Sasha meets Russia: Flavors of the East. Altay: Where Mountains Meet the Sky

Altay is Russia’s wild East, a land of rivers and mountain valleys, ancient traditions and unique cuisine.

Sasha, an American with Russian roots, begins her journey along the Chuysky Trakt, a legendary Siberian highway which stretches nearly 1,000 kilometers. Once part of the Great Silk Road, today it’s one of the world’s most scenic routes, and Sasha experiences it on horseback.

To truly discover the spirit of Altay, tasting the local cuisine is a must: kocho, a hearty lamb soup; tea brewed with barley, milk, and salt; and dyorgom, a traditional dish made from boiled lamb intestines.

Her next stop is the village of Kupchegen, where locals celebrate the annual blooming of the maralnik plant. Every spring, its vivid purple flowers blanket the mountainsides as people gather for feasts and fairs, compete in archery, and demonstrate their skill at knocking down wooden blocks with a traditional whip called a kamchy.

In this episode, you’ll also discover a blue geyser lake, how to reach “Mars” without ever leaving Altay, and where to try chebureki, a staple Central Asian street dish, filled with maral venison.

Watch “Sasha meets Russia: Flavors of the East. Altay: Where Mountains Meet the Sky” on RTD website and on RT’s live feed. The time of the broadcast is available on RT’s schedule page.