Kuurma Tea, a Kyrgyz stapleOkayyrgyzstan is a landlocked nation in Central Asia, lying throughout the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. It is a Muslim nation with a inhabitants of seven.2 million. Although geographically isolated by its extraordinarily mountainous terrain, Kyrgyzstan has been on the crossroads of quite a few good civilizations as part of the Silk Freeway and completely different enterprise routes.
The unfold of tea in Kyrgyzstan began throughout the seventeenth and 18th centuries when the Oirat rule was in full swing. Tea appeared in Kyrgyzstan as a result of Good Silk Freeway, which traverses the Terskey Alatoo mountain range, from the place it obtained right here to the Asian state. In the mean time, Kyrgyz of us primarily drank inexperienced brick tea, which was crumbled, mixed with salt, milk, and flour, and fried in oil. The consequence was a considerably nutritious brew, which was known as kuurma-tea. This drink stays to be extremely regarded in distant Kyrgyz villages, notably in snowy highland areas, the place recharging your batteries and energy for all the day is vital.
Milk, sprouted wheat, and fried flour are added to kuurma-tea. Counting on preferences, salt or sugar is added to the finished drink. It is customary to drink such tea as a preventative measure in opposition to colds.
It’s the an identical with Aktyn tea. It’s a strong-brewed black tea boiled with milk, melted butter, salt, and bitter cream.
Roasted tea is a standard dish prepared by frying flour in oil, together with milk, water, and thick brewed tea. In of us remedy, roasted tea is used as a stimulant meals.
Because of sturdy have an effect on of Russia, black tea entered the Kyrgyz custom. In the mean time, every black tea and inexperienced tea are equally widespread in Kyrgyzstan. “Inform me the best way you drink tea, and I will let you understand who you could be” – that’s how one can characterize the peculiarities of tea consuming in Kyrgyzstan. Primarily essentially the most favorite drink in Kyrgyzstan is tea. Tea is drunk at residence, at a celebration, and in a teahouse – all yr spherical. Any feast, whether or not or not a birthday, marriage ceremony ceremony, or anniversary, begins and ends with tea.
Tea appeared in Kyrgyzstan as a result of Good Silk Freeway, which went by way of the Terskey Alatoo mountain range, from the place it obtained right here to the Asian state.
Atkanchay interprets as “prepared tea.” It is a mixture of tea, salt, and milk. In some areas, butter or bitter cream is added and sprinkled with sesame seeds. This hearty drink is commonly served for breakfast.
Maksym is a bitter drink constructed from barley, wheat, millet, and corn, and it has become the nationwide drink of current Kyrgyzstan. Chalap (tan) is ayran diluted with water. For many who mix maksym and chalap, you get a drink known as aralash.
In Kyrgyzstan, there are two additional drinks that adults drink. Bozo is constructed from millet, corn, or millet and yeast. It has a slight alcohol content material materials (4-6%) and a sweetish type. Dzarma (zharma) is a barley drink with a slight alcohol content material materials.
By the best way by which, the Mongols, Tibetans, Kalmyks, Buryats, and completely different ethnic groups, culturally and mentally close to the Kyrgyz, have one factor associated.
Tea Geography
Completely completely different Kyrgyz teas are consumed in quite a few geographical parts of the Kyrgyz Republic. Southerners residing throughout the Jalal-Abad, Batken, and Osh areas like inexperienced, whereas throughout the north, they drink black (usually with milk). Consuming inexperienced tea along with black tea is kind of widespread throughout the South. They typically need tart inexperienced tea, which is brewed in porcelain pot-bellied teapots, preheated, ideally on charcoal, after which acquires an additional aroma.
As uncommon as it would sound, it is scalding scorching tea that helps to flee the scorching summer season heat typical for the southern areas of Kyrgyzstan. They drink tea leisurely, all through sedate conversations – with out sugar or completely different parts. When guests arrive, the host himself pours the tea. He pours the good golden drink into small bowls to solely barely cowl the underside. It is believed that the a lot much less tea they pour you, the additional respect you acquire.
Nonetheless throughout the north of the nation – throughout the Talas and Naryn areas – they like sturdy black tea, the water for which is boiled in samovars (Kyrgyz interpretation is samoor). Proper right here, kumsheker (lump sugar) and fatty hand-crafted milk are added to the tea and usually butter. And the kelin (daughter-in-law) pours it. If the family has not however acquired a daughter-in-law, then the youngest girl (or maybe a woman – the precept issue is that she is going to already preserve a teapot in her palms) will convey tea to the guests.
In Issyk-Kul and Naryn, they take care of of us to tea with hand-crafted fatty milk and lump sugar. And in all areas of the nation, they like tea with salt. In south Kyrgyzstan, tea is served in small bowls to keep up it scorching. In Talas and Naryn, boiling water for tea in samovars is customary.
And in Issyk-Kul, tea is poured into huge chynas (bowl-like cups), usually handmade. In short, tea accompanies all Kyrgyzstanis with out exception all via their lives. It is served at weddings, christenings, funerals, wakes, and plenty of others. And, actually, it is an obligatory part of hospitality. In any dwelling throughout the nation, any particular person – an outdated buddy or a barely acquainted customer – will definitely be poured a cup of scorching, up to date, aromatic tea. It’ll possible be served with dried fruits, boorsoks, melted butter, bitter cream and jam.
Throughout the north, many people drink milk tea or add milk to tea. In accordance with Isa Kylychbek, founding father of the “Bayhan” tea mannequin in Kyrgyzstan, black tea is basically essentially the most purchased throughout the Kyrgyz market. Every Kyrgyz citizen drinks a imply of 1.5 kg of tea per yr.
In a number of areas of Kyrgyzstan, tea with honey and navat, dried apricots and raisins, rose hips and sea buckthorn, mint and apples, lemon and raspberries, balms and herbs, and plenty of others., are nonetheless savored.
- In accordance with official statistics, from January to July of this yr, 5,638 tons of tea value $6.2 million have been imported to Kyrgyzstan. It is well-known that tea imports elevated by 14% as compared with January-July 2023. Kyrgyzstan imported basically essentially the most tea from Kazakhstan – 4,277 tons value $2.3 million. In addition to, tea was imported from Russia (350.4 tons), Sri Lanka (300.5 tons), China (286 tons), and Pakistan (105 tons). The other minor suppliers have been Kenya, Iran, Turkey, and Vietnam.
Fatty meat meals weakens the tone of the digestive tract, and scorching tea is simply irreplaceable proper right here. It speeds up digestion and helps with intestinal points frequent in Asia. It moreover absorbs and removes harmful substances from the physique. That is, Kyrgyz ancestors already understood in historic cases that tea is the right “dry cleaning” for the stomach, kidneys, and liver!
By the best way by which, now it is customary to drink tea in Kyrgyzstan not solely black and inexperienced. Youthful of us need a scorching drink with lemon, cloves, wild strawberries, and strawberries.
Teahouses
Tea is drunk all over the place in Kyrgyzstan, nonetheless there are explicit areas the place Kyrgyz tea is served – teahouses. A teahouse is a spot the place residents gather to drink delicious tea, speak about info, and chat with mates. Kyrgyz teahouses are sometimes adorned with huge carpets, on which it is customary to sit, along with dastarkhans (low consuming tables).
Teahouses in Kyrgyzstan are sometimes located open air, so visitors can get pleasure from scorching, delicious tea, up to date air, picturesque nature, and musicians, who’re generally invited to teahouses. For many who resolve to go to a Kyrgyz teahouse, to start with, it is best to take off your sneakers and lie down on the carpet near the dastarkhan, on which there is a bowl and a teapot with aromatic scorching tea. You probably can spend all the day in a teahouse on account of time flies unnoticed over a cup of high quality tea and nice conversations.
In case you might be invited to go to, know that you just will probably be unable to go away hungry. Firstly of the feast, pastries, sweets, nuts, fruits, salads, and greens are served. After that, the precept course is positioned on the desk, and the final word course is tea in a perfectly painted bowl in accordance with a selected Kyrgyz recipe.
As a result of the Kyrgyz themselves say: “What may probably be greater than a cup of tea in these moments when the stomach is full, and the head is empty.”
Photographs courtesy Kyrgyzfriends
