I remember going on my first drive from Bishkek to Issyk Kul, Kyrgyzstan, and people insisted that I eat a dish called kattama. Now, I consider myself to be somewhat of a food connoisseur, so if you tell me to eat a local, authentic, traditional dish, you bet I will. Especially if it's fried and consists of carbohydrates. I'm going to share what kattama is and where you can enjoy this delicious dish when you're driving from Bishkek to Issyk Kul, or when you're driving back.
WHAT IS KATTAMA?
Kattama is a dish commonly eaten across Central Asia and it is a fried layered flatbread. When I had it for the first time, it reminded me of a Chinese spring onion pancake and puff pastry, minus the extreme puff. It is thin, buttery, and there are different types of fillings such as onions, spring onions, potatoes, and more.
WHERE TO EAT KATTAMA IN ISSYK KUL
On your drive from Bishkek to Issyk Kul, there is one place that everyone stops at to eat this delicious kattama. If you are driving towards Issyk Kul, and want to visit this restaurant, I recommend setting your destination to the restaurant location, rather than to, for example, your hotel in Issyk Kul. The reason why is that 2GIS or Google Maps will recommend a faster route, and the kattama restaurants are not located on the faster route. But don't worry, stopping by to eat kattama will not significantly make the distance to Issyk Kul further way.
This is where you can enjoy delicious kattama:
Апамдын чайы (каттама)
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ykVdoNeV47cDEu4c8
There are a bunch of kattama cafes along this street, so feel free to choose any that you like. When you're eating kattama, it is recommended you drink it with a nice cup of tea. However, the tea wasn't like the traditional black tea I typically order from restaurants. This tea was more like milk tea, so it tasted extra creamy, sweet, and delicious.
When I went to Antalya, Turkey for vacation, I had a Turkish version of the kattama. It was a savory version and it was stuffed with cheese. It was absolutely delicious and I wish I could have one right now.
CAN I MAKE KATTAMA AT HOME?
You can make kattama at home on your own. The ingredients and instructions are quite straightforward. I'm sharing a recipe links below:
Also, there are frozen kattama in many grocery stores here in Kyrgyzstan. You can easily heat it at home and enjoy it with a nice cup of tea.
Now there's a reason why I decided to write this blog post today. I was reading a news article from 24.kg that was published on December 2, 2023 and it writes that they will have to move the location of the kattama restaurants by March 1, 2024. You can read the article here.
Due to the construction of a railway line, the restaurants are being asked to move to a safer place. I hope the new location isn't too far from the original establishments. So, if you're driving to Issyk Kul, make sure you eat this soul-satisfying dish and follow the latest news.
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