Besh Barmak

I’ve written before about the food here in Kyrgyzstan, but I want to make one thing perfectly clear: I don’t know if it is the fact the I get home cooked food every night or I’m just losing my mind, but I love the food here! Plov, manti, pelman, soups, and lagman. But above all things in the Kyrgyz menu, one item stands above the rest.

Every other item eaten in Kyrgyzstan, so I am told, has roots in some other culture. Plov comes from the Uzbeks and most of the soups are from the Russians. Besh Barmak, however, is a Kyrgyz as it gets. This dish is not just a meal. It is an experience. To put it basically, Besh Barmak is a noodle dish served with sheep meat and onion. But it goes a little deeper than that.

The hungry eaters are sat down at the table. The youngest boy comes around with a bucket and a kettle of warm water to wash everybody’s hands with (this is necessary). After cleansing, the woman of the house brings out a large plate of meat, usually the legs of the animal, though sometimes rib meat is used. Each person grabs a piece and proceeds to eat the meat by cutting it off the bone. Usually, the broth left over from the cooking is brought out to be drunk. This is called Shorpo. The lone exception is the man of the house, who cuts the largest piece of meat into small, pea-sized pieces on a large plate. Once he is done, long, Ramen-like noodles that have been cooking in an onion broth are brought out and the two are mixed, along with additional onions (if desired). Once the dish has been thoroughly mixed, each person grabs their portion with his hands and puts it on his plate. The dish is then eaten by hand. After everyone has had their fill, the youngest boy again comes around with the water and bucket to help everyone clean up.

Besh Barmak, literally translated, means “five thumbs.” Believe me, I have made plenty of “but I only have two thumbs” jokes. It really doesn’t go over as well as one would think. According to legend, all of our fingers used to be the same length. One day, however, the thumb said to the other fingers, “Let’s go steal a sheep from that shepherd and have a feast!” The index finger said, “I think that is a good idea. Let’s do it!” The middle finger said, “God sees everything and will punish you for your wicked ways!” The ring finger said, “God sees nothing, but I do not want to be caught and punished!” Finally, the pinkie finger said, “God sees nothing and we should steal the sheep!” After God heard this, he punished the fingers by making some longer than the others, according to the goodness/badness of their actions.

So, while Besh Barmak is not my favorite dish here, it certainly is one of the most fun. There is a certain camaraderie among those who eat it together. It is a great end to most parties. Possibly my favorite phrase here has been, “The party isn’t over ‘til the Besh Barmak comes out!” So true.