Dungan food expert Madina Balakhisheva discusses Dungan history, cuisine, and influence
Originally published on Global Voices
Traditional Dungan dishes on the tablecloth. Photo courtesy of Madina Balakhisheva. Used with permission.
This article was written by Andrew Gundal and Nazerke Kurmangazinova for Vlast.kz and published on October 1, 2024. An edited version is published on Global Voices under a media partnership agreement.
Around 150 years ago, the Dungan people migrated from China to Central Asia. In 1862, this majority-Muslim ethnic group was struggling against the forced cultural assimilation promoted by the Han majority. This resulted in the Hui Rebellion, during which around 1 million Dungans were killed and more than 800 mosques were burned just in today’s Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.
For the following century, Dungans migrated in waves through the Tien Shan mountains, which mark the border between China and Central Asia. Today, around 100,000 Dungans (Huis) live in Central Asia, with around 60,000 in Kyrgyzstan, 30,000 in Kazakhstan, and 10,000 in Uzbekistan.
In 1877, many Dungans settled in and around the eastern cities of Kyrgyzstan, such as Karakol and Irdyk. This was the starting point for the formation of the Dungan community, contributing to the society and culture in eastern Kyrgyzstan. Dungans also settled in a few smaller cities near Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek, such as Tokmok, Milanfan, Ivanovka, and Aleksandrovka.
Here is a YouTube video about the Dungan mosque in Karakol, which was built in 1910.
As the Dungan people settled in Central Asia, they brought their culinary traditions with them. Dungan cuisine has since become relatively famous in Central Asia, as it has taken Chinese and Central Asian influences, while also sticking to its roots.
Vlast talked to Madina Balakhisheva, a Dungan food expert offering tours and cooking classes in Karakol, a small town in eastern Kyrgyzstan with a population of around 90,000.
Balakhisheva said that the way Dungan food is cooked in Central Asia is quite similar to how it was done in China. “Here, like in China, we cut all the ingredients into small pieces and fry them in a large fire,” Balakhisheva explained. She continued:
We have a dish consisting of eight bowls of tripe soup with eight different kinds of meatballs in each bowl. We usually fry some bread in oil and eat it along with this dish. What’s interesting though is the words for meatballs (wán zi) and fried bread (má huā zi) are the same in the Dungan and in Chinese.
One of the main differences between Dungan and Han Chinese is that the Dungans are Sunni Muslims and consume only halal meat and don’t eat pork.
Ingredients for a Dungan dish. Photo courtesy of Madina Balakhisheva. Used with permission.
When the border between Soviet Central Asian republics and China was shut, Dungan people struggled to access key ingredients. Balakhisheva explained that one of the biggest differences is that people in Karakol use fewer spices than in China.
We only used two types of peppers: black pepper and red pepper powder. The black pepper came from India and the red pepper was planted by local people. Both peppers have become an important part of modern Dungan cuisine.
Chives have become a very important ingredient in Dungan cooking. If you use chives in Central Asia, it likely shows a certain culinary influence.
‘Ju ci’ (jiǔcài in Mandarin, or jusai in other Central Asian transliterations), or chives, are very popular among Dungan people and anyone who has relations to China. We even eat it with bread and rice. We make many things with ju ci: baozi, jiaozi, and we use it in a sauce for laghman, so we really like it. It's a must-have ingredient in a Dungan cafe.
The use of vinegar is another common indication of Chinese influence. Black vinegar, a sauce made of rice vinegar and soy sauce, is seen with most meals in China. Dungans in Central Asia use something similar. Balakhisheva explained:
In our family when we are going to make manti (mántou), jiaozi, or baozi, we first need to see if we have vinegar (cù). If there is no cù, there is no baozi.
When Dungan food landed in Central Asia, it had to adapt to new palates and to a more restricted set of ingredients. Balakhisheva noted:
There is quite a distinct Central Asian influence. You can see this in our famous dish, ashlyanfu. It used to just be called lyanfu; it was only made of starch, vinegar and a spicy sauce. But then people added some noodles and started calling it ashlyanfu. And now it’s a staple in Karakol.
Here is a YouTube video about ashlyanfu in Karakol.
While Kyrgyz eating habits have made their way into Dungan dishes, Dungan recipes have also had the same effect. Balakhisheva told Vlast:
We brought our vinegar recipe from China; you can only find it in the Dungan communities around Issyk-Kul, since the climate is perfect for its production. Our vinegar has become such a critical ingredient in Karakol that you will find it used in restaurants and sold at markets no matter the cuisine — Russian, Tatar, Kyrgyz, or Dungan.
Dungan cuisine has done well to assimilate, making its way into many Kyrgyz restaurants and becoming a common meal option.
Ashlyanfu is identified as a Kyrgyz dish, although we have both Dungan and Kyrgyz ashlyanfu. So, you can see the Kyrgyz influence on our cuisine. Kyrgyz people are really big meat eaters, and since our arrival in Central Asia, we started putting meat in our dishes, and even in our sauces.
Another aspect of food culture that Dungans have adopted from the Kyrgyz is the tradition to pass out bread during the meal.
Many Kyrgyz people call us vegetarians because we normally eat very little meat. But I would say that our cuisines influence one another, and I think this has helped bring us closer together.
Balakhisheva noted that it is challenging to educate their children about Dungan history, language, and culture. There are no Dungan schools in Karakol, and Dungan education has not been incorporated into the Kyrgyz curriculum.
Balakhisheva has found it to be a challenge to pass down their language to her children.
“Even though both my husband and I speak the Dungan language, our children do not, and this contributes to the deterioration of our language,” she reflected.
Here is a YouTube video about the culture and traditions of the Dungan people in Kyrgyzstan.
While there are legitimate fears over Dungans losing their footprint in Central Asia, Balakhisheva is actively working to promote Dungan food and culture. Through Destination Karakol, a local tourist organization, she leads Dungan food tours and cooking classes.
Balakhisheva recalls that more Dungans have come to Central Asia since the border between China and Kyrgyzstan opened in 1998. Also, many Chinese students have come and opened restaurants.
Today, there’s a very popular restaurant in Bishkek called Kuldja, and most people who work there are from China. Who knows, perhaps it will have an impact on the development of Dungan gastronomy.
Also, since the border reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese shops and markets have begun sprouting up again in Karakol, selling key ingredients that would be otherwise hard to find.
The opportunity for Dungans in Karakol to purchase wheat vinegar and red pepper powder has helped authentic Dungan flavors last in Karakol, supporting Dungan people and Balakhisheva's Dungan food tours.
Dungans across Central Asia all originally came from China, but their food has adapted overtime, each slightly differently based on where they ended up.
