The BaiQymyz 2026 gastronomic festival, dedicated to promoting national culture and traditional Kazakh cuisine, was held in Astana. Over the course of two days, the event welcomed more than 70,000 visitors, who were offered 56 tonnes of kymyz, a traditional fermented mare’s milk drink. The festival also featured an exhibition of traditional handicrafts. Among the exhibits were jewelry, leather and wooden crafts, horse tack, and other items associated with horse-breeding traditions. More than 60 kymyz producers from across Kazakhstan, as well as from the Kyrgyz Republic and the Sakha Republic, took part in the festival. The kymyz they presented was evaluated based on its taste, quality, preparation methods, and adherence to national traditions.
«The
festival is being held for the second year in a row. I think people enjoy it,
and it always attracts a lot of attention. Its main goal is to give as many
people as possible the opportunity to taste different varieties of kymyz. Our
ancestors drank this beverage, and it is an important part of our culture and
traditions. But there is something even more important behind it – the health of the nation. Kymyz is rich in vitamins
and has many health benefits,» said Zhumazhan Kaltayev, author
of the BaiQymyz project.
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