Chak-Chak


Chak-chak is a popular fried dough food in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other parts of Central Asia.
Chak-chak is made from unleavened dough cut and rolled into hazelnut-sized balls, which are then deep-fried in oil. Optionally, hazelnuts or dried fruit are added to the mixture. The fried balls are stacked in a mound in a special mold and drenched with hot honey. After cooling and hardening, chak-chak may optionally be decorated with hazelnuts and dried fruits.
Traditional wedding chak-chak is larger and is often covered with candies and dragées. The biggest chak-chak weighed and was prepared on 14 June 2018 during start of the 2018 [FIFA World Cup] in Kazan.

Types

  • If the dough is fried as noodles, chak-chak is called boxara käläwäse.
  • Kazakh shek-shek is similar to boxara käläwäse.
  • Uzbek chakchak comes as half rounded balls, noodles, and flakes.
  • Tajik chaqchaq comes in both types, as balls and as noodles.