Zheti shelpek is a ritual dish of Kazakhs: round flatbread, roasted in oil. The number of flatbreads is usually 7 or 9, which are sacred in the Kazakh sense. They are prepared on religious holidays, funeral rites, Fridays – the day of remembering the spirit ancestors or on the crisis days of human life. People still say: “Zheti shelpek zheti päleden qutqarady” (seven flatbreads will save you from seven troubles). The round shape of the flatbreads goes back to the cult of the sun, and “the seven round flatbreads placed on top of each other symbolize seven layers of heaven or seven heavens,” says cultural scientist Z. Naurzayeva [6]. They are eaten after the words “Tiye bersin” – “May get all good”. It is believed that the souls of the deceased are strengthened by the smell of hot fat when the living are treated to flatbreads. Therefore, this rite is also called “Iis shyğaru” – “Emitting odor” [6].In this ritual there are traces of shamanism: the fattening of the fire spirit and in the food itself a distinct celestial symbolism and a “food form” of communication with the highest forces.
