Jarma ( ky, жарма, []) is a cold beverage made from ground grains found in the cuisine of Kyrgyzstan. While related to the fermented drink maksym, it is not fermented, and is instead often mixed with ayran (liquidy yoghurt) to result in a similar fizzy sensation. A commercially produced version of jarma is available from the companies

Shoro Shoro ( ky, Шоро) is a village in the Naryn District, Naryn Region of Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan ...

and Enesay. It is marketed as thirst-quenching and immunity-strengthening (due to its

microorganism A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

and

vitamin A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an Nutrient#Essential nutrients, essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its ...

contents), and Shoro produces it without

GMO A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. The exact definition of a genetically modified organism and what constitutes genetic engineering varies, with ...

ingredients or

preservatives A preservative is a substance or a chemical that is added to products such as food products, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, paints, biological samples, cosmetics, wood, and many other products to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by ...

History

During the Soviet era, jarma was made and drunk exclusively in the private sphere. Commercial production of the drink began in the early 1990s by the

company. Today it is sold in stores and from barrels on the street throughout Kyrgyzstan, and is a popular go-to chilled drink during the summer. A small-scale producer and vendor in

Nooken District Nooken District ( ky, Ноокен району, before 1992: ''Lenin District'') is a district of Jalal-Abad Region in western Kyrgyzstan. The administrative seat lies at Masy. Its area is , and its resident population was 145,187 in 2021. Popul ...

was charging 23 soms (about 0.40 USD) per litre of jarma in the summer of 2015.

Preparation

The exact ingredients and preparation of Jarma vary by region and taste. It can be thick or watery. Generally,

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, or

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

is fried and ground by a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

(including by hand). The ground meal is sifted to separate the

chaff Chaff (; ) is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material (such as scaly parts of flowers or finely chopped straw). Chaff is indigestible by humans, but livestock can eat it. In agri ...

and other parts of the cereal. One way of preparing jarma involves 4 to 5 litres of water, 200 to 300 grams of ground grain, one tablespoon of cooking oil, one tablespoon of wheat flour, and salt to taste. First the flour is fried in the oil, and water is added. As the water starts to boil the ground grain is added in a way to avoid lumps. It's then cooked until it starts to get thick (and will thicken more when cooling). The result is called jarma, though any sort of dairy product ( ayran, suzma, or

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

) may then be added so that it's more drinkable. Jarma available commercially always contains grain and dairy elements.

References

{{Reflist Drinks Food and drink in Kyrgyzstan