, including legumes like peas or lentils could be used. Bean kissels were typically not leavened, and lacked the sweetness of the modern variants.[citation needed] Grain-based kissels were known 9000 years ago in ancient Anatolia and Mesopotamia, they are mentioned in Sumerian and Akkadian texts. In ancient times, oatmeal kissel was prepared by fermentation of oat milk.

Kogel mogel

Kogel mogel

Kogel mogel is an egg-based homemade dessert once popular in parts of Europe. It is made from egg yolks, sugar, and flavourings such as honey, vanilla, cocoa or rum, similar to eggnog or zabaione. In its classic form it is served slightly chilled or at room temperature. Served warm or hot, it is considered a home remedy for sore throats. Variations include milk, honey and soda. Kogel mogel became known by this name by the 17th-century Jewish communities of Central Europe. It may have its roots in the Jewish code of law called the Shulchan Arukh where one is allowed to consume sweet syrup and/or raw egg on Shabbat to make one's voice more pleasant. Vasmer's dictionary mentions different hypotheses on the origin of the name such as English hug-mug, hugger-mugger, or German Kuddelmuddel.

Kulich

Kulich

Kulich is a village in Zherizhah Rural District, in the Central District of Sarvabad County, Kurdistan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 201, in 41 families. The village is populated by Kurds.

Medovik

Medovik

Medovik is a layer cake popular in countries of the former Soviet Union. The identifying ingredients are honey and smetana (sour cream) or condensed milk. The dessert, famous for its lengthy preparation time, consists of layers of sponge cake with a cream filling and is often covered with nuts or crumbs made from leftover cake. While the thin layers harden shortly after coming out of the oven, the moisture of the filling softens it again over time. There are many recipes and variations of this cake, but the main ingredient is honey, giving it its characteristic taste and flavor. According to Russian tradition, the cake was created in the 19th century in the Russian Empire by a young chef who sought to impress Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna, wife of Alexander I. Empress Elizabeth could not stand honey and any dish made with it. One day a young new confectioner in the imperial kitchen, unaware of the empress's dislike, baked a new cake with honey and thick sour cream. Surprisingly, and unaware of the honey content, Empress Elizabeth immediately fell in love with it. Despite this legend, medovik is not mentioned in any of the 19th-century Russian cookbooks. The first recipe for medovik is found in the 1957 and 1960 book "Ukrainian Dishes" published in Ukrainian in Kyiv. Medovik gained its intense popularity during the Soviet era. Today, there are numerous variations of medovik: with condensed milk, buttercream or custard.

Morozhenoye

Morozhenoye

Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food colouring is sometimes added in addition to stabilizers. The mixture is cooled below the freezing point of water and stirred to incorporate air spaces and prevent detectable ice crystals from forming. It can also be made by whisking a flavoured cream base and liquid nitrogen together. The result is a smooth, semi-solid foam that is solid at very low temperatures . It becomes more malleable as its temperature increases. Ice cream may be served in dishes, eaten with a spoon, or licked from edible wafer ice cream cones held by the hands as finger food. Ice cream may be served with other desserts—such as cake or pie—or used as an ingredient in cold dishes—like ice cream floats, sundaes, milkshakes, and ice cream cakes—or in baked items such as Baked Alaska.

Muraveynik cake

Muraveynik cake

An anthill-shaped cake made with small dough balls mixed with sour cream, caramel, nuts, poppy seeds, chocolate many variations

Napoleon cake

Napoleon cake

A mille-feuille ,[notes 1] also known by the names Napoleon in North America, vanilla slice in the United Kingdom, and custard slice, is a French dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream. Its modern form was influenced by improvements made by Marie-Antoine Carême. Traditionally, a mille-feuille is made up of three layers of puff pastry (pâte feuilletée), alternating with two layers of pastry cream (crème pâtissière). The top pastry layer is finished in various ways: sometimes it is topped with whipped cream, or it may be dusted with icing sugar, cocoa, pastry crumbs, or sliced almonds. It may also be glazed with icing or fondant alone, or in alternating white (icing) and brown (chocolate) or other colored icing stripes, and combed to create a marbled effect.

Oreshki

Oreshki

Walnut-shaped cookies filled with caramel, chocolate, nuts

Pastila

Pastila

Pastila is a traditional Russian fruit confectionery (pâte de fruits). It has been described as "small squares of pressed fruit paste" and "light, airy puffs with a delicate apple flavor". In Imperial Russia, the "small jellied sweetmeats" were served for tea "with a white foamy top, a bit like marshmallow, but tasting of pure fruit". The first mentions of pastila in Russian written sources date back to the 16th century. The name is probably a loanword from Italian: pastello or pastiglia, or from the cognate French: pastille which in turn comes from Latin: pastillus (a loaf or pie, cf. pastilla). In the 19th century, pastila was made from sourish Russian apples such as Antonovka or mashed Northern berries (lingonberry, rowan, currants) sweetened with honey or sugar and lightened with egg whites. The paste was baked in the Russian oven for many hours, then arranged in several layers inside an alder box and then left to dry in the same oven.

Pechenye

Pechenye

Ponchiki

Ponchiki

Pączki are filled doughnuts found in Polish cuisine. A pączek is a deep-fried piece of dough shaped into a flattened ball and filled with confiture or other sweet filling. Pączki are usually covered with powdered sugar, icing, glaze, or bits of dried orange zest. A small amount of grain alcohol (traditionally rectified spirit) is added to the dough before cooking; as it evaporates, it prevents the absorption of oil deep into the dough. Pączki are commonly thought of as fluffy but somewhat collapsed, with a bright stripe around them; these features are seen as evidence that the dough was fried in fresh oil.

Poppy seed rolls

Poppy seed rolls

The poppy seed roll is a pastry consisting of a roll of sweet yeast bread with a dense, rich, bittersweet filling of poppy seed. An alternative filling is a paste of minced walnuts, or minced chestnuts. It is popular in Central Europe and parts of Eastern Europe, where it is commonly eaten at Christmas and Easter time. It is traditional in several cuisines, including Polish (strucla z makiem, strucla makowa; poppy seed cake = makowiec), Kashubian (makówc), Hungarian (mákos bejgli), Slovak (makovník), Czech (makový závin), Austrian (Mohnbeugel, Mohnstrudel or Mohnstriezel), Ukrainian (pyrih z makom пирiг з маком or makivnyk маківник), Belarusian (makavy rulet макавы рулет), Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian (makovnjača or štrudla sa makom), Slovenian (makova potica), Romanian (coardă cu mac), Russian (rulet s makom рулет с маком), Lithuanian (aguonų vyniotinis), Latvian (magonmaizite), German (Mohnstrudel), and Yiddish (mohn roll). There are two different doughs used, one with yeast and one without. They dough is made of flour, sugar, egg yolk, milk or sour cream and butter, and yeast. The dough may be flavored with lemon or orange zest or rum. The poppy seed filling may contain ground poppy seeds, raisins, butter or milk, sugar or honey, rum and vanilla. Sometimes apricot jam, which is one of the most popular jams used in Hungarian cuisine, is substituted for sugar. There is another similar dish called walnut roll or nut roll, which contains a filling of ground walnuts and sugar, optionally enriched with raisins, rum, butter or milk and/or lemon zest. This filling may be spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove or vanilla.

Pryanik

Pryanik

Pryanik refers to a range of traditional sweet-baked goods in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and some neighboring countries such as in Poland (Polish: piernik) and Lithuania (Lithuanian: meduolis). It is also a popular Czech and Slovak sweet. Traditionally, pryaniks are made from flour and honey. While some Russian-English dictionaries translate pryanik as gingerbread, ginger is an optional pryanik ingredient, unlike honey. Sugar is often used instead of honey in industrial pryaniki production and modern home-cooking. Related to pryanik is kovrizhka (коврижка), known in western countries as a "fudge", sweet bread with similar ingredients. The word pryanik is from Old East Slavic пьпьрянъ, an adjective from Old East Slavic пьпьрь 'pepper', which makes it etymologically similar or related to German Pfefferkuchen. In Germany, ginger was added[dubious – discuss] to Christmas or Easter cookies – this is how the first gingerbread, or "lebkuchen", appeared[dubious – discuss]. In France, the inventor of gingerbread is considered to be Gregory of Nikopol, who in 992 allegedly moved to this country from Armenia and taught the local monks this recipe.

Ptichye moloko

Ptichye moloko

Ptasie mleczko or bird's milk is a Central European confectionery originating in Poland. It is a small, chocolate-covered bar with a soft marshmallow-like interior. E. Wedel is one of the most recognized chocolate confectioneries in Poland, having exclusive rights for the name Ptasie mleczko. Other confectionery producers also make similar candies named differently (e.g., Alpejskie mleczko, "Alpine milk"). Nonetheless, Ptasie mleczko is often used to refer to similar candies with vanilla, cream, lemon or chocolate flavour. In Russia, ptichye moloko (птичье молоко) is both a popular candy and a famous soufflé cake. The brand was introduced in the 1960s during the Soviet era, and continues to be used by companies operating the factories which produced these candies and cakes since that time. The confectionery is also produced in other post-Soviet states.

Sharlotka

Sharlotka

A charlotte is a type of bread pudding that can be served hot or cold. It is also referred to as an "icebox cake". Bread, sponge cake, crumbs or biscuits/cookies are used to line a mold, which is then filled with a fruit puree or custard. The baked pudding could then be sprinkled with powdered sugar and glazed with a salamander, a red-hot iron plate attached to a long handle, though modern recipes would likely use more practical tools to achieve a similar effect. The variant charlotte russe also called charlotte parisienne, created by the French chef Antonin Carême, uses a mold lined with ladyfingers and filled with Bavarian cream. Classically, stale bread dipped in butter was used as the lining, but sponge cake or ladyfingers may be used today. The filling may be covered with a thin layer of similarly flavoured gelatin.

Tavuk göğsü

Tavuk göğsü

Tavukgöğsü is a Turkish milk pudding made with shredded chicken breast. It was a delicacy served to Ottoman sultans in the Topkapı Palace, and is now a well-known dish in Turkey. It has long been believed that this chicken pudding had originated in the Roman recipe collection Apicius, and it was later on passed to Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and subsequently to the Ottoman Empire. However, no surviving copies of Apicius include such a recipe. Similar Arab dishes from the tenth century exist. Considering the lack of evidence for the Roman connection, the possible introduction of tavukgöğsü into Turkish cuisine is likely of Arab origin. The traditional version uses white chicken breast meat. The meat is softened by boiling and separating the meat into very fine fibers or pounding until smooth. The meat is mixed with milk, sugar, cracked rice and other thickeners, and often some sort of flavoring such as cinnamon. The result is a thick pudding often shaped for presentation.

Varenye

Varenye

Varenye is a popular whole-fruit preserve, widespread in Eastern Europe (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus), as well as the Baltic region (Lithuanian: uogienė [uə̯ˈɡʲiə̯nʲeː], Latvian: ievārījums, Estonian: moos). It is made by cooking berries, other fruits, or more rarely nuts, vegetables, or flowers, in sugar syrup. In some traditional recipes, other sweeteners such as honey or treacle are used instead of or in addition to sugar. Varenye is similar to jam except the fruits are not macerated, and no gelling agent is added. It is characterized by a thick but transparent syrup having the natural colour of the fruits. Varenye is an old Slavic word which is used in East Slavic languages in a more general sense to refer to any type of sweet fruit preserve. The word has common etymological roots with the verbs denoting cooking, boiling, brewing, or stewing (Russian: варить, Belarusian: варыць, Ukrainian: варити).

Vatrushka

Vatrushka

Vatrushka is an Eastern European pastry (pirog), characterized by a ring-shape of dough with traditional white cheese Tvorog in the middle, sometimes with the addition of raisins or bits of fruit. The most common size is about 5–10 cm (2–4 in) in diameter, but larger versions also exist. Vatrushkas are typically baked using a sweet yeast bread dough. Savoury varieties are made using unsweetened dough, with onion added to the filling. The etymology of the word is uncertain. A widespread hypothesis derives the root of the name from the word vatra, which means "fire" in some Slavic languages. According to another version, the word is borrowed from the Romanian language, in which "vatra" means "a kind of cake, cooked in the fire". Alternative hypotheses traces it back to either the verb teret (тереть, "to rub" or "to grate") or to the term tvorog (творог).

Zefir

Zefir

Zefir is a type of soft confectionery made by whipping fruit and berry purée (mostly apple puree) with sugar and egg whites with subsequent addition of a gelling agent like pectin, carrageenan, agar, or gelatine. It is produced in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The name given after the Greek god of the light west wind Zephyr symbolizes its delicate airy consistency. Zefir is derived from the traditional Russian pastila confectionery, but with added egg white foam and a gelling agent. An addition of unwhipped egg whites to the recipe originated in the town of Kolomna sometime during the 15th century, and in the 19th century the zefir dessert most likely emerged in its modern form with whipped egg whites due to a French adaptation on the recipe that was later brought back to Russia. The form typically resembles traditional meringue. However, in contrast to commercial-grade meringue, zefir is never crispy. In contrast to most chocolate-coated marshmallow-like confectioneries, zefirs normally come without layers of cookies/biscuits included.

Zhele

Zhele

Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the method of preparation, type of fruit used, and its place in a meal. Sweet fruit preserves such as jams, jellies, and marmalades are often eaten at breakfast with bread or as an ingredient of a pastry or dessert, whereas more savory and acidic preserves made from "vegetable fruits" such as tomato, squash or zucchini, are eaten alongside savory foods such as cheese, cold meats, and curries.

Arpa

Arpa

Ayran

Ayran

Ayran[a] is a cold savory yogurt-based beverage that is consumed across Central Asia, and the Balkans, in Turkey and Iran. The principal ingredients are yogurt, water and salt. Herbs such as mint may be optionally added. Some varieties are carbonated. Ayran (cf. airag in Mongolian: 'mare milk', uyran (уйран) in Chuvash: 'buttermilk') is mentioned in Mahmud al-Kashgari's 11th century Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, although he did not give any information how ayran was made. The word is derived from the Old Turkic root adır- ("to separate"), cf. Turkish ayır- ("to separate").

Black tea

Black tea

Black tea is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white, and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from leaves of the shrub (or small tree) Camellia sinensis, though Camellia taliensis is also rarely used. Two principal varieties of the species are used – the small-leaved Chinese variety plant (C. sinensis var. sinensis), used for most other types of teas, and the large-leaved Assamese plant (C. sinensis var. assamica), which was traditionally mainly used for black tea, although in recent years some green and white teas have been produced.

Camel milk

Camel milk

Camel milk is milk from female camels. It has supported nomad and pastoral cultures since the domestication of camels millennia ago. Herders may for periods survive solely on the milk when taking the camels on long distances to graze in desert and arid environments, especially in parts of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa. The camel dairy farming industry has grown in Australia and the United States, as an environmentally friendly alternative to cow dairy farming using a species well-adapted to arid regions. Camel milk has different nutritional characteristics from cow milk, but the proportions of nutrients can be highly variable based on a number of factors, including type and age of camel, climate, what it eats, and milking method. It can be used to make products such as yogurt and ice cream, but is not so easily turned into butter or cheese. Camel milk tastes similar to cow's milk. Before the conception and spread of Islam, many Arabs were herdsmen who lived off the milk from their camels and the produce of desert oases.

Chalap

Chalap

Fermented milk or yogurt beverage or soup, may be mixed with carbonated water

Champagne

Champagne

Champagne is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, specific grape-pressing methods and secondary fermentation of the wine in the bottle to cause carbonation. The grapes Pinot noir, Pinot meunier, and Chardonnay are used to produce almost all Champagne, but small amounts of Pinot blanc, Pinot gris (called Fromenteau in Champagne), Arbane, and Petit Meslier are vinified as well.

Green tea

Green tea

Green tea is a type of tea made from the leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millennium BC, and since then its production and manufacture has spread to other countries in East Asia. Several varieties of green tea exist, which differ substantially based on the variety of C. sinensis used, growing conditions, horticultural methods, production processing, and time of harvest. Tea consumption has its legendary origins in China during the reign of mythological Emperor Shennong.

Horse milk

Horse milk

Mare milk is milk lactated by female horses, known as mares, to feed their foals. It is rich in whey protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin C, and is a key ingredient in kumis. In several European countries, including Germany, it is sold powdered. Mare milk is sometimes chosen over cow milk for its purported health benefits. A niche market considers it a remedy for skin or digestive problems. Peer-reviewed papers suggest it can reduce atopic dermatitis or eczema. It is used to make cosmetics and can form cheese with camel rennet, but not bovine.

Jarma

Jarma

Jarma is a cold beverage made from ground grains found in the cuisine of Kyrgyzstan. While related to the fermented drink maksym, it is not fermented, and is instead often mixed with ayran (liquidy yoghurt) to result in a similar fizzy sensation. A commercially produced version of jarma is available from the companies Shoro and Enesay. It is marketed as thirst-quenching and immunity-strengthening (due to its microorganism and vitamin contents), and Shoro produces it without GMO ingredients or preservatives. During the Soviet era, jarma was made and drunk exclusively in the private sphere. Commercial production of the drink began in the early 1990s by the Shoro company. Today it is sold in stores and from barrels on the street throughout Kyrgyzstan, and is a popular go-to chilled drink during the summer. A small-scale producer and vendor in Nooken District was charging 23 soms (about 0.40 USD) per litre of jarma in the summer of 2015.

Karabalta

Karabalta

Kefir

Kefir

Kefir is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt or ayran that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. It is prepared by inoculating the milk of cows, goats, or sheep with kefir grains. Kefir is a common breakfast, lunch or dinner drink consumed in countries of western Eurasia. Kefir is consumed at any time of the day, such as alongside European pastries like zelnik (zeljanica), burek and banitsa/gibanica, as well as being an ingredient in cold soups.

Kompot

Kompot

Kompot or compot, as prepared in Central and Eastern Europe and West Asia, refers to boiled fruits served either as a drink or a dessert depending on the region. When served as a dessert, it is essentially identical to the French compote, which is where the term "kompot" originates from. When served as a drink, it is also known as vzvar (взвар) or uzvar (узвар), from a Slavic root word meaning "to boil". As a drink, kompot is a sweet, non-alcoholic beverage that may be served hot or cold, depending on tradition and season. It is created by cooking fruit such as strawberries, apricots, peaches, apples, raspberries, rhubarb, plums, or sour cherries in a large volume of water, often together with sugar, honey, or raisins as additional sweeteners. Sometimes different spices, such as vanilla or cinnamon, are added for additional flavour, especially in the winter, when kompot is usually served hot. Kompot is popular in Central and Eastern European countries, as well as in Southern Europe.[citation needed] Kompot is part of the cuisine of many countries in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, as well as in the Middle East and West Asia. It is known by a variety of names in these countries, such as компот (kompot) in Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian, kompót in Slovak and Hungarian, kompotas in Lithuanian, κομπόστα (kompósta) in Greek, and komposto in Turkish. Making kompot was a common way of preserving fruit for the winter in Southern and Eastern European countries; in 1885, Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa wrote in a recipe book that kompot "preserved fruit so well it seemed fresh". Kompot is also popular in many Central Asian countries, such as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Kumis

Kumis

Kumis , alternatively spelled coumis or kumyz,[a] also known as airag (/ˈaɪræɡ/ EYE-rag),[b] is a traditional fermented dairy product made from mare milk. The drink is important to the peoples of the Central and East Asian steppes, of Turkic and Mongolic origin: Kazakhs, Bashkirs, Kalmyks, Kyrgyz, Mongols, and Yakuts. Kumis was historically consumed by the Khitans, Jurchens, Magyars, and Han Chinese of North China as well.

Kvass

Kvass

Kvass is a fermented, cereal-based, low-alcoholic beverage of cloudy appearance and sweet-sour taste. Kvass originates from northeastern Europe, where grain production was considered insufficient for beer to become a daily drink. The first written mention of kvass is found in Primary Chronicle, describing the celebration of Vladimir the Great's baptism in 988.

Maksym

Maksym

Fermented grain drink, made with malt, for example

Nashe Pivo

Nashe Pivo

Sheep milk

Sheep milk

Sheep milk is the milk of domestic sheep. It is commonly used to make cultured dairy products, such as cheese. Some of the most popular sheep cheeses include feta (Greece), Pecorino romano (Italy), Roquefort (France) and Manchego (Spain). Specialized dairy breeds of sheep yield more milk than other breeds. Common dairy breeds include: In the U.S., the most common dairy breeds are the East Friesian and the Lacaune. Meat or wool breeds do not produce as much milk as dairy breeds, but may produce enough for small amounts of cheese and other products.

Vodka

Vodka

Vodka is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is made by distilling liquid from fermented cereal grains and potatoes since the latter was introduced in Europe in the 18th century. Some modern brands use maize, sugar cane, fruit, honey, and maple sap as the base. Since the 1890s, standard vodkas have been 40% alcohol by volume (ABV) (80 U.S. proof). The European Union has established a minimum alcohol content of 37.5% for vodka. Vodka in the United States must have a minimum alcohol content of 40%.

Wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented fruit. Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made from grapes, and the term "wine" generally refers to grape wine when used without any qualification. Even so, wine can be made from a variety of fruit crops, including plum, cherry, pomegranate, blueberry, currant, and elderberry. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are major factors in different styles of wine. These differences result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the grape's growing environment , and the wine production process. Many countries enact legal appellations intended to define styles and qualities of wine. These typically restrict the geographical origin and permitted varieties of grapes, as well as other aspects of wine production.

Ashlyam fu

Ashlyam fu

A spicy cold soup made with noodles, eggs, vegetables, spices

Beef stroganoff

Beef stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff or beef Stroganov[a] is a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef in a sauce of mustard and smetana . From its origins in mid-19th-century Tsarist Russia, it has become popular around the world, with considerable variation from the original recipe. Mushrooms are common in many variants. The dish is named after one of the members of the Stroganov family. A legend attributes its invention to French cooks working for the family, but several researchers point out that the recipe is a refined version of older Russian dishes. In Russian the dish is called Бефстро́ганов from the French Bœuf Stroganoff. Elena Molokhovets [ru]'s classic Russian cookbook A Gift to Young Housewives gives the first known recipe for Govjadina po-strogonovski, s gorchitseju, "Beef à la Stroganov, with mustard", in its 1871 edition. The recipe involves beef cubes (not strips) prepared in a dry marinade of salt and allspice, and then sautéed in butter. The sauce is a simple roux mixed with prepared mustard and broth, and finished with a small amount of sour cream: no onions, no mushrooms and no alcohol.

Belyash

Belyash

Peremech is an individual-sized fried dough pastry common for Volga Tatar and Bashkir cuisines. It is made from unleavened or leavened dough and usually filled with ground meat and chopped onion. Originally, finely chopped pre-cooked meat was used as a filling, but later raw ground meat became more common. Alternatively, peremech can be filled with potato or quark. Peremech is usually shaped into a flattened sphere with a circular "window" in the middle. In contrast to doughnuts, the hole does not go all the way through, but is only made at the top, such that the filling is visible in the middle. The shape is thus somewhat similar to Russian vatrushka. However, dough neatly kneaded around the hole gives the classical peremech its distinctive shape. Peremech is traditionally served with broth, qatiq (yogurt) or ayran.

Beshbarmak

Beshbarmak

Beshbarmak is a dish in Central Asian cuisine. It is also known as naryn in Xinjiang, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, as turama in Karakalpakstan and North Caucasus, as dograma in Turkmenistan, as kullama in Bashkortostan and Tatarstan. It is one of the main national dishes of both Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The term beshbarmak means "five fingers" because nomads traditionally eat this dish with their hands. Another name for beshbarmak in Kyrgyz is tuuralgan et, which means crumbled/chopped meat. Beshbarmak is usually made from finely chopped boiled meat, mixed with dough (typically egg noodles) and chyk, an onion sauce. It is typically served on large communal platters, shared between several people, after shorpo, which is a first course of mutton broth served in bowls called kese. It is also followed by a broth called ak-serke (shorpo mixed with kymyz or ayran), which is thought to help with settling the stomach. Festive beshbarmak can be cooked together with Qazı and chuchuk. The cuisine of Central Asia developed within the constraints of a nomadic life, when people were completely reliant on their animals. This is reflected in Central Asian dishes, which are rich in meat and dairy products.

Borscht

Borscht

Borscht is a sour soup, made with meat stock, vegetables and seasonings, common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. In English, the word borscht is most often associated with the soup's variant of Ukrainian origin, made with red beetroots as one of the main ingredients, which give the dish its distinctive red color. The same name, however, is also used for a wide selection of sour-tasting soups without beetroots, such as sorrel-based green borscht, rye-based white borscht, and cabbage borscht. Borscht derives from an ancient soup originally cooked from pickled stems, leaves and umbels of common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), an herbaceous plant growing in damp meadows, which lent the dish its Slavic name. With time, it evolved into a diverse array of tart soups, among which the Ukrainian beet-based red borscht has become the most popular. It is typically made by combining meat or bone stock with sautéed vegetables, which—as well as beetroots—usually include cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. Depending on the recipe, borscht may include meat or fish, or be purely vegetarian; it may be served either hot or cold, and it may range from a hearty one-pot meal to a clear broth or a smooth drink. It is often served with smetana or sour cream, hard-boiled eggs or potatoes, but there exists an ample choice of more involved garnishes and side dishes, such as uszka or pampushky, that can be served with the soup.

Chakhokhbili

Chakhokhbili

Chakhokhbili is a traditional Georgian dish of stewed chicken and tomato with fresh herbs. The characteristic feature of Chakhokhbili is to dry-fry chicken without adding any kind of oil. Its name comes from the Georgian word ხოხობი (khokhobi) which means "pheasant".

Chebureki

Chebureki

Cheburek[a] are deep-fried turnovers with a filling of ground or minced meat and onions. A popular street dish, they are made with a single round piece of dough folded over the filling in a crescent shape. They have become widespread in the former Soviet-aligned countries of Eastern Europe in the 20th century. Chebureki is a national dish of Crimean Tatar cuisine. They are popular as a snack and street food throughout the Caucasus, West Asia, Central Asia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, Eastern Europe, as well as in Turkey, Greece and Romania. A cheburek is a half-round-shaped börek, filled with a very thin layer of ground beef or lamb which has been seasoned with ground onion and black pepper.

Chicken tabaka

Chicken tabaka

Chicken tabaka or chicken tapaka (Georgian: წიწილა ტაფაკა tsitsila tapaka) is a traditional Georgian dish of a pan-fried chicken which is also popular in other Caucasian cuisines. It also became a common restaurant dish in the Soviet cuisine and is found nowadays in many restaurants throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The chicken is fried in a traditional frying pan called tapa (Georgian: ტაფა). For frying thoroughly, the chicken is flattened out on the pan and pressed by a weight. In modern cookery, special pan sets with a heavy cover or with a screw press are often used. Chicken tabaka is often seasoned with garlic or dressed with traditional Georgian sauces, such as bazhe, satsivi or tkemali.

Chorba

Chorba

Chorba [a] or shorba (/ˈʃɔːrbə/ SHOR-bə; Azerbaijani: [ʃoɾˈbɑ])[b] is a broad class of stews or rich soups found in national cuisines across the Middle East, Maghreb, Iran, Turkey, Southeast Europe, Central Asia, East Africa and South Asia. It is often prepared with added ingredients but is also served alone as a broth or with bread. The word chorba in English and in many Balkan languages is a loan from the Ottoman Turkish چوربا çorba, which itself is a loan from Persian شوربا šōrbā. The spelling shorba could be a direct loan into English from Persian or through a Central or South Asian intermediary. The word is ultimately a compound of شور šōr meaning 'salty, brackish' and با bā meaning 'stew, gruel, spoon-meat'. The former is from Parthian ??? šōr meaning 'salty', and the latter from Middle Persian *-bāg meaning 'gruel, spoon-meat'.

Dimlama

Dimlama

Dimlama or dymdama, is a Turkic and Uzbek stew made with various combinations of meat, potatoes, onions, vegetables, and sometimes fruits. Meat (lamb or sometimes veal or beef) and vegetables are cut into large pieces and placed in layers in a tightly sealed pot to simmer slowly in their own juices. Vegetables for dimlama may include, in addition to potatoes and onions, carrots, cabbage, eggplants, tomatoes, sweet peppers, spiced with garlic and a variety of herbs and condiments. Dimlama is usually cooked during spring and summer when there is a wide choice of vegetables. It is served on a large plate and eaten with a spoon.

Djarkope

Djarkope

Lamb stew with vegetables

Funchoza

Funchoza

Mung bean noodles with beef, chicken, shrimp, julienned vegetables, oil and vinegar

Hanum

Hanum

Large steamed rolled dumpling filled with meat, vegetable, potatoes, pumpkin

Hybivka

Hybivka

Kasha

Kasha

In English, kasha usually[a][b][c] refers to the pseudocereal buckwheat or its culinary preparations. In Slavic languages, "kasha" means porridge or puree. In some varieties of Eastern European cuisine, kasha can apply to any kind of cooked grain. It can be baked but most often is boiled, either in water or milk, but the word can also refer to the grain before preparation, which corresponds to the definition of 'groats'. The word "kasha" is used in Belarus , the Czech Republic (kaše), Lithuania (košė), Poland (kasza), Romania and Moldova (cașa), Russia (каша), Slovakia (kaša), Slovenia (kaša), Kazakhstan, and Ukraine (каша). The English-language usage of kasha, which refers primarily to buckwheat, probably originated with Jewish immigrants, as did the form קאַשי kashi (literally translated as "porridges"). As an Ashkenazi-Jewish comfort food, kasha is often served with onions and brown gravy on top of farfalle, known as kasha varnishkes. Kasha is a popular filling for knishes and is sometimes included in matzah-ball soup.[citation needed]

Katliety

Katliety

A frikadelle[a] is a rounded, flat-bottomed, pan-fried meatball of ground meat, often likened to the German version of meatballs. The origin of the dish is unknown. The term Frikadelle is German but the dish is associated with German, Nordic and Polish cuisines. They are one of the most popular meals in Poland, where they are known as kotlety mielone . There are various local variants of frikadelle throughout Scandinavia, as both a main course and a side dish. In Sweden, the word frikadeller refers to meatballs that are boiled, not pan-fried. The origin of the word is uncertain. According to the Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, Frikadelle (pl. Frikadellen) can be found end of the 17th century in German, and is related to the French fricandeau, and Latin frīgere ('to roast'). Other variants used in Germany are Boulette/Bulette, Bratklops, Fleischpflanzerl, Fleischlaberl, Fleischküchle and Grilletta [de]/Grillette as well as the Austrian Faschiertes Laibchen [de]. It may be derived from fricandeau de veau, a dish of sliced veal, larded with pork fat. In the Dictionnaire des dictionnaires (1837) fricadelle is defined as, "In Belgium, a ball of ground, cooked meat" and a separate word, fricadèle, is defined as fricandeau. And in Phillips's New World of Words (1706) it is defined as "Fricandoe, a sort of Scotch Collops made of thin slices of Veal, well larded and stuff'd." The Oxford English Dictionary defines fricandele (variation fricadelle) as a "quasi-French form of fricandeau".

Kebab

Kebab

Kebab , kebap, (North American) kabob, kebob, or (Kashmiri) kabab,[a] is a variety of roasted meat dishes that originated in the Middle East.

Kharcho

Kharcho

Kharcho, also spelled Harcho , is a traditional Georgian soup containing beef, rice, cherry plum purée, and chopped walnuts (Juglans regia), but they are not compulsory. The soup is seasoned with Khmeli Suneli and coriander. The soup is usually served with finely chopped fresh coriander. The characteristic ingredients of the soup are meat (usually fatty cuts of beef), cherry plum purée made from tklapi or tkemali, rice, chopped walnuts, and a spice mix that varies between different regions of Georgia. Typically, kharcho is made with beef, and the Georgian name of this soup, "dzrokhis khortsis kharcho", literally translates as “cow’s meat kharcho.” In the Samegrelo region, Megrelian kharcho is made as a stew rather than a soup. Rice is excluded and it is typically served over a bed of ghomi (Georgian polenta).

Kletski

Kletski

Flour or potato dumplings, serve, for example, in soup, with mushroom sauce, with onions, topped with sour cream, there are also dessert variations, for example, apple kletski

Kuurdak

Kuurdak

Kuyrdak , transliterated with various spellings, is a traditional meat dish made in Central Asia. The name comes from a nominalisation of the word "roast", "fried", referring to how the food is made. It is described as "stewed brown meat". Kuyrdak is known in Turkish cuisine as kavurma usually made from lamb, mutton, beef, or sheep liver, or sometimes with vegetables.

Lagman noodles

Lagman noodles

Laghman is a dish of meat, vegetables and pulled noodles from Uyghur cuisine and Central Asian cuisine. In Chinese, the noodle is known as latiaozi (Chinese: 拉条子) or bànmiàn (Chinese: 拌面). As native Turkic words do not begin with the letter 'L', läghmän is a loanword from the Chinese lamian and appears to be an adaptation of Northern Chinese noodle dishes, although its taste and preparation are distinctly Uyghur. It is also a traditional dish of the Hui or Dungan people who call the dish bànmiàn. It is especially popular in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where it is considered a national dish of the local Uyghur and Dungan (Hui) ethnic minorities. It is also popular in Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, northeastern Afghanistan (where chickpeas are added), and parts of northern Pakistan. The Crimean Tatar cuisine also adopted lagman from the Uzbek culture.

Manti

Manti

Manti is a type of dumpling mainly found in Turkish cuisine, Armenian cuisine and Central Asian cuisine but also in West Asia, South Caucasus, and the Balkans. Manti is also popular among Chinese Muslims, and it is consumed throughout post-Soviet countries, where the dish spread from the Central Asian republics. The dumplings typically consist of a spiced meat mixture, usually lamb or ground beef, wrapped in a thin dough sheet which is then boiled or steamed. The size and shape of manti vary significantly depending on geographic location. Manti resemble the Chinese jiaozi and baozi, Korean mandu, Mongolian buuz and the Tibetan momo. The dish's name is cognate with Chinese mantou, Korean mandu, and Japanese manjū, though the modern Chinese and Japanese counterparts mostly refer to different dishes. The name, depending on the language, can refer to a single dumpling or to more than one dumpling at a time; in English, it is often used as both a singular and plural form.

Meatball soup

Meatball soup

Meatball soup is a soup made using meatballs, simmered with various other ingredients. Meatball soup typically consists of broth with whole or cut meatballs. Common additions are vegetables, pasta , dumplings, or grains such as rice and barley. Various types of meat are used, such as beef, lamb, pork and poultry.

Naryn

Naryn

Naryn, neryn or norin is a Central Asian dish with horse meat and different kinds of noodles. In Kyrgyz cuisine, naryn is made of finely chopped lamb meat (or horse meat) with onion sauce. Naryn with the addition of noodles is now called beshbarmak. In Uzbek cuisine, naryn is a pasta dish made with fresh hand-rolled noodles and horse meat. Naryn can be served as a cold pasta dish (kuruk norin, or "dry" norin) or as a hot noodle soup (khul norin, or "wet" norin). Homemade pasta is rolled very thinly and cut into strips 2–4 mm wide and 50–70 mm long. The noodles are cooked in plain boiling water or often in a broth of horse meat. Horse meat is then shredded into the pasta. Naryn might be served on a lagan (plate) decorated with slices of horse meat sausage (Qazı). The dish is served as a part of any extended meal after the samosa and before the plov (osh).

Öçpoçmaq

Öçpoçmaq

Uchpochmak [note 1] is a Tatar and Bashkir national dish, an essential food in Tatar and Bashkir culture. It is a triangular pastry, filled with chopped meat, onion and potatoes. Uchpuchmak is usually eaten with bouillon or with tea. Uchpuchmaks have been cooked for centuries by nomad Turkic people. Lamb, and, sometimes, horse meat was used to make a triangular pie. An opening on the top was used to add broth immediately before eating which made it a hot meal. This made cooking in the field fast and easy. For most of the Soviet period, much of the Tatar cuisine including uchpuchmaks was removed from public catering due to regulations.[citation needed] In the late 60s, Yunus Ahmetjanov, a legendary chef pushed for recognition of uchpuchmak, chakchak and other Tatar meals on the unionwide level and was successful in promoting them to public catering menus all across the Soviet Union.

Okroshka

Okroshka

Okróshka is a cold soup of Russian origin, which probably originated in the Volga region. The classic soup is a mix of mostly raw vegetables (like cucumbers, radishes and spring onions), boiled potatoes, eggs, cooked meat such as beef, veal, sausages or ham and kvass, which is a low-alcoholic (1.5% or less) beverage made from fermented black or rye bread. Okroshka is usually garnished with sour cream (smetana). Later versions that first appeared in Soviet times use light or diluted kefir, whey, ayran, or carbonated water instead of kvass. The ingredients are diced and then mixed with kvass just before eating; the ratio of chopped food to kvass is similar to that of cereal to milk. This allows the vegetables to retain their texture. For that same reason, even though the ingredients are similar to those in a Russian salad, the taste of okroshka is quite different from that of the salad.

Pelmeni

Pelmeni

Pelmeni are dumplings of Russian cuisine that consist of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough. They are considered to be a national dish. Pelmeni became a staple of Russian cuisine during the period of Russian expansion into the Ural Mountains and Siberia. Pelmeni also have deep roots in the traditions and folklore of the Komi region of northwest Russia and figure prominently in Komi cuisine. The name itself was borrowed from the language of the Komi-Permyaks. The dough is made from flour and water, sometimes adding a small portion of eggs.

Pirog

Pirog

Pirog is a baked case of dough with either sweet or savory filling. The dish is common in Eastern European cuisines. The name is derived from the ancient Proto-Slavic word pir, meaning "banquet" or "festivity". The Russian plural, pirogi (with the stress on the last syllable), should not be confused with pierogi (stress on "ro" in Polish and English) in Polish cuisine, which are dumplings similar to Russian pelmeni or Ukrainian varenyky. Pirogi come in different shapes and forms: they are often oblong with tapering ends, but can also be circular or rectangular. They can be closed or open-faced with no crust on top.

Pirozhki

Pirozhki

Pirozhki[a] (lit. Smallpie) are Eastern European baked or fried yeast-leavened boat-shaped buns with a variety of fillings. Pirozhki are a popular street food and comfort food in Eastern Europe. The stress in pirozhki is on the last syllable: [pʲɪrɐʂˈkʲi]. Pirozhok[b] (Russian: пирожо́к, romanized: pirožók, IPA: [pʲɪrɐˈʐok] ⓘ, singular) is the diminutive form of Russian pirog, which means a full-sized pie.[c] Pirozhki are not to be confused with the Polish pierogi (a cognate term), which are called varenyky or pyrohy in Ukrainian and Doukhoborese, and vareniki in Russian.

Plov

Plov

Pilaf , pilav or pilau ( UK: /ˈpiːlaʊ, piːˈlaʊ/) is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat,[note 1][note 2] and employing some technique for achieving cooked grains that do not adhere.[note 3][note 4] At the time of the Abbasid Caliphate, such methods of cooking rice at first spread through a vast territory from South Asia to Spain, and eventually to a wider world. The Spanish paella,[note 5] and the South Asian pilau or pulao,[note 6] and biryani,[note 7] evolved from such dishes.

Pumpkin soup

Pumpkin soup

Pumpkin soup is a usually 'bound' soup made from a purée of pumpkin. It is made by combining the meat of a blended pumpkin with broth or stock. It can be served hot or cold, and is a common Thanksgiving dish in the United States. Various versions of the dish are known in many European countries, the United States and other areas of North America, in Asia and in Australia. Pumpkin soup was a staple for the prisoners of war in North Vietnamese prison camps during the Vietnam War. Squash soup is a soup prepared using squash as a primary ingredient. Squash used to prepare the soup commonly includes acorn and butternut squash. Squash that has initially been separately roasted can be used in soup preparation. The roasting of squash can serve to concentrate the gourd's flavor. Squash soup can be prepared with chunks or pieces of squash and also with puréed squash. Pre-cooked, frozen squash can also be used, as can commercially prepared packets of pre-cooked frozen squash purée. Butternut squash soup may have a sweet flavor, due to the sugars present in the squash. Additional basic ingredients in squash soup's preparation can include broth, onion, cream, spices such as sage and thyme, salt and pepper. Other recipes have been known to include split peas and more exotic spices such as cumin and cinnamon. Pumpkin soup can be served hot or cold, and is a popular Thanksgiving dish in the United States.

Rassolnik

Rassolnik

Rassolnik olʲnʲɪk]) is a traditional Russian soup made from pickled cucumbers, pearl barley, and pork or beef kidneys. A vegetarian variant of rassolnik also exists, usually made during Lent. The dish is known to have existed as far back as the 15th century, when it was called kalya. Rassolnik became part of the common Soviet cuisine and today it is also popular in Ukraine and Belarus. A similar dish is common in Poland, where it is known as zupa ogórkowa (literally cucumber soup). The key part of rassolnik is the rassol, a liquid based on the juice of pickled cucumbers with various other seasonings. It is a favourite hangover treatment. The word Rassolnik originates from the Russian word рассольник (English: [rɐˈs(ː)olʲnʲɪk]) , consisting of рассол (rassol,” brine”) + - ник (-nik). The word refers to a Russian soup made of pickled cucumbers.

Samosa

Samosa

A samosa (listenⓘ) ( Persian: سمبوسه) from the Persian word sambosag (سنبوسگ) (meaning 'triangular pastry') is a fried South Asian and West Asian snack. It is a pastry with a savory filling, mostly vegetables, spiced potatoes, onions, and peas, but also meat or fish. It is made in different shapes, including triangular, cone, or crescent, depending on the region. Samosas are often accompanied by chutney, and have origins in medieval times or earlier. Sweet versions are also made. Samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer, or snack in the cuisines of India, South Asia, West Asia, Central Asia, Portugal, East Africa and their South Asian diasporas. The English word samosa derives from the Hindustani word samosa (Urdu: سموسہ, Hindi: समोसा), traceable to the Middle Persian word sanbosag (سنبوسگ) 'triangular pastry'. Similar pastries are called sambusak in Arabic from Persian; medieval Arabic recipe books sometimes spell it sambusaj, which are all borrowed from Persian sanbosag.

Samsa

Samsa

A samosa (listenⓘ) ( Persian: سمبوسه) from the Persian word sambosag (سنبوسگ) (meaning 'triangular pastry') is a fried South Asian and West Asian snack. It is a pastry with a savory filling, mostly vegetables, spiced potatoes, onions, and peas, but also meat or fish. It is made in different shapes, including triangular, cone, or crescent, depending on the region. Samosas are often accompanied by chutney, and have origins in medieval times or earlier. Sweet versions are also made. Samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer, or snack in the cuisines of India, South Asia, West Asia, Central Asia, Portugal, East Africa and their South Asian diasporas. The English word samosa derives from the Hindustani word samosa (Urdu: سموسہ, Hindi: समोसा), traceable to the Middle Persian word sanbosag (سنبوسگ) 'triangular pastry'. Similar pastries are called sambusak in Arabic from Persian; medieval Arabic recipe books sometimes spell it sambusaj, which are all borrowed from Persian sanbosag.

Shashlik

Shashlik

Shashlik, or shashlyck , is a dish of skewered and grilled cubes of meat, similar to or synonymous with shish kebab. It is known traditionally by various other names in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and from the 19th century became popular as shashlik across much of the Russian Empire and nowadays in former Soviet Union republics. The word shashlik or shashlick entered English from the Russian shashlyk, of Turkic origin. In Turkic languages, the word shish means skewer, and shishlik is literally translated as "skewerable". The word was coined from the Crimean Tatar: şış ('spit') by the Zaporozhian Cossacks and entered Russian in the 18th century, from there spreading to English and other European languages. Prior to that, the Russian name for meat cooked on a skewer was verchenoye, from vertel, 'spit'. Shashlik did not reach Moscow until the late 19th century. From then on, its popularity spread rapidly; by the 1910s it was a staple in St Petersburg restaurants and by the 1920s it was already a pervasive street food all over urban Russia. Shashlik was originally made of lamb, but nowadays it is also made of pork, beef, chicken or venison, depending on local preferences and religious observances. The skewers are either threaded with meat only, or with alternating pieces of meat, fat, and vegetables, such as bell pepper, onion, mushroom and tomato. In Iranian cuisine, meat for shashlik (as opposed to other forms of shish kebab) is usually in large chunks, while elsewhere the form of medium-size meat cubes is maintained making it similar to brochette. The meat is marinated overnight in a high-acidity marinade like vinegar, dry wine or sour fruit/vegetable juice with the addition of onions, herbs and spices.[better source needed]

Sheep's head

Sheep's head

Smalahove ehau(d) or skjelte) is a Western Norwegian traditional dish made from a sheep's head, originally eaten before Christmas. The name of the dish comes from the combination of the Norwegian words hove and smale. Hove is a dialectal form of hovud, meaning "head" (cf. Hǫfuð), and smale is a word for sheep, so smalahove literally means "sheep head". The skin and fleece of the head are torched, the brain removed, and the head is salted, sometimes smoked, and dried. The head is boiled or steamed for about three hours, and served with mashed swede/rutabaga and potatoes. It is also traditionally served with akevitt. In some preparations, the brain is cooked inside the skull and then eaten with a spoon or fried. Originally, smalahove was typically eaten by the poor. One serving usually consists of one half of a head. The ear and eye are normally eaten first, as they are the fattiest areas and are best eaten warm. The head is often eaten from the front to the back, working around the bones of the skull. Since 1998 and the mad cow epidemics, an EU directive forbids the production of smalahove from adult sheep, due to fear of the possibility of transmission of scrapie, a deadly, degenerative prion disease of sheep and goats, though scrapie does not appear to be transmissible to humans. It is now allowed to be produced only from the heads of lambs.

Sup

Sup

Chorba [a] or shorba (/ˈʃɔːrbə/ SHOR-bə; Azerbaijani: [ʃoɾˈbɑ])[b] is a broad class of stews or rich soups found in national cuisines across the Middle East, Maghreb, Iran, Turkey, Southeast Europe, Central Asia, East Africa and South Asia. It is often prepared with added ingredients but is also served alone as a broth or with bread. The word chorba in English and in many Balkan languages is a loan from the Ottoman Turkish چوربا çorba, which itself is a loan from Persian شوربا šōrbā. The spelling shorba could be a direct loan into English from Persian or through a Central or South Asian intermediary. The word is ultimately a compound of شور šōr meaning 'salty, brackish' and با bā meaning 'stew, gruel, spoon-meat'. The former is from Parthian ??? šōr meaning 'salty', and the latter from Middle Persian *-bāg meaning 'gruel, spoon-meat'.

Svekolnik

Svekolnik

Borscht is a sour soup, made with meat stock, vegetables and seasonings, common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. In English, the word borscht is most often associated with the soup's variant of Ukrainian origin, made with red beetroots as one of the main ingredients, which give the dish its distinctive red color. The same name, however, is also used for a wide selection of sour-tasting soups without beetroots, such as sorrel-based green borscht, rye-based white borscht, and cabbage borscht. Borscht derives from an ancient soup originally cooked from pickled stems, leaves and umbels of common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), an herbaceous plant growing in damp meadows, which lent the dish its Slavic name. With time, it evolved into a diverse array of tart soups, among which the Ukrainian beet-based red borscht has become the most popular. It is typically made by combining meat or bone stock with sautéed vegetables, which—as well as beetroots—usually include cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. Depending on the recipe, borscht may include meat or fish, or be purely vegetarian; it may be served either hot or cold, and it may range from a hearty one-pot meal to a clear broth or a smooth drink. It is often served with smetana or sour cream, hard-boiled eggs or potatoes, but there exists an ample choice of more involved garnishes and side dishes, such as uszka or pampushky, that can be served with the soup.

Tushonka

Tushonka

Tushonka is a canned stewed meat especially popular in Russia and other countries of the former Eastern Bloc. It has become a common name for different kinds of canned stewed meat, not all of which correspond to the strict GOST standards. Tushonka can be used and preserved in extreme situations, and therefore is a part of military food supplies in the CIS. For the people of the Soviet Union, tushonka was a part of military and tourist food supplies; at some extreme periods of time it could be bought only with food stamps. Unlike many Western canned meat products, tushonka has separate pieces, chunks of meat. It is mixed with lard and jelly. This makes it closer to holodets than hash, bully beef, or spam.

Ukha

Ukha

Ukha is a clear Russian soup, made from various types of fish such as bream, wels catfish, northern pike, or even ruffe. It usually contains root vegetables, parsley root, leek, potato, bay leaf, dill, tarragon, and green parsley, and is spiced with black pepper, saffron, nutmeg, and fennel seed. Fish such as perch, tench, sheatfish, and burbot are sometimes used to add flavour to the soup. The roots of the soup originated in the culture of the Russian Cossack steppe riders and the soup is mostly associated in Russia with the Don region. While ukha is a fish dish that is made with broth, calling it a fish soup may not be absolutely correct. "Ukha" started to be used as a term for fish broth in Russian cuisine in the late 17th to early 18th centuries. In earlier times, this term referred to thick meat broths, and then later chicken. Beginning in the 15th century, fish was more and more often used to prepare ukha, thus creating a dish that had a distinctive taste among soups. In the 19th century, many travellers visiting Russia claimed ukha to be one of the best dishes in Russian cuisine. Vegetables were kept to a minimum when preparing ukha, and in fact, in classic Belarusian cuisine, ukha was simply a rich fish broth that accompanied fish pies (pirozhki, rasstegai, coulibiac, and other pirogi). These days it is more often a fish soup, cooked with potatoes and other vegetables. A wide variety of freshwater fish can be used, and some aficionados opine that one cannot make a good ukha from saltwater fish species. Fresh fish lends the dish the best flavor, and so if frozen fish is used, it is better not to defrost it. Preference is given to smaller, younger fish, with the tail parts of bigger fish discarded.

Varenyky

Varenyky

Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a filling and cooked in boiling water. They are occasionally flavored with a savory or sweet garnish. Typical fillings include potato, cheese, quark, sauerkraut, ground meat, mushrooms, fruits, or berries. Savory pierogi are often served with a topping of sour cream, fried onions, or both. Pierogi varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Dumplings most likely originated in Asia and came to Europe via trade in the Middle Ages. However, the dish itself dates back to at least 1682, when Poland's first cookbook, Compendium ferculorum, albo Zebranie potraw, was published. The widely used English name pierogi was derived from Polish. In Ukraine and parts of Canada they are known under their Ukrainian name – varenyky, or, in some dialects, pyrohy. Pierogi are also popular in modern-day American cuisine where they are sometimes known under different local names.

Veal Orloff

Veal Orloff

Veal Orloff, or veal Orlov , is a dish created by Urbain Dubois, a 19th-century French chef employed by Prince Orloff, the Russian ambassador to France. The dish consists of thinly sliced braised loin of veal, with duxelles and soubise layered between the slices, topped with Mornay sauce, and browned in the oven. Similar dishes are popular in Russia today, where they usually go by the name French-style meat (Russian: мясо по-французски, romanized: myáso po-frantsúski). Such varieties often replace veal with cheaper meats, such as beef or pork, have sliced potato added to simpler preparations of mushroom and onion, or replace the Mornay sauce with mayonnaise.

Zrazy

Zrazy

Zrazy is a meat roulade dish popular in Poland (Silesian rouladen), western Belarus and Lithuania. Its origin can be traced back to the times of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Classic zrazy have a rolled shape and are made of thin slices of beef, which is flavored with salt and pepper and stuffed with vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, and potato. It is unknown exactly when this dish was invented as well as which region of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth first produced it; both Poland and Lithuania claim to have created zrazy.

Achichuk

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Achichuk

Salad of tomatoes and onions

Ajika

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Ajika

Ajika or Adjika , is a Georgian spicy, subtly flavored sauce or dip from Samegrelo region. Often used to flavor food. Ajika is primarily pepper based and usually includes other spices such as coriander, fenugreek, or blue fenugreek. Common varieties of ajika resemble Italian red pesto in appearance and consistency, although a dry version also exists. Though it is usually red, green ajika is also made with unripe peppers. In 2018, ajika was included on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia list.

Aspic

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Aspic

Aspic or meat jelly is a savoury gelatin made with a meat stock or broth, set in a mold to encase other ingredients. These often include pieces of meat, seafood, vegetable, or eggs. Aspic is also sometimes referred to as aspic gelée or aspic jelly. In its simplest form, aspic is essentially a gelatinous version of conventional soup. According to one poetic reference by Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi, who described a version of a dish prepared with Iraqi carp, it was "like ruby on the platter, set in a pearl ... steeped in saffron thus, like garnet it looks, vibrantly red, shimmering on silver". Historically, meat aspics were made even before fruit- and vegetable-flavoured aspics. By the Middle Ages, cooks had discovered that a thickened meat broth could be made into a jelly. A detailed recipe for aspic is found in Le Viandier, written in or around 1375.

Baklazhannaya ikra

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Baklazhannaya ikra

Roasted eggplant spread or dip, serve with toast, bread, vegetables

Baursak

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Baursak

Boortsog[a] or baursaki is a type of fried dough food found in the cuisines of Central Asia, Idel-Ural, Mongolia and the Middle East. It is shaped into either triangles or sometimes spheres. The dough consists of flour, yeast, milk, eggs, butter, salt, sugar, and margarine. Tajik boortsog are often decorated with a criss-cross pattern by pressing the bottom of a small strainer on the dough before it is fried. Boortsog is often eaten as a dessert, with syrup or jam or honey. They may be thought of as cookies or biscuits, and since they are fried, they are sometimes compared to doughnuts. Mongolians and Turkic peoples sometimes dip boortsog in tea. In Central Asia, baursaki are often eaten alongside chorba. Uštipci are doughnut-like fried dough balls popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia, especially in Vojvodina, Srem district and Slovenia where they are known as "miške".

Bliny

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Bliny

Blini , singular: blin, are an Eastern European pancake made from various kinds of flour of buckwheat, wheat, etc. They may be served with smetana, cottage cheese, caviar and other garnishes, or simply smeared with butter. They are a traditional Slavic dish. In the West, blini traditionally refers to small savory pancakes made with leavened batter. In modern Russian, the term most often refers to pan-sized leavened thin pancakes, although smaller leavened pancakes are also called blini. Smaller and thicker pancakes (with several of them baked on one larger pan) are called oladyi. Blintzes, called blinchiki (little blinis) in Russian are an offshoot of blini or crêpes. They are basically rolls based on thin pancakes usually made of wheat flour, folded to form a casing for various kinds of filing, typically cheese, fruit, or (in Russian cuisine) pre-fried minced meat, and then sautéed or baked.

1
2
Next