ADishIndependent states
Beshbarmak
The king of the Kazakh table — boiled horse meat or mutton on thin sheets of dough with an onion sauce; its name means "five fingers".
The meat is boiled for hours, and thin squares of dough are cooked in the same broth. The meat is cut and laid on the dough, topped with tuzdyq — onions stewed in broth — and served with bowls of hot broth called sorpa.
The name comes from nomadic custom: it was eaten by hand, with five fingers. At a feast the cuts are shared out by guests' age and standing; the sheep's head is presented to the most honoured guest, who shares it around the table.
Beshbarmak is also the national dish of the Kyrgyz and is essential at weddings, holidays and memorial gatherings.
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Updated: October 2, 2026