According to legend, this drink originated from the wisdom of an aksakal who added kumys to overly salted shorpo to save his daughter-in-law from disgrace. This combination of salty broth and sour kumys (or its substitutes) creates a unique taste and aids in food digestion.
Turmush correspondent gathered some facts about "Ak serke."
Beishen Sarakeev, a resident of Karakol, noted that during holidays, Kyrgyz families cook meat, and the aroma of shorpo attracts neighbors and dear guests. "Ak serke" is surrounded by many legends. "Every national dish has its stories. For example, about shorpo 'Ak serke.' Our ancestors always said: 'Watch the salt in the meat; if it is oversalted, dilute the shorpo with boiling water.' This is related to one of the legends about 'Ak serke' and salt.
Long ago, a guest arrived at a home. The hosts' son had gone to visit relatives, and the daughter-in-law stayed to take care of her father-in-law. She cooked meat and served shorpo to her father-in-law. The aksakal, upon tasting it, noticed that the broth was oversalted. To avoid putting the daughter-in-law in an awkward position, he suggested adding kumys from the bag. He explained to the guests that in their tradition, this is how shorpo is drunk — this is 'Ak serke.' Over time, they also began to add süzmö, kurut, or ayran to the broth, but the most delicious is considered to be with kumys. This is just one of the many legends about the drink," added Sarakeev.
"Ak serke" is one of the favorite national drinks of the Kyrgyz. It is prepared with the addition of kumys, diluted with süzmö, kurut, or ayran in meat broth. The salty taste of the meat combined with the sour taste of dairy products gives "Ak serke" its uniqueness. This drink is recommended for improving digestion, especially after beshbarmak.
