This week I am visiting Tatarstan and as a result have the chance to taste some traditional Tatar foods. A few foods I will not be taste-testing because they have meat in them, but they sound interesting:
- Duslyk: A cold appetizer of smoked horsemeat topped with boiled potatoes and pickled onions.
- Elesh: a small pot-pie like dish filled with chicken and potatoes
- Ech-pochmak -- a triange of dough stuff with beef, potato, onion, and butter
I have tried several other foods, however. One of these is kystybyy, which I have had several times and enjoy very much. They half-moon-shaped fried pastries made with unleavened dough not unlike a tortilla and stuffed with mashed potatoes. I have had them with melted butter and a little salt sprinkled on top for a very delicious warm appetizer or a main dish.
Another dish I have tried and enjoyed was simply called "Appetizer Nauruz." Nauruz is the Central Asian New Year celebration held in March. I'm not sure whether this dish is usually eaten at Nauruz or not, but it is quite good. It's a cold appetizer of raw tomatoes stuffed with thinly sliced apples, shredded cheese, and walnuts in a mayonnaise sauce. I am usually not a particular fan of raw tomotoes, but the slight sweetness of the apples combined with the acidity of the tomato mixes extremely well.
There are a few other Tatar dishes I hope to have the chance to try while here. One of these is Gubadiya "Uyenchek," which is supposed to be a pie of unleavened dough not too different from kystybyy but stuffed with rice, raisins, dried apricots, kort (a dairy product similar to tvorog), egg, and butter. I have not been able to find a place that is serving this, however.
It seems that every culture has its own tastes, and marketers are quick to test new flavors in different markets. For example, here in Russia, I've come across a few interesting flavors of chocolate bars and potato chips.
