The food of the Nomad

The Kazakhs’ traditional diet depended on their basic economic activities: herding and arable farming, and consisted almost exclusively of what they produced themselves: milk, meat, grains and other plants. In many respects this dietary pattern is still followed by the Kazakhs of today.

They consume a great variety and quantity of dairy food. All possible types of yoghurt and sour-cream products are made from the milk of sheep, goats and cows, as well as many kinds of dried cheese, which can be preserved for a long time and are highly calorific. There are also sweetmeats made of milk beverages to which millet, wheat or rice are added. Mare’s milk, koumiss, specially prepared in a wooden bowl, is highly valued for its nutritional and medicinal properties. In the same way a drink called shubat is made from camel’s milk. Today, these beverages are used effectively in the treatment of various illnesses in modern medical institutions.

Meat also figured largely in the nomad’s diet. There was a plentiful supply from domesticated animals: sheep, goats, camels and large horned cattle, and also from wild sheep, elik (hornless small deer), steppe antelope and other animals caught by hunting. A special place in the Kazakh cuisine belongs today, as it did in the past, to horse sausage and various other delicacies are made. Horse meat, smoked and dried, is usually prepared for the winter. Fish is also eaten. In the southern regions there is a higher consumption of fruit and vegetables.

A great variety of dishes and many types of bread are made from cereals, particularly wheat, millet and rice. Grain is first boiled, then roasted and crushed in a mortar, after which creamy butter and sugar are added. These and various milk-based sweets take the place of other types of confectionery.

One of the favorite drinks of the Kazakhs is tea. The black varieties are drunk with or without milk. In the southern regions green tea is popular. In the past the Kazakhs had no alcoholic beverages.

The cuisine of the modern Kazakh is much more varied, since it has assimilated the traditions of many peoples. Certain Kazakh national dishes are now prepared only for holidays or special celebrations.

New words

Nomad, diet, herding, arable farming, pattern, consume, preserve, bowl, cuisine, consumption, assimilate

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