Food As Culture: the Kazakh Experience

observations of travelers con- Food as Culture: The Kazakh cerning the abundance of festive entertainment at weddings and Experience memorial feasts of the nomads, and also the rich materials of Alma Kunanbaeva1 folklore. The portrayal of elaborate Stanford University, USA feasts is infinitely varied and evocative, for example, in the Kazakh epic “Koblandy-batyr”, the Kyrgyz epic “Manas”, and in any The Kazakhs have an amusing what?” “Everything!” “Did you other epic tales of the Central anecdote often told at the table: give him beshbarmak?” “What Asian nomads. Once a Kazakh came to town on earth is that?” “Go buy a to buy food for an upcoming toi sheep, boil it whole in water, One of the basic reasons for (feast) celebrating the dump it in front of him, and such misunderstanding regarding expected birth of a child. He he’ll leave.” The Uzbek had no the diet of the nomads is, if you met there his Uzbek friend. choice; so he did it. And he wish, historical and ecological. Let The Uzbek was delighted at the had no sooner served the me explain. The fact is that the chance to display his hospitality meat, when the Kazakh began food values of the traditional and invited the Kazakh home to hurry, washed his hands, (steppe) and contemporary as a guest. It was impossible thanked everyone, tasted the (farmed) products of animal to refuse, and the Kazakh, meat, drank the broth and husbandry hardly bear com- even though he was in a hurry immediately began to say his parison. Above all this is to return home, agreed. The goodbyes. “I apologize, friend, connected with the nature of the Uzbek brought him home and but I’m in a rush — it’s possible vegetation cover of the pastures began to entertain him that my wife has already given and the grazing pattern of the generously. There was flat birth. I simply didn’t realize animals. Even today, the quality bread, grapes, honey, dried that your pasture is so far from of the sheep in Kazakhstan and fruits, unusual sweets and a the city. Well, so be it. the USA, for example, cannot be great deal of green tea. Farewell.” compared. Here is an example. (“Thank God, it’s hot,” the When publishing this tale, one In 2002 in Washington a Kazakh Kazakh thought, “but it’s ought to give it a title — for delegation of 18 people, invited to so...pale, it hasn’t steeped very example, “The Dumb Kazkah,” or participate in an international long.”) At the end of the day the “Dumb Uzbek,” or even “Two celebration of the countries of the they brought in a plate of worlds — Two Civilizations”….2 A historic Silk Road (The Silk Road: greasy pilaf. (“Why on earth is more academic title would be Connecting Cultures, Creating it made with raisins and nuts appropriate: “The Role of Stewed Trust. The 36th Annual Smith- — maybe they don’t have Meat in the Hospitality Ritual of the sonian Folklife Festival On the enough food?” the Kazakh said Kazakhs,” “ On the Question of the National Mall, Washington, D.C.), to himself.) After the meal the Semiotics of Food,” etc., etc. despite the perfectly satisfactory Kazakh, to the surprise of his food both in the hotel and at the Uzbek hosts, stayed for the All of the well-known literature festival grounds, decided to find a night. The wish of the guest is on the ethnography of nomads way to eat “normal” (that is, law. In the morning, they had starts with the premise about their traditional) beshbarmak3 — the tea, and again at the midday being deprived of any agricultural Kazakhs’ favorite meat dish. Our meal; in the evening they products, and, in connection with hospitable American friends served soup. (“Fairly tasty, but that, the impoverished nature of straight away found a farm located too full of potatoes.”) And the nomadic diet. It is normal to not far from the capital, took us again the Kazakh stayed for the state laconically that the basis of there, allowed our experts to night, although for some the nomad’s diet is meat and milk select the best sheep, slaughter reason he began to worry. The — that is, those things which can it on the spot and themselves host was already unhappy that be obtained directly from their begin to prepare it. The entire he had invited him home. animals. Meat and milk products procedure was videotaped. Groaning, he went off to the are distinguished for their high Everyone was bursting with market to buy something for protein content and indeed enthusiasm and taking pains to the table and in his heart maintain the energy of individuals ensure the best possible outcome, lamented that he simply engaged in heavy physical labor. but in the end they were couldn’t get rid of the Kazakh. However, the diet of the nomad in disappointed. The meat was But a wise man said, “Did you fact never was limited to them. different. The conoisseurs quickly feed him?” “Fed him.” “With One need but recall the numerous discovered the chief reason: the 48 grass in that area was too watery, dentally, “the mistake of someone most honored guest. Before resulting in meat that was who was helping,” and thus serving it, the lower jaw is cut off “watery,” lacking in flavor, and express a sense of insult. (Here and the host makes a cross- “porous.” In addition, the sheep, is a case of a play on words using shaped cut on its forehead. The which for the most part were absolute homonyms—lung, okpe, person who receives the head penned up, had not developed and insult, okpe). The guest was must share with all those present, enough muscle mass. Our then expected to explain how his accompanying his action with Kazakhs carefully considered all action in the past or unfortunate formulae of good wishes. Thus, the factors. Thus it became clear conduct had insulted the hosts and they give out the ears and eyes to that even today people can tell a insofar as possible correct his the young (so that they learn to lot from the taste of meat: the mistake. listen and be observant), the sex of the animal, whether it was tongue and palate to the poets (as The slaughter of animals, free-range or penned up, whether a symbol of eloquence) and to the carried out according to Kazakh it was a lamb or a mature sheep, singers (as the emblem of a custom (in contrast, for example, and how exactly it had been silvery, virtuosic, and ringing to the Mongolian), requires cooked. throat), and pieces of the singed maximum removal of blood: the skin (kuika) to the others. Brains blood should be carefully collected In traditional society, the sheep are not given to the young, since and buried in a safe place. It is to be slaughtered was first shown it is considered that only the wise thought that blood, if it remains to the guest, then laid on its left are worthy of that honor. A dish in the tissue, is the first thing to side, its legs tied in pairs, its throat prepared from finely chopped spoil. The division of the flesh cut without injuring the spine, and brains mixed with meat and dough requires a knowledge of animal the blood drained. Then an (mipalau – pilaf of brain) is given anatomy, since all bones need to incision was made in the skin and to toothless seniors, in the belief remain unharmed. In the case of the carcass “undressed” — the that this mixture is especially a ritual meal, the bones would be skin was peeled off by hand, nutritious. starting with the abdominal cavity, carefully collected and buried, in then the legs and finally the spine. order that the numbers of the It is clear that the ritual has a The abdomen was cut up, the herds be restored. Meat which magic function, in the course of stomach and innards carefully remained on the bones is sliced which, by partaking together, a removed and cleaned off to the and salted, whereby, according to single social group is created and side. The stomach was emptied Kazakh belief, the curing, the its structure made apparent. of its contents, turned inside out, ripening of the meat supposedly A special place in wedding ritual washed and then the lining continues. It would then be dried is occupied by a dish around which scraped off, care being taken not for at least one night, with the aim is distributed boiled and thinly to harm the walls. The intestines of removing any moisture, firming sliced tail fat and liver (kuiryk- were washed, thrice stretched on it up and concentrating its flesh. bauyr), where the alternation of the spout of a tea kettle with cold The head and extremities are the dense and dark with the water and then turned inside out. seared on an open fire, the innards tender and light symbolizes the The small intestine (ashy ishek — washed and used to make kuyrdak paired opposites of male and “sour tasting intestine”) was (boiled innards with onion), a dish female, and the liver, as the organ crushed and boiled together with that can be quickly prepared. The which generates blood, sym- the meat, as were the kidneys (a remaining meat is divided into 12 bolizes kinship and birthing. If, at treat for children). The animal’s muscle groups, parts which the time of the betrothal, both lungs were not highly valued as correspond to the 12 parts of the parties to the union receive this food, but were important in the human body or the 12-year dish, then the betrothal is healing practice of the shaman or calendrical cycle.

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