Kazakh National Soups

Kazakh national soups may be eaten as either a first or main course and are a great way to warm up on a chilly day.

Sorpo (also called shorpo or shurpa), a flavorful broth created with leftover meat from the national dish besbarmak, is the most common soup in Kazakhstan. After a lamb has cooked, the broth is poured into large bowls and some of the chopped meat is then added. Modern sorpa recipes now often include the addition of potatoes and carrots to the soup.

A Kazakh noodle soup called kespe is a favorite among children. This is a meat soup with egg noodles, carrots and herbs. The broth is created from fatty horse, beef or occasionally camel meat which is left on the bone to cook. Alternatively, the bones may be added separately to create an even richer broth.

Salma is another soup that has won the hearts of Kazakhs. Salma is essentially identical to kespe save the addition of vegetables, although the method of preparing the two soups differs. To cook this Kazakh meat soup with dough, fat should be melted in a cauldron and used to fry the meat and onions. Tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants and potatoes are added and the pot is filled with water. The thin noodles are handmade and boiled separately before being added to the soup just before serving.

Naryn is a Kazakh soup of finely chopped dough and meat in which the broth is typically served separately. In past times the leftover horse meat, noodles and broth from besbarmak would be recycled to create this dish the day after a holiday on which besbarmak was served. For many years, however, naryn has been regarded as an independent meal which is prepared on its own.

Kazakh national soups may be enjoyed at any time of year and can provide your stomach with a needed break from the many heavy main dishes found in Kazakh cuisine.