Public meals in the food system of the Kyrgyz rural family of the Talas valley in the 30-50s of the XX century

The paper deals with public meals as an element of the food system of the Kyrgyz rural family of the Talas Valley in the 30-50s of the twentieth century. A brief description of the economic activity of the local Kyrgyz population in the studied chronological period is given. It is noted that the basis of nutrition was the use of dairy and flour products of their own production. Meat dishes were considered festive and were available mainly to families with a high level of income. The public meal served as an occasion for communication between representatives of different families in a relaxed atmosphere and had several options for organization, while it was mainly associated with traditional holidays or important events for the family. A comparative analysis of the features of public meals organized for the celebration of Beshik Toya and Toychuk allowed us to conclude that the list of dishes and the way they are served are conditioned by the traditions and customs of the Kyrgyz people associated with these events. The considered variants of public meals reflect the local features of the food system of the Kyrgyz family, but on their basis we can also talk about the national specifics of public meals in Kyrgyzstan.