HOW DID KAZAKHS PRESERVE MEAT WITHOUT REFRIGERATION?

Because Kazakh culinary culture developed within a predominantly nomadic way of life, preservation was a necessity and not a secondary concern. Meat and dairy had to be made into products in forms that could be stored for long periods, remain appealing even when eaten regularly, and continue to retain their flavor. This way of life also had a significant influence on not only methods of food preservation but also preparation. Every technique, from drying to fermenting, was tailored to a life on the move.

Of particular importance were the techniques that made it possible to preserve meat during the summer and transport it over long distances without fear of spoilage. Over time, these practices gave rise to various methods of preserving meat products made from horse, mutton, and camel meat: the meat was air-cured, salted, dried, smoked, or cooked before being stored.

The timing of slaughtering the animal was also determined by the season in which livestock reached the right weight. Animals were generally not slaughtered during the winter and early spring, which was when animals tended to lose weight and the calving season was underway. For this reason, soğymiSoğym was the traditional Kazakh late-autumn livestock slaughter, a practical and communal event for preparing and preserving meat and sharing portions among family.] traditionally began in late November or early December: meat was prepared and preserved in advance to last for an extended period.

Today, of course, all of this has changed. The widespread availability of refrigerators and freezers, together with modern food distribution and logistics, means that food can be purchased from store shelves throughout the year, and the seasons no longer dictate the menu the way they once did.

When livestock was slaughtered, some of the meat was specifically set aside for long-term storage: it was salted, air-dried, and smoked. This applied primarily to horse meat as it was used to prepare delicacies that occupied a place of honor on any dastarkhan or festive spread. For example, qazy (horse meat sausages), shūjyq (another type of horse sausage), jal, jaia, and qarta (which are all cured meats) are all prepared from horse meat during the soğym slaughter. However, the various methods of preserving meat in nomadic culture have a much more ancient history. For example, the inhabitants of the famous Botai settlement in northern KazakhstaniThe Botai culture is an archaeological culture dating from approximately 3700 to 3100 BCE, discovered in the Akmola Region of Kazakhstan. It is best known for providing some of the earliest evidence of horse domestication in human history. practiced the communal hunting of wild horses. During archaeological excavations of the settlement, researchers discovered specially constructed pits that had been used to store meat and served as a kind of refrigerator.

Different kinds of meat products were air-dried in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight. This helped prevent the meat from spoiling for extended periods while preserving its natural flavor. In the northern regions of Kazakhstan, parts of the carcass that were not to be preserved through air-drying—such as the head, shanks, and offal of the animal—were smoked instead. In the western and southern regions, Kazakhs traditionally used another preservation method, which was salting.

After being air-dried or dehydrated, the meat was placed in bags and stored in a well-ventilated place protected from sunlight usually until the Nauryz holiday. As the weather grew warmer, the meat was taken down from the hooks it had been placed on and transferred into kebeje or bags, which were also known as et qaptar, or meat storage bags. The meat was placed inside to prevent it from drying out excessively.

Before being cooked, air-dried meat was soaked in cold water for a period of time, presumably to rehydrate it, and then simmered over low heat. Before it was served, it was thinly sliced and could also be used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes.

Nomadic communities also developed a method to preserve fresh meat for a day or two during the summer without refrigeration. The meat was wrapped in a thoroughly moistened towel or cloth and placed in an earthenware vessel. The vessel was then placed inside a larger container filled with salt water. The evaporating moisture kept the inner vessel cool, buying precious time in the summer heat.

For longer storage, a different process was used. Before being air-dried, the meat was cut into long strips of moderate thickness. Spacers were placed between the pieces, and the cut surfaces were sprinkled with salt. The remaining parts of the carcass were prepared in the same way and hung up to dry. The meat was then smoked for several days before being left to dry further. Finally, the smoked meat was hung in the shade.

At the Abai Memorial Complex in Jidebay in the Abai Region of Kazakhstan, a rare object that offers a glimpse into the traditional Kazakh methods of preparing and storing meat has been painstakingly preserved. It consists of wooden posts fitted with racks for hanging meat. Livestock was slaughtered and butchered here, after which the meat was hung from hooks to dry. When meat was to be smoked, bark was burned in the hearth at the center of the structure and left to smolder slowly, while the meat hung above the smoke overnight. Birch bark was most commonly used for smoking.

To protect the meat from flies, a special frame covered with gauze was constructed over it. If this was not possible to do, the meat was immersed for several minutes in the boiling mixture used to make qurt, a sun-dried, salted cheese ball made from soured milk, then removed and hung in the shade. Meat treated in this way—briefly cooked and then air-dried—could keep for several days without spoiling and was convenient to take along on long journeys.

Among the many preservation methods nomads developed, storing meat in the snow was one of the simplest, and it was primarily used by livestock herders and shepherds, whose animals provided a steady supply. The meat was wrapped in the hide of the slaughtered animal and buried in the snow, where it could be kept until the snow began to melt. Because it remained fresh, this meat was often reserved for serving honored elders and respected guests who might arrive unexpectedly.

Another traditional method of preserving meat for extended periods was to fill an underground cellar with snow or ice. Through the winter, the provisions stored there remained almost as fresh as when they had first been prepared. The method worked because temperatures underground remained low and relatively stable, allowing the snow and ice to remain frozen for a long time. In this way, meat could be preserved until the following autumn, which was nearly an entire year.

Naturally, preserving meat was much easier in the colder regions of the country. There, large cuts of horse meat and beef were frozen and then hung in a cool, well-ventilated place, where they would stay firm and fresh through the long winter.

In the past, meat was also commonly preserved in containers of skimmed milk. The milk would quickly sour, forming a protective layer over the meat, thus preventing contact with the air. The lactic acid produced through fermentation inhibited bacterial growth, allowing the meat to remain fresh for an extended period. Before cooking, meat preserved in milk was rinsed with water and then thoroughly dried.

In every Kazakh household, a portion of sybağa—a special serving reserved for an honored guest—was traditionally set aside for visitors. It consisted of delicacies such as qazy-qarta, jal-jaia, and shūjyq. The meat was placed in a bag, with a piece of iron tucked into it. According to traditional belief, the iron kept harmful substances from forming over the meat and kept it from spoiling.

Flour served a similar purpose for other cuts of meat. Lightly dried qazy, the traditional sausage made from horse meat, was preserved in flour, a method that could keep it in good condition until summer. This practice appears to have become widespread after the nineteenth century, when commercially milled flour became more readily available and affordable across the country. During this time, fairs also spread across the Kazakh steppe, further driving down the price of flour and considerably boosting trade throughout the steppe regions.

Over time, however, as the traditional nomadic way of life across the Kazakh steppe underwent profound changes, these methods of preserving meat in flour or milk gradually fell out of use and were eventually forgotten.

In traditional Kazakh society, those who could not afford to slaughter a horse would slaughter a cow, camel, or sheep instead. A sheep carcass was traditionally singed whole without removing the hide. This gave the meat a distinctive flavor and allowed it to be preserved for a considerable length of time.

To singe the sheep whole, an opening approximately the width of a palm was made in the animal’s abdomen after slaughter, and it was through this that the internal organs were removed. The carcass was then left for two to three hours to cool and drain. The thick wool was subsequently trimmed, the opening secured, and the carcass prepared for singeing. Once it was singed, the carcass was washed and cleaned, then left for another two to three hours to allow any excess moisture to drain out before being hung up. It was then buried in a shaded place and stored there until the onset of the winter.

With the arrival of the first spell of cold weather, smaller livestock, such as sheep and goats, raised for meat were slaughtered in advance, both to conserve hay for the season and to prevent the animals from losing weight during the colder months. After the carcass was butchered, the meat was salted and left to drain thoroughly before being packed tightly into the qūiryq mai, or the animal’s tail fat. The qūiryq mai were then hung in a shoshalaiA shoshala is a traditional Kazakh dwelling—a round, yurt-like structure with a conical roof—historically used as winter housing and later as a kitchen or storage building., where they could be kept until spring. This method was known as bürme.

Another method of preservation was to place the meat, the singed head, and the offal inside the animal’s hide. Such a reserve was especially convenient to have on hand when a special guest arrived. The head was served first at the dastarkhan, after which the contents of the bürme were transferred to a cauldron.

The chief advantage of this method was that the meat retained both its flavor and nutritional value. However, it was important not to oversalt the meat intended for bürme, as too much salt would ruin the broth, making it unfit to eat. If the meat turned out too salty, there was a remedy. Several pieces of charcoal, wrapped in cloth, were placed in the broth. The charcoal drew out the excess salt, restoring the broth's flavor and making it fit for the table once again.