The word is the soul of the people! Each proverb is a true gem, extracted from the depths of the national consciousness and polished by time.
The civilization of the Kyrgyz nomads is a true treasure trove of wisdom and a repository of moral foundations for us, their descendants and heirs. It is very important for us today to restore much and to carefully manage the wealth bequeathed to us. After all, most of the traditions, legends, proverbs, and taboos represent the philosophy and moral manifesto of the people. We offer you a few grains of what is dedicated to food. They contain the philosophy, upbringing, moral principles, and taboos of nomadic cuisine.
It is a sin to leave a hospitable house without tasting bread.
If a guest enters your home, it means that good fortune comes with them.
As many legs as there are, so much happiness.
Do good, and it will return to you as good.
The younger should not start eating before the elders.
It is forbidden to eat from broken dishes.
It is a great sin to refuse someone who asks for bread.
It is not customary to pour milk remnants onto the ground; otherwise, the cow's udder will run dry.
Better to share food with a friend than to gorge and choke.
If a baby has grown teeth, chewed food is not suitable for them.
A bad wife has a leaky pot, a bad husband has dull knives.
Pour kumys for the thirsty, and give your daughter to the one who wants to marry.
It is not the one who merely serves who understands meat, but the one who starts to cut and chop it.
Kumys gives a person blood, meat gives a person life.
If there is a lot of livestock in the pasture, the table will be full.
Even a small drop of ayran can sour milk in a large pot.
A hungry person is quarrelsome, a thin sheep is troublesome.
Whoever does not know the value of food constrains the host.
Do not envy the hospitality of others.
Do not leave prepared treats.
Do not turn bread over.
Do not neglect morning food.
Accept the offered ustukan from the elder with respect and eat it like a keshek.
Do not eat lying down.
Be moderate in food.
People rejoice not because they are full, but because the food is digested.
When you are called, go; do not go without an invitation.
If food is served, eat it in small pieces.
If you love to eat honey, endure the sting of the bee.
A healthy mind in a healthy body.
He who scalds himself with food is too hasty in eating.
If you eat, eat wisely.
Those who are hungry have scant thoughts.
If food is not meant for you, do not hope for it.
KYRGYZ CUISINE
