🇰🇬 Kyrgyz Cuisine

Chuchuk

Horse Meat Sausage

Prep Time 48 hours

Servings 8

Difficulty Hard

Calories 348 kcal

Traditional dry-cured sausage made from horse meat and fat, seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic. A prized nomadic delicacy served thinly sliced as an appetizer.

Ingredients

1kg horse meat, coarsely ground
300g horse fat, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
Natural intestine casings

Instructions

1 Mix horse meat, fat, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin thoroughly.
2 Soak casings in warm water for 30 minutes.
3 Stuff mixture tightly into casings, tie at both ends.
4 Hang in a cool, ventilated space for 2-3 weeks to dry.
5 Alternatively, cold-smoke for 2 hours then dry for 1 week.
6 Slice thinly and serve at room temperature.

Did You Know?

Chuchuk is traditionally made in late autumn during sogum, the annual livestock processing season, when families prepare preserved meats to sustain them through the harsh mountain winter.