Naryn
Thin noodles tossed with horse meat, a nomadic classic.
Naryn is one of Uzbekistan’s most distinctive dishes: finely cut noodles mixed with boiled, thinly sliced horse meat (and often kazy, horse-meat sausage), dressed simply with the cooking broth and onion. Cool, savoury, and deeply traditional, it carries the flavour of the region’s nomadic past.
What's in it
- Thin, flat wheat noodles cut by hand
- Boiled horse meat and kazy (horse-meat sausage)
- Raw onion, black pepper, and a ladle of the meat broth
- Sometimes beef or lamb for those who prefer it
Good to know
How it’s served
Tossed together on a platter, often with a small bowl of the warm broth on the side to sip or pour over.
Cultural note
Horse meat is prized and celebratory here; naryn is a dish of hospitality, common at large gatherings.
For first-timers
If horse meat isn’t for you, many places make a beef version, so just ask.
A Taste of the Steppe
Naryn predates the cities it’s now served in. Easy to prepare in quantity and eaten at room temperature, it suited the rhythms of nomadic life on the steppe, where horse meat was a staple. Today it remains a marker of festivity and a dish older Uzbeks speak of with real affection.
More Soups & Noodles
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