A FOOD TRADITION
Iranian Turkmen Cuisine
Iranian Turkmen cuisine is practiced mainly in Golestan and adjoining northeastern areas by Turkmen communities whose foodways connect Iranian, Central Asian and steppe traditions. Wheat, rice, lamb, poultry, fish from the Caspian and nearby waterways, carrots, onions, herbs, yogurt and dried fruits are common. Baking flatbreads, preparing filled pastries, steaming or layering rice, and cooking meat in large communal pots are characteristic techniques. Examples include chekdirme, a meat-and-rice dish; börek-style filled pastries; and Turkmen forms of ash and fish preparations. The tradition is shared across borders with Turkmen communities elsewhere and is not an exclusive national cuisine.
Dishes linked to this cuisine
1–5 of 5
Bastirma
Bandar Turkmen layered fish-and-rice dish distinguished by fish, potato, onion and pomegranate.
Bishmeh
Iranian Turkmen enriched fried bread pieces made from a lightly sweet milk-and-egg dough.
Boulama
Golestan and Iranian Turkmen ceremonial sweet rice porridge, traditionally prepared after a child’s birth and also eaten in winter.
Chekdirme
Chekdirme is a hot Turkmen meat stew of lamb cooked with onion, tomato, potato, oil, water, and salt.
Qatlama
Iranian Turkmen layered fried bread, finished with sugar while hot so sweetness settles between the crisp layers.
Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.