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Traditional Food of Turkmenistan: 9 Dishes of Turkmen Cuisine You Must Try

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4 months ago

Turkmenistan may be famous for its vast deserts, quirky monuments and Silk Road history, but some may say its best hidden secret is the relatively unknown Turkmen cuisine. If you think you known Central Asian food, the traditional food of Turkmenistan will surprise you.

One of my favorite things about many of the traditional foods of Turkmenistan is how deeply intertwined they are with Turkmen history and culture. From nomadic snacks to seasonal stews, every traditional dish of Turkmenistan tells a unique story.

Some dishes might feel familiar — thanks to regional influences from Uzbekistan, Persia, and South Asia — but others are distinctly Turkmen, and you won’t find them anywhere else. In this guide, we’ve rounded up the must-try traditional dishes of Turkmen cuisine, and, as always, we’ve mapped out the best places to try them in Turkmenistan.

1. Turkmen plov

If you’ve spent any time across Central Asia, you’ll probably be sick of this beloved rice dish by the time you arrive in Turkmenistan. But if you’ve just landed in this part of the world, you’re in for a treat.

I was completely shocked the first time I saw a restaurant menu offering both Turkmen and Uzbek plov. But rest assured, Turkmen plov is considered to be a different dish – with subtle differences from the more mainstream Uzbek plov.

As a plov amateur, I can only repeat what my local friends in Turkmenistan share about the differences in flavor. Turkmen plov is known to be less oily, using more subtle flavors than the Uzbek variety. Rather than a rich spice mix of cumin or berries, Turkmen plov allows the vegetable and meat flavors seep into the rice.

Given the nomadic history of the Turkmen people, it comes as no surprise that Turkmenistan cuisine relies on fewer flavors. In short, nomads tend to use whatever they have on hand.

Best place to try Turkmen plov in Turkmenistan

If you ask any Turkmen person, they’ll answer the best place to try Turkmen plov is in a family home. If you’re lucky to visit one of the Silk Road shrines on a busy day, the pilgrims may share some of their plov (usually carried in large plastic bags).

Otherwise, the best place to try Turkmen plov (and many other foods of Turkmenistan) is Merdem restaurant in Ashgabat. With air-conditioned yurts and lovely interiors, you’ll feel Turkmen in no time.

2. Gutap

Across Turkmenistan you’ll find various forms of stuffed pastries and breads. Gutap may well be my favorite of the traditional food of Turkmenistan. These baked (not fried) pastries are quite large and usually stuffed with meat, potatos or peppery pumpkin.

Gutap are often a little thinner than other Turkmen pastries, making them more of an airy snack than heavy meal.

Gutap is one of the few Turkmenistan foods which vegetarians – who will struggle across Central Asia – can indulge in. However, vegetarians be warned: the pumpkin varieties are often cooked or boiled with meat fat. If you are ordering pumpkin gutap, make sure to ask your hosts to cook a new batch of pumpkin completely free of meat. If you’re even slightly nervous, stick with the potato option.

Best place to try gutap in Turkmenistan

Unlike other countries in Central Asia, street food is almost non-existent in Turkmenistan. This means you’ll need to seek out this traditional street-side snack in cafes and restaurants. Unquestionably, the new Peyniri restaurant in Ashgabat (near the old Soviet circus) offers the best gutap I’ve eaten in Turkmenistan.

3. Samsa

Throughout Central Asia you’ll find variations of samsa on offer. There’s a reason the name sounds something like samosa – both offer pockets of dough with different stuffing. The samsas are usually stuck to the walls of a deep oven pit (or tandoor) where they are baked to crispy perfection.

In Turkmenistan, samsas generally come in four forms: ground beef, spinach, potato and pumpkin. Much like the gutap, if you are vegetarian, ask your guide to request that your samsa is made with no fats or oils and just vegetables.

Best place to try samsa in Turkmenistan

You’ll find samsa on the menu of many traditional restaurants in Turkmenistan. Generally speaking, it’s difficult to make a bad samsa – which means this is often a safe bet for picky eaters.

Samsa experts have long considered the Nohurda soygi dagy restaurant in Nokhur as one of the best places for samsa in Turkmenistan. With a beautiful setting overlooking the Nokhur waterfall, a samsa lunch is a memorable experience before visiting the historic sites of this stuck-in-time village.  

If you’re visiting the magnificent Silk Road ruins of Merv, this street-side shop on the outskirts of Merv city offers excellent samsa.

4. Dograma

This clear-broth soup is a common winter food in Turkmenistan. Served with meatballs (in the soup) and other boiled vegetables, the soup will often have an oily foam (which I’m told is very tasty). On occasion, you’ll find shredded meat forming the base of the soup (instead of meatballs).

The best way to eat dograma – like most soups in Turkmenistan – is to dip a chunk of the heavy, thick chorek (Turkmen bread) into the soup. The bread will quickly soften and absorb the hearty, meaty flavors of the soup. If you’ve found yourself questioning why Turkmen bread is often so firm, after one bowl of dograma and bread it will all start to make a little sense!

Best place to try dograma in Turkmenistan

As a seasonal soup, your best bet is small road-side cafes. If you see someone in the kitchen who could potentially be your Turkmen grandmother, you know you’re in for a treat.

5. Chal

If you have a trip lined up to the Yangy Kala Canyon, or any of the vast desert plains of Turkmenistan, there’s a good chance someone will offer you a frothy cup of chal. Often considered Turkmenistan’s national drink, chal is otherwise known as fermented camel milk.

I love watching my friends take their first sip of chal. The immediate reaction is always interesting. But if you’re up for trying the traditional food of Turkmenistan, you’ll need to add a cup of chal to any meal of plov or samsa!

My Turkmen friends swear by chal. Fermented in the Turkmen sun, they insist chal offers a tonic full of probiotics and other good things to help clear your system. I’m no nutritionist, so you’ll need to trust nomadic wisdom on that one.

Best place to try chal in Turkmenistan

You’re unlikely to find chal in the fancy restaurants of Ashgabat. Rather, your best bet is in one of the old, slightly Soviet, slightly Central Asian teahouses on the side of highways or in the back of big bazaars.

6. Batyrma

If you find yourself in Turkmenistan during summer – which let’s be honest, is the only time you’d want to visit – you’re in for a culinary treat. For much of the year, Turkmenistan is off-limits due to extreme cold. This basically brings agriculture to a halt, including the country’s excellent fruits and vegetables. To celebrate the summer months, Turkmen cuisine is full of fresh, vibrant vegetables.

Batyrma is the classic Turkmen summer vegetable stew. Much like a European ratatouille, batyrma is a tomato-based stew, full of fresh peppers, onions and whatever other vegetables are around. On occasion, your hosts will put a little chunk of meat in. However, as a general rule, batyrma is a vegetarian dish.

Best place to try batyrma in Turkmenistan

Batyrma is really a staple of Turkmen cuisine. If you’re visiting in season, you’ll likely see it on every Turkmenistan menu. One of my favorites bowls of batyrma is in the surprisingly trendy Üzüm Café in Ashgabat.

7. Shashlyk

Can you really write a guide to Central Asian cuisine and not mention shashlyk? While shashlyk is not a unique Turkmen food, as you’ll soon find out every country does shashlyk a little different.

Turkmenistan cuisine is famous in Central Asia for its simplicity and subtle flavors. Being a closed-off country for decades means there is very little means for fusion to get through Turkmenistan’s borders. Usually, your lamb, beef or chicken shashlyk will be seasoned with a dash of pepper or salt. Unlike Uzbek or Kazakh shashlyk, you’re unlikely to find heavily spiced versions in Turkmenistan.

There’s nothing more quintessentially Turkmen then the ritual of going for shashlyk. The outdoor barbecues sending smoke up until the bright blue sky, the men laughing as they check on the meat like it’s a piece of fine art. It’s one of those rare moments where I find myself picturing exactly what the Silk Road would have been like.

Best place to try shashlyk in Turkmenistan

Beyond a street-side shashlyk, the Berk Garden Pub in Asghabat is famous for its shashlyk and beer combos. With a large outdoor area, pool and open barbecues, this is about as atmospheric Ashgabat gets.

8. Kurut

Kurut is not completely unique to Turkmenistan, but if Turkmenistan is your first exposure to the nomadic world – you’ll want to get on (or avoid) this train. This unique snack holds a particularly special place among the traditional food of Turkmenistan.

Kurut is basically dried balls of mouldy cheese, usually made from strained sour milk. It’s generally rock hard and you’ll need to gnaw at it to break off a little chunk. Given the nomadic life of the Turkmens of the past, kurut was a reliable snack which could be brought along pretty much anywhere.

Best place to try kurut in Turkmenistan

You’ll find kurut in little bazaars across the country. Unquestionably, the most ‘appetising’ (and I say that lightly) kurut I have seen is among the tea-sellers of Nokhur.

9. Turkmenistan desserts

Any conversation about the traditional food of Turkmenistan would be incomplete without mentioning the desserts of Turkmenistan cuisine.

From Turkmen donuts to unique fruits, don’t miss our ultimate guide to the traditional desserts of Turkmen cuisine.


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