Kurt (aka kurut, korot, khurut, gurt, kort; from Turkic “koro” means “dry”, “dried”) is a caloric, naturally dried sour milk product of Central Asian nomads, something in between salted dried curd and hard young cheese in the form of balls of various sizes. The recipe for kurta was invented centuries ago to preserve dairy products when trade caravans set off on long journeys and herders were away from home from the green spring until late autumn.

Kurut is made of syuzma (fermented dairy curd product, strained evaporated milk) and salt. The concentration of salt in kurut can vary from a little bit salty to “pungent”. Kourt can also be flavoured with basil (rajon), red pepper, mint and other spices.

Kourt makes it easier to endure the heat, it quenches not only hunger, but also thirst, keeping the body hydrated, which is especially important when travelling across the endless hot steppes, deserts, and during long climbs in the mountains.

Kurt is versatile. It can be used to make a rich and nutritious soup, eaten with bread as a sandwich, added to salads instead of bryndza and salt, dissolved in mineral water to make a refreshing drink.

ARTIST statement

there are small activities that are part of everyday life that can be meditation and healing. in that moment, when you don’t hear your thoughts, your heart missing your loved one.

For myself, I would define art as something that is created by a person and when they are immersed in the process of creating something that expresses their feelings and actions in that moment. It can be a meditative and playful practice where you lose the flow of time, space and live your world, where you create using the materials that are at hand, that you see around you and feel like a child. My past experiences have led me to the present day where I am influenced by the adult world around me, it has many interesting and destructive things in it, but we move in a spiral. my whole life is built on the experience of the child within me, I am still the same as I was originally – a person with feelings, who moves, creates with imagination and embodies with hands.