Yesterday, we saw how Turkmen cooks put a few basic ingredients to best use in a whole slew of dishes – some borrowed, but all with a distinctive Turkmen stamp. Today, we’ll look at their breads and baked goods, which show influences from across Central Asia…
Chorek – the daily bread of Turkmenistan – baking in a traditional cay oven…
Bread is a very special, central focus of Turkmen culture. The making of proper bread is considered an art.
According to factsanddetails.com: “Bread in Turkmenistan and elsewhere in Central Asia is considered sacred. It should never be cut; rather its should be broken apart with the hands. It should never be placed on the ground, thrown away or turned upside down. If you have a big piece of bread, break it into pieces and give everyone around you some pieces. After breaking a piece of bread, people cup their hands together and pass them over their faces as if washing. This is a Muslim gesture of thanks.”
On our menu today
Chorek: The daily bread of Turkmenistan. Everybody eats this stuff every day. A round flat loaf that employs a pretty standard yeast-raised, wheat flour recipe augmented with butter. The butter is cut in chunks and inserted into the dough but not mixed. The dough then rises for up to 2 hours and is rolled out and formed into loaves. In Turkmenistan, they bake Chorek in traditional clay ovens that will remind you of India’s tandoor. One recipe we found suggests you use a pizza stone in your conventional oven to best approximate the classic product.
Katlama: Flaky flatbread rolls. A stiff sourdough is rolled out and oiled. The dough is then rolled back up and cut in strips. The strips are formed into spirals, flattened and left to rise again before being deep fried.
It’s a favourite at breakfast, lunch or dinner. Takes some time to prep, so plan ahead when you want to make it.
Kluce: Sweet Milk Bread. A rich dough of flour, butter, milk, sugar and a little yeast. The dough rises only about 20 minutes before being rolled out into 5.5 in. / 14 cm rounds and pierced al over the top with a fork. They take only about 15 minutes to bake, at 250 C / 475 F.
Somsa: Like a Samosa, sort of. A simple dough (pastry) of flour, water, salt and butter is wrapped around a simple filling of ground lamb and onions, and baked.
Somsa are traditionally flat and triangular in shape.
Ishlykly: Less like a pizza, really, and more like a chalupa or calzone. Sometimes referred to as Turkmen Shepherd’s Pie (see photo, top of page). A filling is made with minced meat, grated or minced onions (also, sometimes, other veggies), salt and freshly ground pepper. The dough for the crust features a lot of butter and is worked through several stages in a specific, traditional way to bake up light and puffy. Sandwich the filling between two layers of dough and bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes.
Gutab: Very thin flatbread (like a tortilla) called Gyzzyrma stuffed with meat and/or veggies. The dough is just flour, salt, water and vegetable oil.
Rolled or pressed out to about 1/8 in / 3 mm in to a large (8 in. / 20 cm) round sheet, it’s topped with filling and folded, and crimped shut around the open edge.
There are lots of other enticing Turkmen breads and baked treats… The best website I’ve found, hands down, for recipes and techniques is One Turkmen Kitchen, a source for many other authentic Turkmen dishes…
~Maggie J.