Kyrgyz food reflects its location and history, with its main influences drawn from the necessities of a nomadic life in a relatively harsh climate.
Culture of Kyrgyzstan takes its roots in antiquity. Its formation was largely influenced by Turkic tribes that migrated in the early Middle Ages from the territory of the Altay and East Turkestan.
Water is a defining feature of Kyrgyzstan. In winter it freezes on glaciers and buries the land deep in snow. In summer it melts into cascading streams, tumbling waterfalls and ferocious torrents which carve their way through jagged cliffs and rocky gorges.