Shelpek

Shelpek

Shelpeks on a plate
Alternative names	Chalpak, Chalpyak
Region or state	Central Asia
Created by	Oghuz Turks
Main ingredients	flour, milk, water & salt
Media: Shelpek

А Shelpek, chalpak or chalpyak (Turkmen: çelpek; Kazakh: шелпек, жеті-нан, romanized: shelpek, zheti-nan; Kyrgyz: май токоч, челпек; Uzbek: chalpak; Uyghur: чалпак, romanized: chalpyak) is a traditional flatbread commonly consumed throughout Central Asia. The main ingredients are flour, water or milk, and salt, and some recipes call for ripened sour cream and a small amount of sugar and baking soda. Shelpeks are often eaten with butter, honey, jam, or tea, and they can be paired with meat or dairy dishes.^[1][2]

The dough is shaped into flat disks and fried in hot vegetable oil until it becomes a golden color. Shelpeks can also be prepared with yeast, which makes the dough stay soft for a longer period of time. The recipe to prepare the dough is similar to the one used for baursaks.^[3]

A Kazakh tradition is to prepare multiples of seven shelpeks, or zheti-nan, on Thursdays. It is believed that the scent emitted during the frying process nourishes the ancestors, or aruakhs.^[2]

See also

References