Beshbarmak is probably the most popular Kazakh dish. The name of the dish can be translated as five fingers, referring to the nomadic tribes who lived in Central Asia and would eat the dish with their hands.

Cooked horse, mutton, beef, or a combination of those three types of meat are served along traditionally prepared thin pasta squares. The dish is then combined with a flavorful sauce made with meat broth, onions, salt, and pepper, and the finished meal is typically paired with a bowl of meat broth on the side.

Nowadays, there are numerous versions of beshbarmak, and the event of consuming the dish is often ritualized - different parts of meat are served to people based on their gender, rank, and age in the social structure.