Pamir Highway travel guide

Qurutob (national dish)

Tajikistan's ceremonial national dish — torn pieces of flatbread (fatir) soaked in a broth of sour kurut (dried fermented yogurt dissolved in water), topped with fresh vegetables, onion, coriander and a pool of hot clarified butter poured over at the table; eaten communally from a large shared plate; the combination of sourdough flatbread with the sharp fermented yogurt broth is unlike anything else

Sambusa (Pamiri pasties)

Pamiri-style baked or fried pastry filled with minced lamb, onion and fat, seasoned with cumin and black pepper; similar to samosas but larger, flatter and baked in a tandoor; the Pamiri version uses local lamb raised at altitude — the meat is leaner and more intense than lowland varieties; sold from tandoor ovens at Murgab bazaar

Shir chai (salted butter tea)

The Central Asian altitude traveller's essential — Pamiri salted butter tea made with compressed green tea brick, melted yak or cow butter, milk and salt; counterintuitively, the fat and salt at high altitude genuinely combats dehydration and provides calories for cold; every Pamiri household starts the day this way; an acquired taste that becomes essential at 4,000m

Mastoba (noodle soup)

A thick lamb and vegetable soup with handmade noodles, potatoes, onion, tomato and dried fruit — a winter staple made in enormous pots and served to guests as the main meal; the Pamiri version has more lamb fat than Dushanbe versions, providing maximum caloric warmth; a homestay host offering mastoba is showing genuine hospitality