Production of Kazakh national Talkan dish launched

Production of Talkan - a Kazakh national dish made from sprouted wheat - has been launched in Kazakhstan for the first time ever, Khabar TV channel reports. Talkan is a grounded and fried sprouted wheat grain that was used to nomadic tribes to make something like a soup or a porridge. It was a nutritious meal fast that was easy to store and carry around and fast to cook. According to Kazakhstan nutrition experts, the product tones up a human body and is especially useful for overweight people. Sprouted wheat contains a lot of cellulose, vitamins B1 and E complex and different ferments. According to Kazakhstan historians, Turkic-speaking peoples like Bashkirs or Altaians started making Talkan back in hoary antiquity. "It was the kind of food they could take with them to a trip. The grain could be grounded quickly, made into a meal and eaten," Director of the plant Murat Almukhambetov explained. He added that his childhood memories inspired him to set up the industrial production of Talkan and it took the company 6 months to fine tune the equipment and re-develop the technology. "First we fill up the reservoir with wheat, then it is washed by a special machine. After it is washed, the grain is put into pans to sprout. Then it is dried in a special drier and fried in a special roaster at the temperature of 250°C (482°F). After that it is grinded in a mini mill that we got from Iran. Then we wait for one day before packaging the product," the plant's technologist Aina Zhamankulova said explaining the production process. The fried sprouted wheat powder can be used in an array of dishes including hamburgers and desserts. The plant is located in Kostanay Oblast. It is producing 30 tons of the product per month at present time. 10 tons have already been sold to Orenburg, Russia. Almukhambetov added that they were planning to establish supplies to Belarus as well. Talkan is not the only national dish that is being commercialized nowadays. There are plans to set up production of ferments for making shubat (a drink made of camel's milk) and kumys (a drink made of horse's milk). The ferments are expected to hit the Kazakhstan market in summer 2014.