Hospitality is one of the main qualities of the Tatar people. Every Tatar knows that you can’t let a guest go without giving them tea and feeding them with the most delicious food in the house. Not to be happy with a guest, not to sit them at the table - this is totally unlike the Tatar nature.

The culinary art of the Tatar people is rich in its national and cultural traditions dating back centuries. In the process of centuries-old history, an original national cuisine has developed that has retained its original features to this day.

The history of Tatar cuisine dates back to the time when the people led a nomadic lifestyle. Most of it took place during travels, the food had to be hearty and have high energy value.

For many centuries, Tatar cuisine was based on meat (lamb, horse meat, beef). Tatars preferred to eat stew and boiled meat, drinking meat broth at the same time. Large cauldrons were used for cooking - called 'kazans'. At the same time, the technology of frying a large number of pieces of meat on long skewers was widespread. Reminds kebabs, right? After the long travels, meat and offal were preserved for the future. People used drying, salting and smoking techniques.

With the transition to a settled lifestyle and the development of animal husbandry, the Tatars began to prepare popular to this day sour-milk drinks and products. Agriculture gradually began to develop, porrige (sweet and meat-based), cereals, bread appeared. This gave rise to a variety of pastries. Its share in Tatar cuisine is huge.

Later, honey got widely spread among the people. It is part of most Tatar desserts and sweets (chuck-chuck, talkysh kaleve, etc.) and is served with tea, pancakes and other dishes.

Tatar dishes that you definitely need to try

A famous national snack and a popular souvenir is dried horse meat sausage - kazylyk. This is a real delicacy that not only decorates the feast, but also speaks of the high social status of the owner. Sausage can be served to the festive table, brought as a gift, and even included in a diet.

Echpochmak - a gastronomic hallmark of the Republic of Tatarstan, is a triangular shaped pie ("ech" in Tatar language means - three, "pochmak" - corner). More often, lamb was used for its preparation. Traditionally, a hole was left in the center of the triangle into which the broth was poured, turning theese pies into a full-fledged hot dish.

Elesh - is a round pie, reminiscent of a small copy of the zur belish. But under a golden dough large chuncks of chicken fillet with potatoes, onions, butter and spices are hiding. The pie is very juicy and filling.

Gubadiya is considered to be a cake served for dessert. This is one of the main treats at large celebrations, in which products that harmoniously combine to taste do not mix, but are stacked in layers. The filling usually consists of a court (melted cottage cheese), boiled friable rice, chopped egg and steamed raisins.

A special place in the organization of Tatar feasts is occupied by tea traditions. In Tatar families, it is customary to drink a lot of tea and generously treat dear and beloved guests. For tea, a whole set is served, which includes: lemon, pastille, dried apricots and dried fruits, and tea is diluted, as a rule, with milk. Of course, not a single tea party is complete without national sweet treats.

Another unusual and very tasty Tatar dessert is talkysh kaleve. According to the cooking technology, this delicacy resembles cotton candy, but unlike cotton candy, it is made from natural honey. The cooking process is quite complicated, the dish is always made by hand and serves as an excellent treat and decoration of a feast.

Where to try Tatar dishes?

On the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan there are over 5 thousand catering enterprises (restaurants, bars, cafes, canteens, snack bars).