If you want to feel Bishkek’s pulse, skip the shopping malls and go to Osh Bazaar early in the morning. Bread is coming out of the ovens, sellers are calling out prices, and you can taste your way across the whole country in an hour.
Start with the bread
Follow the smell. Round loaves of nan, baked against the walls of clay tandyr ovens, are stacked high on the stalls, golden, shiny and stamped with patterns in the middle. Buy one warm and tear it by hand. That’s how it’s meant to be eaten.
Remember: bread is treated with respect in Kyrgyzstan. Don’t put it upside down and don’t throw it away.
The dried fruit and nut aisles
Central Asia is famous for its dried fruit, and this is where you’ll see why: apricots in every shade from orange to dark brown, raisins of all sizes, figs, dates, prunes, walnuts, almonds and pistachios. Sellers will happily let you taste before you buy.
This is also the best place to pick up gifts that travel well.
Things to try
- Kurut: small, salty balls of dried yogurt, the nomads’ original snack.
- White honey: thick, creamy, almost white mountain honey.
- Samsa: flaky pastries filled with meat and onion, baked in a tandyr.
- Seasonal fruit: cherries and apricots in early summer, melons in late summer, apples and grapes in autumn.
- Spices: look for the bright mounds of chilli, cumin and dried herbs.
Beyond the food
Osh Bazaar is huge, and food is only part of it. There are rows of fabrics, household goods, traditional hats and souvenirs, from felt slippers to embroidered bags. It’s easy to lose an hour (and your sense of direction) between the stalls.
How to shop like a local
- Go in the morning, when produce is fresh and it’s cooler.
- Bring small notes in Kyrgyz som; many sellers don’t take cards.
- Bargain politely for souvenirs, with a smile. Food prices are usually fair already.
- Watch your bag in the busy aisles, as in any big market.
- Ask before photographing sellers. Most are happy to pose if you buy something.
On our Issyk-Kul slow tour, the journey starts right here: a walk through Osh Bazaar before we leave the city for the mountains, with bread still warm in the bag.
