Kyrgyzstan Travel Guide - Going Out

Kyrgyz food shows the effect of its location and history; befitting a nation descended from nomadic herdspeople,

Things to know: Restaurants in the capital tend to stop serving at 2200.

National specialities:
• Mutton is the staple meat, enlivened with Chinese influences.
• Shashlyk (skewered chunks of mutton barbecued over charcoal) and lipioshka (round unleavened bread) are often sold on street corners.
• Plov, rice fried with shredded turnip and scraps of mutton, served with bread, is a Central Asian staple.
• Laghman is a noodle soup with mutton and vegetables that was originally imported from Chinese Turkestan.
• Beshbarmak is noodles with shredded, boiled meat in bouillon. Around Lake Issyk-Kul, the noodles are sometimes served with jellied potato starch rather than meat.

National drinks:
• Black or green tea is the most popular drink.
• Koumys (fermented mares’ milk) is mildly alcoholic and can still be found in the countryside; refusing an offer of koumys may cause offence.
• Dzarma (fermented barley flour).
• Boso (fermented millet, resembling beer).
• Beer, vodka and local brandy are all widely available in restaurants.

Tipping: This is becoming more customary, especially in international hotels.

There are performances of both Russian and European operas and ballets in the State Opera House in Bishkek. Local music and theatre has enjoyed a strong revival since independence and excerpts from the Manas, the Kyrgyz national epic about the eponymous warrior that runs to some 500,000 lines, play to packed houses. The Manas was originally handed down orally, but was written down in the early part of the 19th century.

In Bishkek, Osh and Al-Medin bazaars are popular for food and handicrafts. There is also a shop in the Art Gallery that sells paintings and traditional Kyrgyz products. Particularly popular are embroidered Kyrgyz felt hats (kalpak), felt carpets and chess sets with traditional Kyrgyz figures.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1700.