"BEŞBARMAQ"

And the same holds true for beşbarmaq. Just as we see the reflections of the surrounding world in a drop of water, we can observe various facets of the lifestyle of a nomadic people in this one national dish. That's why there are so many debates, and sometimes scandals, surrounding it. In fact, even the story of its name is rather complicated!

Beşbarmaq (or besparmak) is a word of Turkic origin that means 'five fingers'. It refers to eating with your hands, without spoons, forks, and knives. However, in 2003, in Astana, the Department for the Development of the State Language refused to register a restaurant under the name ‘Beşbarmachnaya’ (which roughly translates to Beşbarmaq House). There was even a court case where several invited philologists and doctors of science argued that the word beşbarmaq is not a Kazakh word, but a foreign borrowing. Thus, they suggested it is inappropriate to use it as a proper name to refer to a traditional Kazakh food. It should instead be called et asy (meat treat) or simply et (meat).

But let’s set aside the debate about the benefits or drawbacks of foreign loanwords for another time, and allow us to extend our apologies to those who might not appreciate the term ‘beşbarmaq’. We will continue to use it in this article because we will frequently discuss pan-Turkic subjects and delve into the broader Asian context of ancient cuisine.

Among nomads, beşbarmaq was a precious and exquisite dish that only affluent families and clans could afford, and even they only made it on holidays or for esteemed guests. To begin with, the dough for beşbarmaq was always made from wheat, which meant it had to be purchased. Nomadic peoples gathered wild grains (farro, millet, barley, et cetera) and used them to make porridge and bread, but wheat had to be bought in cities from merchants. It also had to be carried along because unlike meat and milk, flour doesn’t run after you across the steppe. Second, making the dish required a cauldron, or kazan (traditional cooking pot).

In the past, cauldrons were mostly made of bronze or cast iron and were very expensive, especially in areas where there were no mines or foundries. Specialists believe that in the first millennium CE, among the nomads of the Great Steppe, three types of kazans were prevalent: Greek, Chinese, and Scythian–Saka. This meant that cauldrons made their way into the steppe from all corners of the inhabited world back then. They were highly valued, being passed down from generation to generation.

Yet, a large number of traditional steppe dishes were prepared without this luxury: food was smoked, dried, salted, roasted, baked on coals and stones, cooked in sheepskins and clay, simmered in hastily built earthen ovens, dried in the sun, and fermented in jugs. However, boiling remained the most complex and rare method of food preparation for a long time.

Traditional beşbarmaq consists of five main ingredients.

Meat (et)

While most Turkic peoples use lamb, the traditional meat for beşbarmaq among Kazakhs is horse meat. Nowadays, restaurants often offer various options, with lamb being the main meat and sausages made from horse meat, known as qazy and şūjyq, being added in as well.

Dough (jaima)

The wheat flour dough (which today often has eggs added in) is usually rolled into thin circles known as jaima, which are then boiled in broth. Sometimes, the dough is cut into pieces, and sometimes it is left in the form of circles. The skill of rolling out jaima thinly and evenly is still considered one of the qualities of a good bride—at least in regions where most brides wonder if ordering delivery is the best way to prepare beşbarmaq!

Broth (sorpa or şorpa)

A strained meat broth (usually of the meat used to make the dish) is used to lightly season the cooked dish. It is also served along with the beşbarmaq in a bowl or pitcher.

Dressing (tuzdyq)

This is an herbal dressing for the soup. Herbs that have been lightly simmered in the broth are placed on top of the meat. Today, the wild onion that is traditionally used is often replaced with onion rings and garlic cloves, with the latter being removed from the tuzdyq before it is served. Though, considering that this dish was invented by peoples who didn't rely heavily on gardening, to say the least, using regular onion is a slight profanation. Traditionally, Kazakhs used the shoots of wild onion, which combine the flavors of onion and garlic, as well as other seasonal aromatic steppe herbs. In the past, gathering herbs for the beşbarmaq was a common duty for girls and young women.

Qurt

This is salted and dried cottage cheese, which is grated and dissolved in the şorpa and tuzdyq. Sometimes, qurt is served to guests separately in bowls in the form of small balls. Qurt is an extremely important element of beşbarmaq since serving beşbarmaq implies consuming a large quantity of meat. According to numerous written accounts, even from the nineteenth century, while a feast was being planned, animals were slaughtered on the calculation of 5 kilograms of pure meat per guest. Even the stomachs of nomads, accustomed to this diet, often struggled with the acidity caused by such a large protein and fat attack, and so the highly alkaline qurt was necessary to prevent guests from suffering heartburn. Turks mainly make qurt (or kurut) from cow's milk, but Kazakhs prefer qurt made from cow's milk (and in western Kazakhstan from camel milk). Qurt is made from curdled milk, and the cheese is mixed with salt, rolled into balls, and dried in the sun until completely hard.

Nowadays, it has become common in Kazakh households to add potatoes and carrots to beşbarmaq. However, such a deviation from the canon is often unacceptable in restaurants that serve classic national cuisine. Only with great reluctance do the masters of the kazan recognize a fish variation of beşbarmaq, especially prevalent in the Caspian regions of the country. Although this version has a venerable ancient history, traditionalists insist on calling it ‘qarma’ (which means ‘mixed’) or at least ‘fishbarmak’.

As we know, beşbarmaq is primarily a festive and an almost ritual dish. The most important aspect of it is not just the taste and delicacy of the food, but the proper adherence to the ceremony of its preparation and serving. Fierce debates arise in ethnographic seminars and forums with regard to the nuances of this ceremony that require one to be very courageous to acknowledge any version as truly canonical. Therefore, we will provide some general and some specific rules, without insisting categorically on their immutability and mandatory nature.

Tea is served both before and after serving beşbarmaq. There is even a saying about it: ‘Two cups of tea surround the meat.’ In some families, during major celebrations with guests, it is customary for young children to pour the tea as guests express their wishes for the children’s well-being, sometimes giving the children small gifts like money, toys, or sweets. In addition, the youngest male children of the family may also serve the guests water and towels to wash and dry their hands before the meal. After fulfilling this solemn duty and demonstrating their maturity, the children are set free and served their meal separately.

Interestingly, dividing guests into separate tables for men and women during holidays was not traditionally practiced among the Kazakhs. Everyone ate together, but teenagers and children were usually seated at a separate dastarqan (which means ‘tablecloth’ but usually indicates the meal setting) farther away from the adults. The highest place on the dastarqan, called the tör, is occupied by the eldest diner or the most honored guest. It is customarily considered that a person who still has a living father cannot sit at the tör, but exceptions are made for especially distinguished guests. Some of these nuances may be confusing to modern Kazakhs.

Then the meat from the kazan is brought in and is divided in a ritual called tabaq tartu. The head of the animal, if the meat cooked is lamb, is served to the most senior and respected guests. It is placed on a serving dish called bas tabaq, and it should have pelvic bones (jambas), thigh bones (ortan jilik), spinal cord bones (beldeme jambas), fillets, and pieces of sausage on it.

The serving of the beşbarmaq is broken up into many different portions. For example, if the parents of the family’s son-in-law or daughter-in-law are present at the celebration, they receive qos tabaq, which is the same dish as bas tabaq, but it consists of two thigh bones instead of one.

Кüieu tabaq is a regular dish that is served to the rest of the guests. It usually consists of thigh bones, ribs, spine, and sausages.

Qyz tabaq is served to unmarried girls. Besides the ribs, it will include liver, heart, and tongue.

Bala tabaq is a dish for children. It includes tongue as well as meat from the sides and back of an animal.

After the dishes are served, the host or an esteemed guest blesses the feast and everyone present. Then, young men start cutting the meat from the bones in front of the guests, placing it on the tabaq and other dishes with jaima. The more skillfully and neatly they do it, the better, as the beautiful carving of meat is quite like a show of their talents and skills.

Once the meat is carved and arranged, young women pour tuzdyq over it, and the honored guest takes the first piece with their hand. After that, everyone else can start eating while the girls of the family distribute jugs of şorpa, bowls of qurt, and some additional snacks.

There's no need to rush; Kazakhs are not familiar with the tradition of ‘When I eat, I'm deaf and mute.’ Enjoyable table conversation is an essential part of the meal, although, of course, the first few minutes are usually reserved for satisfying hunger. An hour or two is the minimum time required for the thoughtful consumption of beşbarmaq while engaging in general conversation. In the case of major celebratory feasts, the duration of the meal can easily be three or even four times that. Let's remember that there are 5 kilograms of meat per guest to be consumed, and let’s pay our respects to the health of our ancestors.

When the plates are empty and the guests lean back against their cushions with a groan, the hosts will ask for permission to clear the table. Permission is then granted with another blessing of all present at the dastarqan. Once again, the boys of the family appear with buckets, soap, and towels for people to wash and dry their hands. Afterward, it's time to drink tea, this time with various sweets.

To what extent has the tradition of beşbarmaq as a ritual been preserved in modern Kazakhstan? It is undoubtedly still alive in the yurts of herders and rural areas, but even in major cities, many housewives keep reserves of the right cuts of horse meat and mutton in their freezers in case older relatives pay an unexpected visit. And at the markets, vendors will effortlessly put together the optimal assortment for all the tabaqs when you specify what your guest list looks like.

The number of raised seats (tör) for the dastarqan and portable hearths that can still be seen, not only in country cottages but also in the city homes of well-to-do Kazakhs in the capital, suggests that it is too early to bury this tradition. It is a spectacle that every family can arrange, a generational bonding game, something very important that one wants to preserve and carry forward.

A basic recipe for beşbarmaq starts with pouring cold water over raw meat (horse meat, lamb, or a mix of both) in a pot and cooking it over low heat with the lid on for three to four hours, until the meat becomes tender. Thirty minutes before the end of cooking, add sun-dried or smoked meat and sausages (qazy, şūjyq).

Prepare the dough by mixing 200 grams of wheat flour with one egg and 3–4 grams of salt. You can also add pumpkin puree to give the dough a beautiful yellow hue. To make the puree at home, cut the pumpkin into pieces, bake it in the oven until soft, and then blend it into a puree. You can store it in the freezer and use it as needed.

Finely chop jusai (wild onion) or chop onions into rings, add a small amount of broth, and cook for about two minutes to prevent the onions from becoming too soft. Add grated qurt to the resulting tuzdyq mixture.

Roll out the dough into thin, translucent circles and cook them in the broth for about two minutes. Arrange the cooked dough on a plate or cut it into pieces. Place the meat on top of the dough. If you plan to follow the traditional ritual of serving beşbarmaq, present the dish to the guests in this form and cut it up in front of them. If you are not, remove the meat from the bones, chop it finely, slice the sausages, and place everything on the dough. Then, pour the tuzdyq over it. Serve with şorpa poured into small pitchers or cups, and add some grated qurt to it.

Bon appétit—or, as they say in Kazakhstan, as bolsyn!