Turkmen Cuisine
National tourist zone “Awaza’’ is a fashionable resort in the east of the Caspian sea, a national tourist zone of Turkmenistan, located twelve kilometers from the city of Turkmenbashi. This largest settlement on the Turkmen coast is located in a convenient bay, has an extensive transport infrastructure and is called the sea gate of Turkmenistan. And very close to the city - a little to the north, outside the bay, on the open sea coastline, there is the town of Awaza, which was at all times a favorite vacation spot for local residents and diverse visitors
The enormous resort area "Awaza" is a modern tourist paradise with many white marble hotels such as “Arzuv”, “Berkarar”, “Hazar”, “Deniz”, “Shamekan”, “Bagtyyar” and etc., upscale hotels and recreation centers, cottage complexes for families, boarding houses, sanatoriums and health resorts for children and adults
The territory of the seaside resort is full of various objects of rich infrastructure: parks; congress center; cafes and restaurants; yacht club "Elken"; sports complex; pools with sea water; tennis courts; disco clubs; magnificent interactive fountains; sea geysers up to 100 meters high; navigable canal 7 km long with pedestrian and road bridges; gas turbine power plant; multilevel parking lot. A new runway and a modern terminal, one of the best in Turkmenistan, have been built at the international airport of the city of Turkmenbashi. There have been built modern facilities and establishments for leisure, entertainment and recreation: a water park, an aquarium, entertainment centers, a go-kart center, a cycle track, a planetarium, a cinema, an amusement park, and supermarkets on the territory of Awaza
In addition, “Elken” the first yacht club in Awaza is located on the shores of the Caspian Sea with a coastline of one kilometer, is the first marina built in the national tourist zone “Awaza”. Despite the fact that the Yacht Club was opened in 2013, it rapidly gained a reputation as one of the most famous private sea clubs. There are unforgettable recreation, entertainment and sports in complex and comfortable facilities
The most popular national dishes are toasted ishlekli (meat pie), mouth-watering gutabs (pasties) filled with pumpkin or spinach, gatlakly (flat cake), gokli borek and etli borek (the dumplings filled with vegetables and meat), rich gara chorba and toy chorba, friable pilaf, spicy un ash (noodle soup) and kakmach (fried meat), substantial yarma, etc. This list of dishes can be continued for a long time
Travellers should definitely try meat and fish delicacies: govurdak, govurma, kelle bash ayak, chekdirme, baked lamb or dainty dishes from sturgeon! Those who have tried dograma cooked according to the local recipes in Turkmenistan would never forget its indescribable taste
The favourite drink in Turkmenistan is tea. At any season, the Turkmen people drink a lot of green tea. The Turkmen drink called ‘chal’ (camel milk) is in great demand in summer
Dried melons twisted in bundles and white salty ‘candies’ from dried syuzme (sour milk) called ‘gurt’ are really exotic for foreign guests. There is an abundance of vegetables, fruits, watermelons, melons, pumpkins and grapes, orchards and vegetable gardens in Turkmenistan
Moreover, bread (in Turkmen ‘chorek’) is a symbol of hospitality, unity, honour, diligence, prosperity, and gratitude. It is of primary importance in the Turkmen dastarkhan (the traditional space where food is eaten). The Turkmen people bake bread of different types (petir, gyry chorek, suytli kulche). The ancient recipes have many modern variations. It has nothing to do with the ingredients that determine softness, splendour, and taste of the dough. It is the matter of a special ritual for its preparation, especially for a festive meal
Turkmenistan, the country cherishing the unique traditions of national cuisine, is waiting for fans of culinary tourism and travellers from all over the world, who are ready for discoveries and delicious impressions
