Lagman or latiaozi is a dish from Central Asia with possible roots in Xinjiang, a northwestern region of China. The name translates to pulled noodles or hand-stretched noodles, denoting the main feature of the dish. Since there is no fixed recipe, the noodles can be paired with a thick sauce or added to a broth.

Both versions can be prepared with various vegetables or meats, typically beef, mutton or lamb. Popular in countries such as China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgistan, and Uzbekistan, lagman is often served on buffet tables, where each consumer might combine the ingredients according to personal preferences.

Sucuk or sujuk is a semi-dry, spicy sausage with a high fat content, popular in Middle Eastern, Balkan and Central Asian cuisines. It is traditionally prepared with ground beef and spices such as cumin, salt, paprika, and garlic. The sausage should be dried for at least three weeks before consumption.

It can be served cold and sliced thinly, but it is more commonly fried and paired with eggs and vegetables. In Lebanon, it is often consumed with tomatoes and garlic sauce in a pita bread, while in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Israel, sucuk is often used as a pastry topping.

Baursak is a unique fried bread with a puffy appearance consisting of flour, milk, salt, sugar, eggs, butter, and yeast. The bread is fried only for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, or memorials. It is believed that the smell of oil and fried bread floats into the sky to the dearly departed so they can also enjoy the dish.

The bread is commonly consumed on its own or as a dessert accompanied with sugar, butter, jam, or honey, while some people like to dip it in tea. Interestingly, the biggest baursak was made in Ufa, Russia, in 2014, with a weight of 179 kg.

This almost forgotten Turkish dish was described in an 11th-century lexicon as a soup made with noodles, lentils, and yogurt—a common combination in both Türkiye and Kazakhstan, a Turkish-speaking Asian country where this soup is called kespe.

Today, tutmaç çorbası is typically made using homemade, square-cut egg noodles and it is most often prepared with the addition of lamb or mutton, but sometimes also beef, or even horsemeat. The soup is traditionally served in special bowls and it is typically accompanied by katık, a type of Turkish sour yogurt.

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.

Kazy is a Kazakh horse sausage that is also prepared in other Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Traditionally, the sausage is made with meat and fat taken from the ribs. It is usually seasoned with garlic, pepper, and salt before being stuffed into natural casings.

The sausage can be sold raw or lightly smoked, and before consumption, it is usually boiled and served sliced. Although it is mostly enjoyed as an appetizer, kazy can also be incorporated into various dishes.

Qazı is a traditional sausage made from horsemeat, commonly found in Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and among Tatar people. It is considered a delicacy in these regions, where horsemeat has long been an integral part of the diet.

The sausage is typically prepared using the rib meat and fat of horses, which is stuffed into natural casings (usually horse intestines). The meat is seasoned with salt and sometimes light spices, and it can be either boiled or dried. Qazı has a rich, fatty flavor and a firm, chewy texture, making it quite robust in taste. 

Samsa from Central Asia is a traditional pastry widely enjoyed in countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. This dish is a staple of Central Asian cuisine, known for its flavorful filling encased in a crisp, golden pastry shell.

The dough is made from wheat flour, water, and sometimes a bit of oil or butter, rolled out thinly to create a sturdy casing. The filling typically consists of minced lamb or beef mixed with finely chopped onions and seasoned with spices like cumin, black pepper, and sometimes coriander. 

Samanu is a sweet dessert made from wheat germ, akin to pudding, commonly prepared in Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asian countries, especially during Nowruz (Persian New Year). It symbolizes abundance, sweetness, and prosperity and is often shared among family and friends.

The dish is made by sprouting wheat germ, grinding it, and cooking it slowly with water and wheat flour. The natural sugars from the sprouted wheat give samanu its sweet taste, requiring no additional sugar. It has a thick, pudding-like consistency and a rich, caramel-like flavor.