Shashlik and the Bazaar

I keep being asked what type of food there is in Turkmenistan, and decided that it would be good to start out with what seems to be kind of a national phenomenon, shashlik (pronounced shaush--leek).

Shahlik is very much like kabobs, but it can be any type of barbequed meat with marinade put on it. It is very good. The ground beef shashlik is probably my favorite, as it is basically like the kabobs I've had in the U.S. Most of the meat, chicken mainly, still has the bone on it, but it's no different than just always having the bone on in the U.S.

The food here uses a lot of produce, which is grown in the surrounding areas and is very fresh. The tomatoes are particularly excellent, which I'm told is due to the amount of sun that they receive. The cucumbers are also very popular, even put in the fried rice at the local Chinese restaurant, which made for an interesting flavor. The national dish of Turkmenistan is Plov. It is a rice dish which some form of meat mixed in along with onions and carrots. It has a very mild flavor, as some of the Turkmen have explained that they prefer using the natural seasonings found in the vegetables and meat. It does mean that is I want stronger spices, it can be a little more challenging to find.

I love the food here, generally, because it is so fresh. There is no such thing as a fast food restaurant. Instead, you can go to the local bazaar and pick up fresh made bread packets that have potatoes, spinich, meat, or other types of food in them. Though Coke products are commonly found everywhere, tea is also really popular, and can be served in various levels of ceremonies. While at the bazaar, you can purchase a variety of things, but let me describle what it's like to walk in to.

Imagine a farmer's market in the U.S., which lines of farmers in the center of four walks without a ceiling, so completely open air. All these people have goods laid out at separate, semi-permanent stands, all food goods, including whatever fruits and vegetables are in season. Each of them gesture or offer samples of the fruits and vegetables to passers by, in hopes that they will buy from that stand. This extends to booths with meat laid out (just pick which part of the animal you would prefer your cut from) to small refrigeration units with milk and chesses. There are people roaming through the narrow aisles, looking for the best vendor for what they're looking for.

The walls surrounding this market are filled with small shops that hawk everything from cameras to clothing to shoes, and the shop keepers invite you in. There are small stands that contain newspapers and books in Russian and Turkmen, and it seems one of the few places where the ever-present portraits of the Turkmen President are not in full display. Instead, this is a place of shop keepers and those who want to buy various products. There are colors everywhere, with machine made carpets draping second story railings, and the men and women in traditional dress with children darting through the crowd.

Another, very different place to buy food in this country is a relatively new store, Yimpas, (pronounced Im-pash) which is a Turkish department store that is three levels high, kind of like a mini-mall, with a restaurant on the top floor. Prices there, however, tend to be a little more expensive and some of the goods are not quite as fresh. I still like going there when I'm not in the mood to bargain or can't make it to the bazaar.

Hope this gives a glimpse into eating and shopping in Turkmenistan. It's never boring and the food is quite good!