7 main dishes of Buryat cuisine
Buryat cuisine is all about simple, but hearty dishes. Meat, dough and dairy products are the main ingredients that the Buryat people have been cooking with since time immemorial.
1. ‘Buuzy’ (‘Pozy’)
This is considered to be the most famous dish in Buryat cuisine. ‘Buuzy’, also known as ‘pozy’, are dumplings filled with minced meat. The shape symbolizes a yurt, the traditional dwelling of nomads. It’s steamed and eaten by hand.
2. ‘Khuushuur’
This is a deep-fried minced meat pie, usually filled with a mix of ground pork and beef, along with onions. In appearance and taste, a ‘khuushuur’ resembles a mini ‘cheburek’ (a Crimean Tatar fried pie). ‘Chebureki’, by the way, are also very popular in Buryatia and are served in many cafes.
3. ‘Shulen’
‘Shulen’ is a hearty soup made with homemade noodles, large chunks of beef or lamb, onions and herbs. Like many Buryat dishes, it’s rich and filling.
4. ‘Bukhlör’ (‘Bukheleer’)
This Buryat soup also contains plenty of meat, but unlike ‘shulen’, the beef or lamb must be left on the bone. ‘Bukhlör’ also has potatoes, onions and herbs.
5. ‘Bargzha’
A Buryat soup with homemade noodles, beef and pear-shaped dumplings. Sometimes, the term ‘bargzha’ refers only to the dumplings themselves. Both versions are traditional Buryat dishes.
6. ‘Boovy’
A Buryat donut that’s shaped like an ear. It is said that this shape symbolizes Buddhists listening to the teachings of Buddha. This dish is often prepared for celebrations in Buryatia.
7. ‘Salamat’ (‘Shanakhan Zöökhei’)
‘Salamat’ is a dish made by boiling sour cream with flour. It is one of the oldest Buryat dishes and is even used in religious rituals as an offering to deities. To prepare it, fatty homemade sour cream is simmered over low heat with the addition of rye or wheat flour.
