Central Asian Food
Dried sour yogurt balls in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
(thanks to Jeff and Becca Zanatta)
The nomads who lived in Central Asia, like the Scythians, the Mongols and the Turks, mostly lived on the meat and milk from their big herds of cattle. They ate a lot of yogurt and cheese and steaks, and dried strips of beef like beef jerky.
These nomads also traded their meat to farmers near them in China and West Asia and India to buy flour for bread. Their bread was a flat bread like naan, or like pita bread, or pizza crust.
Borscht, a Russian beet soup
Further west, in Russia, people farmed the land instead of herding cattle. Here people ate mainly rye bread (not flat bread but risen bread made with beer yeast or sourdough), kasha made from millet or barley, cabbage soup, and roots like turnips, carrots, and beets, that could survive the cold weather. Pickles (pickled cucumber, but also pickled cabbage and onions) were popular, and pickled herring, and onions and garlic. Everyone, even children, drank a lot of beer and ale. People also ate oatmeal.
For fresh fruit, the Russians had melons, apples, pears, plums, and cherries. They used honey for sweetening things. Nuts and mushrooms were popular.
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Like the Mongols, Russian people ate a lot of milk, butter, cheese, and yogurt too. Because they were settled, they could have chickens for their meat and eggs, too.
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Food and Recipes of Africa (Kids in the Kitchen.) by Theresa M. Beatty
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People of Africa and Their Food (Multicultural Cookbooks)
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Taste of West Africa (Food Around the World) by Colin Harris
