Kyrgyzstan is increasingly known for its breathtaking landscapes, endless mountain vistas and genuine hospitality, but what about its gastronomy? Still little known around the world, Kyrgyz cuisine is nonetheless as rich in flavors as the country's plains and canyons. Treat your palate to these 6 must-try dishes of the Kyrgyz table between mountain treks.

Boorsok

A fried flatbread, boorsok graces every Kyrgyz table. Served with a dollop of homemade jam, it's a true delight that disappears all too quickly. This traditional bread, served with tea, isn't baked in an oven but fried in a touch of oil. Prepared in large quantities, it's an absolute must at celebrations like weddings and funerals, as well as for welcoming guests. By tradition, three women prepare the boorsok: the first makes the dough, the second cuts the pieces, and the third fries them.

Samsa

This small pastry filled with meat is the favorite snack of Kyrgyz nomads. Cooked primarily in the southern regions of the country, its preparation is quite remarkable. Traditional samsa isn't baked in an oven but in a "tandir," a traditional Central Asian clay oven shaped like a well and heated by an internal stove. The samsas are pressed onto the oven's walls with a touch of oil. Golden on the outside, they're tender and melt-in-your-mouth inside... simply delicious!  

Shorpo

This is the traditional Kyrgyz soup: shorpo, a hearty meat broth featuring mutton, potatoes, carrots and fresh herbs, is a dish that appears regularly on Kyrgyz tables. Served as a starter or main course, this delicious and flavorful soup warms perfectly in the heights of the jailoos, mountain pastures, where Kyrgyz herders spend long months.

Plov

Kyrgyz cuisine is richly aromatic, yet admittedly, quite hearty. This makes sense when visiting a country comprising over 95% high mountains, often snow-covered: Kyrgyz herders need strength to raise their livestock and survive brutally cold winters.

A dish found throughout Central Asia, plov is rice cooked with yellow carrots, beef or mutton, and small red chili peppers, all cooked in animal fat. Indeed, a good plov is judged by the oil traces it leaves on the spoon. This rich dish is also served at celebrations and family meals. Traditionally, it's eaten from a single large platter placed at the center of the table or on the ground. Each region, and even each family, has its own plov recipe, which can taste quite different depending on the rice used and the ingredients added—pomegranate or raisins, for example.  

Lagman

This dish of Uyghur or Dungan origin, from Chinese minorities living in large numbers in Kyrgyzstan, is a delight for those who love spicy food. Its long handmade noodles, combined with meat and peppers, are dressed in a deliciously spiced sauce. You'll find different varieties of lagman: in soup (jidkii lagman) or fried (boso lagman). The technique for making the handmade noodles, delicately hand-rolled over long distances, is very difficult and is passed down from mother to daughter in families throughout the country.

Beshbarmak

Originating in Kyrgyzstan, beshbarmak is a dish found only in this region. Its name, meaning "five fingers," refers to the traditional way of eating it: with your hands. It's a dish of fatty meat first boiled, then added to noodles. A sauce made from onions cooked in the meat broth is poured over the top. Beshbarmak can be prepared from horse, mutton, yak, or more rarely, beef.

For Kyrgyz people, beshbarmak is far more than just a dish. It's a tradition, mandatory at all major celebrations. Pieces of meat are distributed according to the status, gender, and age of guests. The eldest is always served first.