In the city of Kulsary, an innovative version of one of the most famous dishes of Kazakh cuisine has been developed — freeze-dried beshbarmak. Just add hot water and the dish is ready to serve, reports infohub.kz.
The novelty was presented by entrepreneur Anar Beisen, who showcased the product on social media. It is positioned as a 100% natural national meal without artificial additives, ready in just five minutes. The set includes meat, sochni (zhaima), and tuzdyk (sauce and broth).
The new product has already attracted the attention of local authorities. On August 5, the startup was officially presented to the akim of Zhylyoi district of Atyrau region. Social media posts have also sparked a wave of discussions among Kazakhs.
In an interview with Kursiv LifeStyle, Beisen said that since 2022 she has been developing the Maliboo studio, which initially focused on chocolate-covered strawberries. Later, after obtaining a loan and purchasing equipment through state programs, she mastered fruit freeze-drying and decided to fulfill a long-held dream — to create freeze-dried beshbarmak.
The beshbarmak is first cooked in the traditional way. Then the meat, dough, and other ingredients undergo a freeze-drying process. This removes moisture while preserving most of the original properties.
"I literally lost sleep while working on this idea. Freeze-drying technology preserves 90-95% of the beneficial properties and the original taste without adding chemicals. It's a full-fledged fresh meal. We are now receiving orders from New York, Turkey, Russia, as well as from tourists, travelers, and parents of students studying abroad," Beisen shared.
Under the posts, some users supported the idea and called it convenient for travel and the road, while others compared the cost to regular beshbarmak and questioned the price. It should be noted that the product costs 3,500 tenge per serving. In the comments, the novelty is ironically compared to instant noodles, with suggestions to lower the price to at least 1,500 tenge.
"Chinese rollton is 600 tenge, beshbarmak is 3,500 tenge. If Kazakhstan comes up with something, it inflates the price to the max. They could have sold it for at least 1,500."
"Turns out you can take it to Istanbul. It's the taste of home. Great. Good luck!"
"May Allah grant blessings," users write.
Beisen explains that the price of 3,500 tenge is the minimum starting cost, which does not even fully cover labor, electricity, and the expensive freeze-drying technology. The price may be revised in the future.
For now, the entrepreneur continues to refine the product and packaging. In the future, she wants to purchase additional equipment, open her own production facility, and produce not only beshbarmak but also other national dishes under her own brand.
Beisen's main goal is to bring Kazakh freeze-dried national products to the foreign market.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that in the heart of German Dresden, right next to the famous Frauenkirche, a new Central Asian restaurant called Beshbarmak opened. The official opening took place on July 1.