Beshbarmak is made from tender boiled meat (usually lamb or horse meat) laid on top of wide, flat noodles called zhaya. A rich broth called sorpa is poured over the top and also served separately in bowls for everyone to sip. The whole dish is often served on a large round platter placed in the middle of the table.
Different parts of the meal carry special meaning. The eldest and most respected guest at the table is traditionally offered the most honoured cuts of meat. Sharing food together in this way is a very important part of Kazakh hospitality — the word for a good host in Kazakh, 'konakjay', means someone who loves their guests.
Nomadic herders on the steppe needed food that was warming, filling, and made from what was available — meat from their herds and simple flat bread or noodles. Beshbarmak has been a staple of Kazakh life for centuries, passed down through generations.
Today beshbarmak is made in city kitchens and restaurants as well as in yurts and out on the steppe. At Nauryz — the Kazakh New Year festival — huge cauldrons of beshbarmak are prepared to feed whole communities.