The Kyrgyz are known to travelers as one of the most welcoming peoples in the world. Kyrgyz hospitality – and the codes that follow it – is actually inherited from nomadic culture: nomads traveled long distances on horseback, so it was customary to welcome travelers into one's yurt.

With their frank smiles, curiosity, and generosity, many Kyrgyz will offer you help or invite you for a cup of tea or a meal. But each people has its own table customs, so here are some useful traditions to know in order to understand the codes and show respect during your trip to Kyrgyzstan :

Your place at the table

Traditionally, Kyrgyz eat on the ground, sitting on « toshoks», a kind of mattress that folds away easily. There may be a low table in the center, but it's not always the case. They usually eat sitting cross-legged: a bit of agility is useful. Other families and tourist facilities offer dining while sitting on chairs or benches around a high table – in short, the European way.

Wait for your host to know where to sit. Guests are generally placed directly facing the door. This place is reserved for guests, men and women with high social status, or unmarried young women. Indeed, the Kyrgyz are very honored to welcome guests, especially foreign ones, and want them to be visible as soon as someone enters their yurt (or home).

Setting the table

Kyrgyz tables are appetizing... Traditionally, when welcoming guests, you must at least find « kaimak», homemade fresh cream, and « boorsok», small fried breads. Nowadays, you'll always find bread, homemade jam, and honey: it's the minimum for welcoming guests, even in the poorest families.

Wealthier families will offer you a true feast. Tables are covered with small dishes containing various salads, sweets, fried bread, and fruits.

Generally, the hot dish is placed in a large plate in the center of the table. It is customary to eat directly from this communal dish, but families accustomed to welcoming tourists serve the meal on individual plates.

Bread: a sacred food

In Kyrgyzstan, bread is sacred and you must absolutely not throw it away. Breadcrumbs or stale bread are not thrown away either. Place them in a high place, for example on a small wall or a tree for the birds. Similarly, if a Kyrgyz person sees bread or crumbs on the ground, they will pick them up to place them in a high place.

If you refuse to stay for tea, or don't have time for it, you'll be offered a piece of bread before you leave: don't refuse it.

Another tradition around bread: you must share the « leposhka » (round bread) with your hands, not with a knife. You must cut a piece for everyone. You can't just tear a piece of bread for yourself and leave the rest of the bread uncut.

Meat sharing

Kyrgyz dishes are often meat-based (mutton, beef, yak, or horse). Sometimes meat can be the only ingredient! In traditional dishes, meat is not cut into small pieces. It is served separately and the head of the household (or his son, son-in-law, or brother) must share the meat. Each piece has its meaning and must be distributed to guests according to their status. It's somewhat complicated because each region has its own rules. For example, in some regions the animal's head will be served to the youngest man, while in others it's the opposite. It is the oldest or most respected lady who receives the fat from the sheep's rump. Generally, she cuts a few pieces and offers them to her table neighbors. Meat is served first to the most honored guests. Generally, these are the oldest people, or in-laws.

How to eat respectfully

You don't need to wait for everyone to be at the table to start eating. At the table, you will generally not find a knife. Usually, you eat with a large spoon. You serve yourself directly from the shared dishes. Some dishes are eaten with your hands, like meat, beshbarmak (whose name actually means « five fingers ») or mantys.

Always finish your plate, because it is not customary at all to throw food away in Kyrgyzstan. Besides, whether you're at a family's home or in a restaurant, you usually leave with a « doggy bag »: a plastic bag full of food.

Small tip: Don't eat or drink too quickly, because you'll be served again soon!

Tea traditions

Tea is a whole ceremony in Kyrgyzstan. It accompanies every meal. Certain rules govern the distribution of tea, for example

·        It is the daughter-in-law who must pour tea for others. The teapot will always be beside her. If there is no daughter-in-law in the family, it will be up to the hostess to take care of it.

·        There is always an extra bowl. This is used to mix the tea, and then to pour the dregs from your bowl when she refills it.

·        She must hand you the cup of tea with her right hand.

·        She should only fill your small bowl halfway. A full cup is disrespectful and generally means your host wants you to leave. Serving only half the bowl keeps it cool enough to hold comfortably in your hands, and most importantly shows that your host is ready to serve you and happy to receive you. In fact, you'll notice that women hasten to refill your cup as soon as you take a sip.

Prayer at the end of the meal

While you can start your meal before others, you must absolutely finish it all together with a Muslim prayer: you join your hands together and bring them to your face, as if washing it, while saying « amin ». This applies even if your host only gives you a piece of bread for the road.