Italian Photographer Captures Kazakhstan’s Cuisine and Women in New Book

Over a decade ago, Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti published a book, In Her Kitchen, featuring 57 women from 57 countries alongside the traditional dishes they prepared. Kazakhstan didn’t make it into the book back then. Now, that omission is being addressed.

Galimberti, an official photographer for National Geographic, visited Kazakhstan the year before last and is currently working on a new volume of his signature project.

This time focused entirely on Kazakh women and their cooking traditions, Orda.kz reports.

Galimberti has spent over 20 years crafting photographic stories that portray people surrounded by personal items. His work is known for its thematic depth — from The Ameriguns, a striking series of American gun owners posing with their arsenals, to Toy Stories, where children from around the world are photographed alongside their favorite toys.

In Her Kitchen is Galimberti’s flagship project in food photography. Like his other series, the concept is consistent: each participant is photographed alongside neatly arranged ingredients, followed by a shot of the finished dish she prepares.

In May last year, Galimberti presented the original In Her Kitchen at the National Museum of Kazakhstan in Astana. But the inspiration to launch a Kazakhstan-specific edition was sparked even earlier, during planning for the exhibition.

According to Olga Daniele, founder of 365 Art, who oversees the project, the main idea was always about more than food. It was about showing the women of Kazakhstan. And that’s how the idea for the book and photo series In Her Kitchen: Kazakhstan was born.

So far, 10 women from Almaty and Astana have been photographed for the Kazakh edition. Dishes already featured include beshbarmak, manti, bauyrsaqs, flatbreads, and chicken noodle soup.

At this point, our work has been limited to Kazakhstan’s largest cities. But we’d really like to expand the project and shoot in regions nationwide. Olga says. 

Why hasn’t filming expanded beyond the major cities? Funding is part of the issue. Daniele explains that participation in the project is currently paid, but they’re actively seeking an investor to help turn In Her Kitchen: Kazakhstan into a non-commercial initiative.

The ultimate goal is to showcase a diverse range of Kazakh women — ideally, as many as in the first book: 57. 

We don’t set any restrictions. The only requirement is that the woman presents her favorite dish, which reflects her personality. Interestingly, most of the participants have chosen traditional Kazakh cuisine. Some even wore national jewelry for the photo sessions,says Daniele. 

True to his style, Galimberti doesn’t just photograph dishes — he tastes them all.

I’ve tried many dishes: soups and meat dishes. Unfortunately, I don’t speak the language, so I didn’t catch all the names. But I wrote them all down in my notebook,he laughs. 

But most of all, Galimberti liked horse meat:

In Italy, we don’t eat much horse meat. But here, it’s common. I tried it, and I actually liked it. In fact, I had some just yesterday.

Filming for In Her Kitchen typically takes anywhere from 40 minutes to six hours. So far, Kazakhstan hasn’t broken any records, but some Southeast Asian countries have.

In Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, I spent a lot of time filming. I worked with everyday families, and meal preparation took a long time. But it was a great experience.Galimberti recalls. 

According to Daniele, the Kazakhstan edition of In Her Kitchen could be ready in one to two years. Until then, the project continues.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin