What to Eat in Almaty: Beshbarmak, Kazy, Baursak, Kumis, Uyghur Lagman & Aport Apples

Almaty's table reflects two centuries of convergence between nomadic Kazakh steppe herding, Silk Road oasis cooking brought by Uyghur and Dungan communities across the Ili valley, and Russian, Korean, and Tatar flavours visible inside every market row. In the past decade, a wave of neo-nomadic restaurants along Dostyk, Nazarbayev, and Panfilov streets has elevated ancestral hearth recipes alongside neighbourhood noodle canteens (lagmanhana).

Kazakh nomadic staples: beshbarmak and kazy

• Beshbarmak ("Five Fingers"): The ceremonial centrepiece of Kazakh hospitality consists of thin, diamond-cut sheets of boiled dough (zhaima) topped with slow-simmered horsemeat or lamb, rings of black-pepper onion broth (chyk), and slices of rich horse-rib sausage (kazy), accompanied by bowls of hot meat bouillon (sorpa).
• Kazy, Zhal, and Zhaya: Seasoned horse rib meat and fat stuffed into natural casing and air-dried, smoked, or boiled; you can sample slices directly from the butcher counters inside the Green Bazaar.

Baursak, kurt, kumis, and shubat

• Baursak & Kurt: Golden pillows of yeast dough deep-fried in cauldron oil and served warm alongside tea, paired with sun-dried salted curds (kurt) and sweet fried millet with clotted cream (zhent).
• Kumis & Shubat: Tangy, mildly effervescent fermented mare's milk (kumis) and rich, creamy fermented camel's milk (shubat), poured chilled across spring and summer.

Uyghur lagman and Silk Road noodle canteens

Because the Almaty Region is home to a large Uyghur and Dungan community, hand-pulled noodles are an everyday staple. Order guiru lagman (chewy stretched wheat noodles topped with wok-seared beef, crisp peppers, celery, and garlic vinegar) or crispy fried tsomyan.

Steamed pumpkin manti and tandyr samsa

Steamed manti dumplings arrive filled with hand-chopped lamb, tail fat (kurdyuk), and diced autumn pumpkin, while wooden clay-oven bakeries turn out flaky samsa pastries and sesame-stamped flatbreads (tandyr nan).

Almaty Aport apples and orchard flavours

The surrounding Zailiyskiy Alatau foothills are the wild genetic birthplace of the domestic apple (Malus sieversii). In 1865, settler Yegor Redko crossed Voronezh apples with wild local trees to produce the famous Almaty Aport, a fragrant, crimson-striped autumn apple that can weigh 300 to 500 grams. Look for September Aport harvests at the Green Bazaar or try apple-infused teas and desserts after descending from Medeu and Shymbulak.