Turkmen Cuisine

Turkmen cuisine is hearty, meat-rich Central Asian food shaped by a heritage of desert nomads and oasis farmers, built on mutton, rice, wheat and dairy. The national dish is palow, the region's rich pilaf of rice, mutton and carrots cooked in a great cauldron for gatherings. Alongside come hearty meat-and-noodle soups like the beloved chorba, steamed manty dumplings, dograma, a dish of shredded bread, meat and onion, and round chorek flatbread baked in a clay tandyr oven. Meals are accompanied by endless green tea and the country's famed hospitality.

What you actually see

• Palow - the national rice, mutton and carrot pilaf.
• The soups and dumplings - the chorba soup and manty dumplings.
• Dograma - the dish of shredded bread, meat and onion.
• Chorek and green tea - the tandoor flatbread and endless tea.

When to go

Year-round; the chaikhana, or teahouse, and the colourful bazaars are the heart of Turkmen food culture, where meals and green tea are shared, and hospitality means guests are fed generously. Bread is treated with great reverence, and the country's celebrated Akhal-Teke horses and fine carpets are woven into its cultural identity.

Honest expectations

Turkmen food is meat-, rice- and bread-heavy, hearty rather than varied or richly spiced, so it is warming comfort food shared with famed hospitality rather than a diverse or refined cuisine, and dining options for independent exploration are limited given the country's controlled tourism. Experienced in a chaikhana or a home with endless green tea, though, the generous palow and warm welcome are a genuine taste of Central Asian tradition.

Nearby

Ashgabat, Mary and every town have their chaikhanas and bazaars.