The sites of large forums of the humanitarian direction, held in Turkmenistan at the initiative of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, are considered as key mechanisms for enhancing international cooperation, exchange of experience, in-depth study and widespread popularization of the national heritage and modern achievements of the Motherland in the world. This work has acquired particular importance this year in the context of the motto "Turkmenistan is the Motherland of Peace and Trust".

In our country, it has become a good tradition to give names to each year, proclaiming in its motto the key guidelines for national development at a new stage. This contributes to an increase in the patriotic spirit and the desire of each person to be involved and make a personal contribution to the colossal work carried out in the country under the leadership of the leader of the nation.

In this context, the International Festival of National Dishes of the Peoples of the Central Asian Countries, held on August 6, organized within the framework of the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of the region held in the Avaza National Tourist Zone and bringing together professionals of the culinary arts from 5 countries, is indicative.

The high status of this event was ensured by the participation of the Presidents of Turkmenistan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Tajikistan.

Representatives of the countries participating in the show demonstrated their culinary skills to the leaders of friendly states, as well as familiarized themselves with the characteristic features and technology of preparing exquisite national dishes.

The main feature of the Festival was the concentration of gastronomic delights of various nationalities and cultures, culinary styles and unique traditions of the countries of Central Asia. This is, in fact, a holiday of peace, kindness, friendship and cooperation, designed to contribute to the further development and popularization of the cultural values of friendly peoples.

The festival is a vivid symbol of mutual understanding, unity and harmony of peoples, a holiday that gathers friends, like-minded people and a large number of guests, which reflects the diversity of the world, a concentrated idea of culture, traditions and history.

On August 6, NTZ Avaza became a huge stage for a "tasty" festival - the International Festival of National Dishes of the Peoples of Central Asia, and its decorations - a village with yurts decorated in the national style, hospitable and hospitable, recreated with all the inalienable attributes of the traditional way of life of the peoples of the region, open to friends and neighbors.

The yurt has been the dwelling place of the peoples of the Central Asian region for centuries. It is interesting that the Turkic word "yurt" does not mean the dwelling itself, but a certain territory of its own, the place where the tent was placed, and even more broadly - the native land, the country.

At the show, each of the countries demonstrated an abundance of handicrafts, homemade household items and other relics of the past.

The peoples of Central Asia are famous in the cultivation of melons and gourds, therefore, melons and watermelons were presented in abundance at the show. Everyone could appreciate their excellent taste.

Turkmen melons, awarded gold medals at prestigious international exhibitions, are known in the world for their extraordinary sugar content and wonderful aroma. In our country, the melon is called the queen of melon. And she is quite worthy of this title: both as the most delicate, exquisite delicacy, and as a storehouse of nutrients and healing substances, and simply as a golden symbol of the generous southern sun, the fertility of our land.

In the lined yurts, the culinary masters of the participating countries demonstrated a high level of mastery of their craft, as well as successful ideas in the preparation of various types of meat and fish with vegetables and fruits, unusual sauces, gourmet salads, confectionery, etc.

The dishes of foreign cuisine, presented by masters and recognized professionals in their field, were real masterpieces of culinary art with specific characteristics. The natural conditions of neighboring countries, traditions and customs, the way of life of the peoples living in them influenced their national cuisine, which was demonstrated at the International Festival of National Dishes of the Peoples of the Central Asian Countries.

Thus, the representative of Kazakhstan spoke about the peculiarities of the national culinary art of his people, presenting fried lamb ribs and meat, dairy drinks, as well as invigorating kumis.

At the exhibition it was possible to study the culinary "map" and draw parallels on it. The national cuisine of Tajiks, like the cuisine of each of the peoples of the Central Asian countries, has its own characteristic features, including the way of cooking dishes that coincide in name: "shurbo" - "chorba", "fatir" - "petir", "kulcha" - " kulche "," kalama "-" patlama ".

The Uzbek delegation presented dozens of dishes, including two types of pilaf "Tashkent festive" and "Bukhara puff", kebabs, somsa and other flour products.

The culinary specialists of each country have prepared over 40 names of various dishes, which are similar in their recipes, but have significant differences due to national culinary methods, the use of spices, etc.

The peculiarity of the Festival was that foreign guests were given a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the technology of cooking Turkmen cuisine. It should be noted that the culinary art of our people has evolved over the centuries. The generous Turkmen dastarkhan delighted everyone with its diversity. Sweet tooths were delighted with our timeless traditional desserts.

As already reported, the exposition of Turkmenistan presented about 300 dishes prepared, including recipes from the book “Bereketli türkmen saçagy” (“Turkmen dastarkhan”). Everyone could familiarize themselves with the dishes of the abundant Turkmen sachak - from homemade food to an assortment of modern restaurants.

Among the dishes presented by Turkmen chefs were more than 15 types of soup, meat and fish delicacies, ruddy ishlekli (pie with meat), appetizing gutabs with different fillings (pumpkin, spinach), crumbly pilaf, kelle bash ayak and chekdirme, baked whole lamb, kakmach, hearty yoke, numerous salads, pies, sweets, etc.

The traditional drink is aromatic green tea with local medicinal herbs, the miraculous power of which the leader of the nation revealed in his books. This drink always accompanies a meal and is a symbol of hospitality.

Summing up the results of the professional forum held on the Caspian coast, it should be noted that it will be remembered for a long time by all its participants, because everyone wanted to show off their culinary talents, adequately represent their country, the originality of traditions, surprise colleagues and earn public recognition.

It should be noted that within the framework of the gala concert of masters of culture and arts of the countries of Central Asia, which took place on the same day in Avaza, an award ceremony was held for the best chefs who took part in the International Festival of National Dishes of the countries of the region. Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) in Turkmenistan Natalya German presented each team of the Festival participants with valuable gifts, special diplomas and 10 thousand US dollars each.