Complete Guide to Being Vegetarian or Vegan in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan, like most of central Asia, is renowned for its meat-eating culture, which can make it difficult to navigate if you are vegetarian or vegan. This was a big concern of mine before I went to Kyrgyzstan, so I have gathered all my best knowledge and advice to create this complete guide to being vegetarian or vegan in Kyrgyzstan. It contains information on what you will find to eat, how to prepare, and what to pack to ensure you don’t go hungry!
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Looking for a Kyrgyzstan itinerary? Have a read of mine here.
Staple Vegan and Vegetarian Meals in Kyrgyzstan
Wherever you go in Kyrgyzstan, it’s likely that you will find the same kinds of meals that are vegetarian or vegan friendly. These include vegetable soups, lentil soup, eggplant (aubergine) salad, noodle dishes, and fried rice.
My personal favourite was the eggplant salad: fried eggplant in a sweet chili sauce with tomatoes. It was absolutely delicious. Lagman is also a popular dish, and some places do it without meat, which is perfect. It’s stir-fried noodles with vegetables in a spicy sauce, and it is delicious. I had several of these in Karakol!
Kyrgyzstan has incredible bread, and you will find this at every meal. It’s usually a fail-safe option.
A lot of the time, you can go to a restaurant and ask for dishes without meat. This does not guarantee that there aren’t traces of meat, as sometimes they just pick it out of soups and stews. You’ll need to also be aware that a lot of food, especially the rice, is fried in animal fats and oils.
Vegan and Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants in Bishkek and Karakol
In Bishkek and Karakol you will find a few more restaurants that are vegan and vegetarian friendly. In Bishkek, Navat was a personal favourite: they had clearly labelled options and could adapt a lot of menu items. There is more than one Navat and they are great.
In Karakol, I ate most of my meals at Duet Café. They had vegan and vegetarian versions of Kyrgyz food as well as western dishes like pizzas and burgers (veggie included!).
Cooking Vegan or Vegetarian Food in Kyrgyzstan
My best advice for being vegan or vegetarian in Kyrgyzstan is to cook for yourself. This is harder in remote areas, but in cities like Bishkek and Karakol, a lot of accommodation, especially hostels, will have kitchens and cooking ensures you will get all the nutrients you need.
There are large supermarkets including Spar (Bishkek) and Globus (Bishkek and Karakol) which are western-style and will have plenty of food options. I found vegan butter, non-dairy milk, and plenty of fruit, vegetables, and breads in these supermarkets. Stock up on these things before you go to more remote places.
Supermarkets also sell instant noodles. If you are somewhere remote, you can usually get boiling water from your accommodation (yurt camps included) for free, so this is a good option.
How to be Vegan or Vegetarian while Trekking in Kyrgyzstan
Trekking is a big part of Kyrgyzstan and a great way to see the country. If you are staying in yurt camps along your trek, as I did on the Ala Kul trek, you will need to tell them when you book, but there are options. You can read my full guide to being vegan or vegetarian on the Ala Kul trek in my post here.
If you want to read more about the Ala Kul trek, see my complete guide here.
Navigating Kyrgyzstan as a vegan or vegetarian is not easy, and it gets harder the more remote you go. However, hopefully this guide helps you to be more prepared for a trip to Kyrgyzstan as a vegan or vegetarian. I met plenty of other people on my trip who were vegetarian and vegan, so it is definitely possible. If you can, bring some things from home!
Looking for more on Kyrgyzstan? Have a read of my other posts here:
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