Uyghur cuisine

Around the 4th century, the majority of Uyghurs led a nomadic lifestyle and therefore relied on livestock for food. Aside from their meat, dairy products made from their milk became a staple for many families. Especially horse milk was widely used and consumed as horses were also held for transportation purposes. Many of the practices of this nomadic diet can still be observed in the descendants of Uyghurs who immigrated from the Mongolian Plateau to the Gansu Province. Scholars note that Uyghur cuisine developed through Silk Road exchanges, combining Turkic, Persian, and Central Asian influences. After the Uyghurs accepted Islam as their state religion in the 1060s, many adopted a halal diet. By this time, they had shifted to an agricultural lifestyle. The area around Hotan was regarded as especially fertile and yielded a large variety of fruits, which led to the gradual settlement of people throughout the region. With this change, the food sources were diversified and flour-based dishes, mutton, and vegetables became integral to the cuisine. The Compendium of the Languages of the Turks from 1074, for example, lists a total of 14 types of bread made from wheat flour and we know from its descriptions that noodles, rice, millet, chöchüre (; a kind of dumpling soup), and sausages made from grains and meat were also commonly eaten. Many traditional Uyghur cooking methods also date back to around this time of the Karakhan Empire. Since the Tarim Basin was located along the Silk Road, Uyghur cuisine has been influenced by various Chinese foods, seasonings, and cooking methods, such as stir-frying, which were introduced from the east after the Tang dynasty. In recent years, Russian cuisine has spread to Uyghurs from countries like the Kyrgyz Republic, which was once part of the Soviet Union. In addition, some people around Turfan have started practicing Buddhism, making vegetarian dishes more prevalent in this region. In 2023, the Kashgar public security bureau stated, "Muslim halal customs create an unbridgeable gap between Uyghur and Han people and widen the distance between them as would an invisible wall." ==Characteristics==

Uyghur cuisine is centered around bringing out the natural flavors of the individual ingredients used in a dish. Meals usually consist of a mix of meat and seasonal vegetables, served alongside rice, handmade noodles, or nan. While mutton and beef are the most commonly used meats, chicken and goose are also served often, and sometimes even pigeon is eaten. As the majority of Uyghur people are Muslim, their food shares similarities to that of other Muslim peoples in Asia, such as Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Turks. Similarly, many Uyghur dishes can also be found among other ethnic groups in Central Asia. A traditional Uyghur-style breakfast might consist of nan and milk tea, which might be topped with jams or honey and eaten with raisins, walnuts, and other nuts. Guests are greeted with tea, nan, pastries, and fruits before the main dishes are ready. ==Dishes==

Main course '' () A common Uyghur dish is läghmän (, ; ), boiled hand-pulled noodles made with wheat flour and eaten with säy, a stir-fried topping usually made with mutton, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and other seasonal vegetables. The dish was most likely derived from the Chinese lamian and adapted to create a distinctively Uyghur flavor. Naren chöp () is a different noodle dish that is topped with a thin sauce of lamb, onions, and carrot and seasoned with a large amount of black or white pepper. '' () Another typical Uyghur dish is polo (, ; ), a variation of pilaf, a dish that can be found throughout Central Asia. It is made by frying mutton or chicken, onions, and thinly sliced carrots in oil before adding rice and water and steaming it. Raisins and dried apricots may also be added. Bread '' () Nan (, ; ) is one of the oldest components of Uyghur cuisine Toqatch nan (), which is baked in a deep clay oven called a tunur (), is also a staple in many households. There are also steamed breads such as yutaza (, ; ), which is a multi-layered type of bread made with animal fat. A style of yeasted fried bread called peushkel () is typically eaten with soups and stews. A multi-layered, thin, pan-fried bread called qatlima () is usually prepared using leftover dough from other dishes. '' () Aside from nan, there are also many types of filled bread such as samsa (, ; ), which are hand-held lamb pies roasted in a tunur. A flat, pan-grilled variety with a similar filling is called göshnan (, ; ). Aside from lamb, baked pamirdin pies also stuffed with onions and carrots. Sambusa () are fried Uyghur empanada filled with meat, rice, and carrots. Desserts The most common flavors in Uyghur desserts are honey, nuts, raisins, and sultanas. Bakkali (), a light and moist nut cake made with honey and walnuts, is a popular traditional dessert. Aside from walnuts, other types of nuts or raisins may be used as well. Soft cookies called pichene (), which are made with plain, sweet dough, cut into shapes, and brushed with egg yolks, are commonly eaten with tea. There is also a large scope of fried desserts. Eshme quymaq () or maxar (; ) are twisted doughnuts, which are widely sold by street vendors. They are often made from two separate doughs: one sweetened with honey and the other with sugar. The honey dough takes on a deeper color while frying, giving the doughnuts a dual-colored appearance. Another street snack is matang, a thick and chewy bar consisting of various nuts held together by a sugar syrup that is usually sold by the slice. A holiday specialty is sangza (, ; ), a snack made by pulling a dough made of wheat flour into thin ropes and deep frying them. The crispy ropes are then twisted around each other and piled high on top of each other. Halva () is a sweet porridge made with corn flour and cooked with chopped onions, turnips, and tomatoes. and Sinkiang Black Beer, a nutty black beer made to complement the typical flavors found in Uyghur dishes. Since Xinjiang is known for its grapes and vineyards, wine is also one of its strongest products. Especially Turfan has been an important part of the local economy and has been well known for its wine since the Tang dynasty. Their medicinal liquor called museles () is made from pickling sliced deer antler, saffron, cardamom, and other spices in wine, infusing it with said flavors. The wine is produced commercially and is also exported outside of the region. Another variety of fruit wine is called sharap (). Kvass (, ), a slightly carbonated low-alcohol soft drink made of cereal is consumed by Uyghurs as well. It may be flavored with berries, fruits, herbs, or honey. ==Influence==

, Japan Uyghur restaurants can be found in most mid-sized to large cities across China and is a popular ethnic cuisine there. Uyghur shops often sell nan at the counter, which is often bought by Han Chinese people for breakfast. Another popular dish is kawaplar, which is widely available at food stalls in many places. Uyghur restaurants in China are usually qingzhen () certified, which is another term for halal. Through franchising, Uyghur cuisine has also found its way outside of China. The Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant in San Francisco opened in 1997. In April 2015, the restaurant chain Herembağ (, ; ) opened its first store in San Francisco in the United States and later expanded with ten more locations within North America. Other popular franchises that service Uyghur food include Yershari, Loulan, Tarhar, and Ali Jiang. In Japan, Uyghur cuisine is available at specialty restaurants in Sakura-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, and Shinjuku, Tokyo. In its September 2010 issue, the outdoor magazine BE-PAL described läghmän as using pork instead of mutton and subsequently had to issue an apology for their mistake in November 2010. ==See also==