{"id":8542,"date":"2026-10-26T18:39:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T09:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8542"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:51:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:51:13","slug":"pisme","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/pisme\/","title":{"rendered":"Pishme"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pishme (Pishime, Pi\u015fme, \u043f\u0438\u0448\u043c\u0435) is a food of Turkmenistan made by cutting wheat-flour dough into small squares or diamonds and frying them in oil. The surface turns golden brown, while the inside keeps the softness of the dough. At celebrations it is served with green tea. Its sweetness is not fixed: alongside current methods that add sugar, memories of making it without sugar have also been passed down.<\/p>\n

Cut into diamonds and puffed up in oil<\/h2>\n

One way of making it combines wheat flour, water or milk, yeast, salt and sugar. In the 2012 recipe (the proportions of ingredients and the method) from One Turkmen Kitchen, which documents Turkmen cuisine, 300 milliliters of water or milk are used for 500 grams of wheat flour. The soft dough is left to rise, divided and rested briefly, then rolled out to a thickness of about 5 millimeters.<\/p>\n

It is cut into strips 4\u20135 centimeters wide and then cut diagonally, producing many small diamonds. Because the dough is rolled out large and then cut in a regular pattern, this way of shaping makes it easier to produce a sizable batch than with sweets that are twisted into shape one by one.<\/p>\n

The pieces are fried while being moved with a slotted ladle until both sides are evenly colored. Even when the surface has browned, the inside is not necessarily cooked through. The pieces are cooked to the center, with attention to their thickness and how far the dough has risen.<\/p>\n

This recipe notes that replacing the water with milk gives a softer result. Some versions contain milk or eggs, and others add fat; it is not a fixed rule that the formula uses all of milk, eggs and butter.<\/p>\n

Not only sweet<\/h2>\n

The 2012 record of home cooking notes that pishme was once made without sugar, while giving a formula that includes sugar. These small pieces of fried dough eaten with tea have been made with differing degrees of sweetness from household to household and from era to era.<\/p>\n

The sweetness that first touches the mouth also differs between versions finished with powdered sugar or honey on the outside and versions with sugar worked into the dough. Pishme appears on the tea table both as a sweet treat and as a fried bread enjoyed for the flavor of the flour.<\/p>\n

Celebratory tea and the spring table<\/h2>\n

Besides being served when welcoming guests, pishme is served with tea at gatherings celebrating weddings and births. In a recorded example of a family celebration, the tea served with it is green tea. The small pieces are heaped on a large platter, and those gathered help themselves.<\/p>\n

At Nowruz in spring, it is set out alongside dishes made with grains and milk. The menu introduced by the Embassy of Turkmenistan also lists layered toy gatlama, fried and sprinkled with sugar; thin sherpek; and small, sweet pishme. Festive fried foods, too, differ in their dough layers, thickness and the way they are cut.<\/p>\n

In 2021, a Nowruz exhibition at the State Museum recreated a scene of a mother and daughter making pishme inside a temporary yurt. Nearby, the cooking of semeni, made by simmering sprouted wheat and flour, was also shown. The handwork of serving fried diamonds to guests is presented as a scene from everyday life as spring arrives.<\/p>\n

\n\"Turkmen\n
A Nowruz venue welcoming guests near the city of Mary, Turkmenistan (March 21, 2017). The photo shows gestures of welcome and festive dress. Photo: Amustard \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. No alterations to content and no cropping.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

A custom of welcoming guests that continues across borders<\/h2>\n

Turkmen people living in Dusti in southern Tajikistan also prepare pishme when welcoming guests. When a cultural delegation from Turkmenistan visited in 2018, pishme was served along with songs and dances. Even in a land away from the homeland, these small pieces of fried dough have become a food of welcome.<\/p>\n

In neighboring regions, baursak and boorsok also include forms in which dough is cut into small pieces and fried. For pishme, there are records of it being served with green tea at celebrations, and home methods of cutting it into diamonds have been preserved. Comparing whether there are layers and how thick the dough is also reveals how it differs from toy gatlama and sherpek, which appear on the same celebratory plates.<\/p>\n

\n\"Plates\n
A Karakalpak table in Nukus, Uzbekistan (March 23, 2026). A reference photo for comparing neighboring fried doughs, showing round breads and small pieces of fried dough. Photo: Damirovna \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY 4.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. No alterations to content and no cropping.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Expo table where it was introduced in Japan as \u201cPishime\u201d<\/h2>\n

At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, visitors also had the chance to order it at the Turkmenistan Pavilion under the name \u201cPishime\u201d and enjoy it with tea. On July 26 that year, a cooking demonstration of pishme and other dishes was held in the pavilion, and the cooks explained the ingredients and preparation steps to visitors. An account of a visit to the restaurant also records an order of pishime with black tea.<\/p>\n

\n\"Exterior\n
The Turkmenistan Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (June 20, 2025). Records by Japanese visitors note that pishime was served at this pavilion. Photo: Abasaa \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ Public domain (released by the photographer)<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. No alterations to content or cropping made by us.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Recipe<\/strong>: A summary of the proportions of ingredients and the method.<\/p>

Yeast<\/strong>: A microorganism responsible for fermenting dough. The gas it produces contributes to the rising of the dough.<\/p>

Nowruz<\/strong>: A spring festival celebrated around the vernal equinox. Dishes and customs vary by region.<\/p>

Toy gatlama<\/strong>: A layered fried dough seen on Turkmen celebratory tables.<\/p>

Sherpek<\/strong>: A flour food rolled thin and fried. It differs from pishme in shape and thickness.<\/p>

Yurt<\/strong>: A dwelling assembled from parts, used in Central Asian nomadic life and elsewhere.<\/p>

Semeni<\/strong>: A Turkmen spring festival food made by simmering sprouted wheat with flour and other ingredients.<\/p>

Dusti<\/strong>: A town in southern Tajikistan. The article cites a welcoming event held by the town\u2019s Turkmen residents as an example.<\/p>

Baursak \/ boorsok<\/strong>: Names for foods in Central Asia and elsewhere in which dough is cut into small pieces and fried.<\/p>

Mary<\/strong>: A city in Turkmenistan. The Nowruz photo in this article was taken in its vicinity.<\/p>

Nukus<\/strong>: A city in the Karakalpak region of Uzbekistan. In this article, it appears in a reference photo of a table from a neighboring region.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. \n

    Turkmenistan State News Agency, \u201cNowruz Exhibition at the State Museum,\u201d March 16, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>

  2. \n

    Same source, \u201cWelcome by the Turkmen Residents of Dusti,\u201d October 15, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>

  3. \n

    Turkmenistan Pavilion, \u201cTurkmen National Cuisine Traditions Presented at Expo 2025\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>

  4. \n

    Shiawase Kanjiru\u2606Hibi no Kurashi [Feeling Happy\u2606Everyday Life], \u201cPishime @ Turkmenistan Pavilion,\u201d May 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>

  5. \n

    Zoku Kiroku Mania [Record Mania, Continued], \u201cToday, Turkmenistan! Overseas Pavilions at Expo 2025 Osaka,\u201d December 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>

  6. \n

    One Turkmen Kitchen, \u201cPishme,\u201d May 26, 2012<\/a> \u2014 The writer\u2019s explanations of a home formula using water or milk, diamond shaping, green tea at celebrations, and making it without sugar.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  7. \n

    Embassy of Turkmenistan, \u201cThe Nowruz Table and Hospitality\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Introduces pishme, toy gatlama and sherpek on the celebratory table.<\/p>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Pishme (Pi\u015fme, \u043f\u0438\u0448\u043c\u0435) is a food of Turkmenistan made by cutting wheat-flour dough into small squares or diamonds and frying them in oil. The surface turns golden brown, while the inside keeps the softness of the dough. At celebrations it is served with green tea. Its sweetness is not fixed: while there are current sweet recipes (the proportions of ingredients and the method), memories of making it without sugar have also been passed down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7666,"menu_order":313,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Pi\u015fme","subtitle":"Small pieces of fried dough from Turkmenistan, made for welcoming guests","topics":"Small pieces of dough fried in oil\uff0fA golden-brown surface and a soft interior\uff0fCelebratory tea in Turkmenistan","country":"Turkmenistan","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["grain"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":["fried"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[169],"class_list":["post-8542","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t