Friday’s Featured Food: Lagman in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Friday's Featured Food: Lagman in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Friday’s Featured Food: Lagman in Almaty, Kazakhstan

I had heard about a food called Lagman and never tried it until 2015, strangely I’ve now eaten it about 10 times! At the Almaty Backpackers in Almaty Kazakhstan, my hosts here Ginara and Rahat cooked it for us on the last night before I crossed the border into Kyrgyzstan. There was myself and Oliver from England trying the Lagman. Plus Oliver’s parents Jessica and Mark.

Friday's Featured Food: Lagman in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Friday’s Featured Food: Lagman in Almaty, Kazakhstan

I watched the process of cooking the Lagman down to the serving of it.

Rahat and Dinara in the kitchen getting ready for the Lagman

Rahat and Dinara in the kitchen getting ready for the Lagman

Preparing the Lagman

Preparing the Lagman

Dinara cooking

Dinara cooking

You get the noodles and you add to it carrots, tomatoes, beef and a tangy sauce. In fact, there are different things you can add to it depending on the region. Some are served as a soup, and others are less watery.

Friday's Featured Food: Lagman in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Friday’s Featured Food: Lagman in Almaty, Kazakhstan

We ate it together in the hostel and I had some white wine thanks to Jessica.

Lagman and white wine

Lagman and white wine

Eating Lagman in Almaty

Eating Lagman in Almaty

Later on my travels as I toured northern Kyrgyzstan, I ended up eating Lagman regularly and all different types of Lagman!

Friday's Featured Food: Lagman in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Friday’s Featured Food: Lagman in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Origins and Background on Lagman
The dish seems to originate from China, but in Central Asia the dish has thicker noodles. The noodles are made from stretching dough. The Chinese word Lamian, is known as läghmän or lägmän (لەڭمەن) in Uyghur and lag’mon (лағмон) in Uzbek, both derived from the Chinese word lamian. It is especially popular in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, where it is considered a national dish of the local Uyghur and Dungan ethnic minorities. These are the first two countries I have tried Lagman in.

It is also popular in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and northeastern Afghanistan, where chickpeas are added to it, and in the Chitral and Gilgit regions of northern Pakistan, where it is known as Kalli or Dau Dau. Here’s an example photo of the less watery Lagman I have also been eating while backpacking in Kyrgyzstan:

My Lagman in Kyrgyzstan

My Lagman in Kyrgyzstan

I didn’t actually take any videos of the Lagman experience in Almaty, which is unusual, but I hope to feature more Central Asian dishes, so here are some videos of the Lagman I have tried in Kyrgyzstan instead:

2 thoughts on “Friday’s Featured Food: Lagman in Almaty, Kazakhstan

  • Hi Jonny! I have seen lagman food item of Kazakhstan. Do u like very much? I think u took full of taste. Thanks.

  • Hi Sukanta, yes I love it and I have eaten Lagman in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. A lot of locals believe it originated in Uzbekistan but for sure it is a food treat for any tourist to the region. Safe travels. Jonny

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

CommentLuv badge