The Hirshon Silk Road Herb Flatbreads – Gutap

Citizens, Gutap are a style of fritter or flatbread (depending on which country you live in) that are deep-fried and stuffed with a variety of ingredients varying from meat or vegetables found throughout Central Asia that are a favored treat among the native peoples of the region.

‘Gyzzyrma gutap’ is the Turkmen name for stuffed ‘half-moon’ flatbreads that are cooked in a pan over the stove. Gutap can also be baked in the oven (in this case, make the dough thicker) or deep-fried in oil.

Turkmen share a culinary heritage with their Turkic neighbors to the north, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The country’s cuisine has also been influenced by the cooking over their southern border in Iran, Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent.

In the past, most Turkmen were nomads, herding sheep and eking out what little they could from the sere, dusty landscape. While today’s Turkmen have mostly settled down into towns and cities, this nomadic imprint remains strong in the typical diet: lots of meat, bread, dumplings and dairy, and only small amounts of vegetables. Dishes are seasoned simply., Soups and stews (shorpa) are very common.

I named this recipe “Silk Road” because it combines recipes from both Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan located in the steppes of Central Asia, both major stops on the Silk Road trade route during the Middle Ages.

My recipe uses a Kazakh herb filling and dipping sauce along with a Turkmen shape/technique on the deep frying.

Individually, Gutap from both countries are delicious – combined, they are a truly unique and delicious meal to be enjoyed by all! 🙂

Citizens, these are truly delicious and I urge you to try this unique recipe combining aspects from two proud and ancient regions of the world that are poorly known in the West.

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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