Kazakh cuisine has been recognized as one of the best in the world, according to the TasteAtlas gastronomic guide. Kazakhstan ranked No. 94 out of 100, with dishes such as shujyq, samsa and beshbarmak earning the highest ratings.
The ranking is based on nearly 500,000 ratings from amateur food lovers and culinary experts. Reviewers evaluated almost 16,000 dishes from across the globe. Kazakh cuisine received an average score of 3.9. In the previous edition, Kazakhstan held the 90th spot with the same rating. No other Central Asian countries made the list this year.
Kazakhstan’s most delicious dishes
Experts highlight shujyq as a must-try. This semi-dry, spicy sausage, known for its high fat content, is popular across Middle Eastern, Balkan and Central Asian cuisines. It earned a rating of 4.3.
Another standout is samsa, a savory pastry typically filled with minced lamb or beef. While popular in Kazakhstan, samsa is traditionally associated with neighboring countries such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Beshbarmak ranked third. The dish — made from cooked horse meat, mutton, beef or a combination of the three — is served over thin, traditionally prepared pasta squares. It’s widely regarded as the national dish of Kazakhstan.
Other top-rated Kazakh foods include baursaks, puffy fried bread, and kazy, a traditional horse sausage.
The world’s top-ranked cuisines
Greek cuisine claimed the top spot globally with an average rating of 4.6. Signature items include gyros — grilled meat wrapped in pita — and feta cheese, which was named the country’s most popular product.
Italian cuisine came in second, celebrated for classics like pizza, risotto and pasta. Spaghetti was the most highly rated Italian dish.
Mexican cuisine took third place, with standout favorites such as tacos, tortillas, nachos and burritos. Calabaza (a type of pumpkin) was highlighted as a key ingredient.
Also ranking in the top 10 were Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Indonesian, French, Japanese and Chinese cuisines. Nicaraguan cuisine placed last. Experts there recommend trying tres leches cake, while sapote fruit was named the country’s most popular ingredient.
Notably, in March, Danish food magazine Gastro published a feature article spotlighting Kazakh cuisine and the country’s top dining establishments.
