More Than Food: How Kazakh Cuisine Tells Story of Steppe

2026-03-26 - 13:02

The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA – Kazakh cuisine, shaped by centuries of nomadic life on the Eurasian steppe, reflects a food culture built around mobility, resilience and seasonal rhythms. Rich meat dishes, fermented dairy products and flour-based foods remain defining features of this culinary tradition. Photo credit: depositphotos.com In an interview with The Astana Times, Aliya Bolatkhan, a historian and researcher specializing in the history of food and cultural identity, explained how everyday dishes reveal deeper stories about memory, culture and social change. Aliya Bolatkhan, a historian and researcher. Photo credit: Bolatkhan’s personal archieve Upon completing her master’s degree, Bolatkhan worked at the Oral History Center at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University in Almaty, where researchers traveled to remote villages to document the memories and lived experiences of older generations. Many of those conversations happened in kitchens. As hosts prepared meals, Bolatkhan asked them how they learned to cook certain dishes, what foods they remembered from childhood and which ingredients were available at different moments of their lives. “Gradually it became clear that these seemingly everyday conversations reveal much broader historical stories. Food is connected not only to daily life but also to memory, identity and the transmission of knowledge between generations,” Bolatkhan said. She added that this experience changed her perception of cuisine. “That was when I began to see cuisine as an important source for understanding broader processes, how food practices shape ideas about tradition and cultural identity,” she said. Food as a marker of identity According to Bolatkhan, culinary traditions play a central role in shaping national identity because food habits are among the most persistent forms of cultural practice. “Through food we inherit tastes, habits and ideas about what is familiar and what is foreign. Societies tell stories about themselves through cuisine no less than through language or written history,” she said. Unlike many cultural elements, food traditions are constantly reproduced in daily life: at family gatherings, celebrations, and rituals of hospitality. This makes cuisine a direct link between personal memory and collective history. At the same time, Bolatkhan emphasized that food traditions are not static. “Through dishes and ingredients, societies describe their past, lifestyle and values. But these narratives are shaped historically and often reflect broader social and cultural changes,” she said. A cuisine shaped by landscape and exchange Traditional cuisine often reflects regional conditions such as climate, biodiversity and patterns of economic life. Kazakhstan is no exception. Bolatkhan noted that different regions of the country developed distinct culinary traditions influenced by landscape, available ingredients and historical contact with neighboring cultures. “What is fascinating is how familiar dishes can vary from one region to another. Cuisine is not a static set of recipes but a living system shaped by the interaction of environment, economy and historical exchange,” she said. A clear example is the popular dish called manty, a type of steamed dumpling. Manty are one of the most familiar dishes in Kazakhstan, appearing at family dinners, celebrations and restaurant tables across the country. Yet their story stretches far beyond Kazakhstan to cover a culinary route from Mongolia and Central Asia to the Caucasus, Crimea, and Türkiye. “The history of manty reflects centuries of cultural exchange along the Silk Road and later interactions during the Mongol Empire. Rather than belonging to one nation, the dish represents a shared culinary heritage shaped by adaptation in various regions,” Bolatkhan said. In Kazakhstan, manty have become particularly popular because of their versatility. They can be prepared with meat or vegetables and adapted to seasonal ingredients. Pumpkin manty, for example, are especially popular in the autumn and winter months when the vegetable is at its sweetest and most abundant. The changing story of bauyrsak Even iconic dishes often have more complex histories than commonly assumed. Bauyrsak, small pieces of fried dough traditionally served at celebrations and family gatherings, is widely considered a symbol of Kazakh hospitality today. However, Bolatkhan explained that earlier forms of bauyrsak likely differed from the modern version. In the pre-Soviet period, historical accounts often mentioned small pieces of unleavened dough fried in animal fat. The widespread use of yeast-based wheat dough became common later, particularly during the Soviet era as agricultural practices and everyday diets changed. “In this sense, modern baursak is the result of a long process of historical adaptation. Its story is far more dynamic than it might appear at first glance,” Bolatkhan said. Kurt: a food of survival Another key element of traditional Kazakh cuisine is kurt, a dried fermented dairy product that historically served as a crucial source of nutrition. Bolatkhan studied historical sources from the 18th-20th centuries that document kurt and its preparation. “Kurt is interesting both as a traditional food and also as an example of how even stable elements of cuisine evolve alongside changes in economy, technology and lifestyle,” she said. Archaeological discoveries highlight the deep roots of such dairy traditions. In 1947, archaeologists excavating the Pazyryk burial mounds found a bag of cheese placed in a tomb more than 2,500 years ago, likely an early form of dried dairy similar to kurt. Ancient Chinese chronicles also describe nomadic peoples producing kymyz and cheese as early as the first millennium BCE. “Kurt was extremely practical in a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. It was lightweight, nutritious and could be stored for long periods, making it ideal for mobile pastoral societies,” Bolatkhan said. She highlighted that over time, both the ingredients and the production methods of kurt have changed. Earlier versions were often made from sheep’s milk, while in the 20th century other types of milk became more common as livestock practices evolved. “Technological changes also influenced the product. The introduction of milk separators during the Soviet period altered dairy processing and affected the taste and texture of kurt,” Bolatkhan said. Fermentation played a crucial role in preparing kurt and other dairy products. Historical accounts suggest that starter cultures were carefully preserved and passed down through generations. Each village typically knew which household possessed the most reliable uyitky, a fermented milk used as a starter culture. Kurt itself could take many shapes depending on regional traditions and practical needs. “The most common form was “sykpa kurt,” shaped by pressing the curd mass in the palm. It was usually eaten fresh or lightly dried with tea. Another common variety consisted of round balls called “donggelek kurt,” which were easier to store for long periods. Smaller irregular pieces were often dissolved in hot liquids such as broth or traditional soups,” she said. Rediscovering seasonal foods Bolatkhan believes that many elements of traditional Kazakh cuisine remain underappreciated today, particularly seasonal foods. Public attention often focuses on a few symbolic dishes, she said, but historically the Kazakh diet was far more diverse and closely linked to seasonal cycles. “One example is uyz, or colostrum, the first milk produced after livestock give birth in early spring. Historical sources suggest that uyz was considered both a delicacy and an important seasonal transition. It symbolized the end of winter and the beginning of a new period of abundance in the pastoral calendar,” Bolatkhan said. According to her, understanding these practices helps reveal Kazakh cuisine not merely as a set of dishes but as a complex system connected to seasonal rhythms, economic life, and cultural memory.