The Central Asian Cookbook hero image

The Central Asian Cookbook

Recipes and stories from Central Asian Countries

Designers
Lee Hyewon, Omirzak Aida, Wang Yifan
Client
FAO Kazakhstan Office
Organization
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Role
Visual Designer (UN Volunteers)
Medium
Print
Year
2025

Project Overview

A 49-page cookbook commissioned by the FAO Kazakhstan Office, bringing together traditional recipes from five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. As part of the United Nations Volunteers graphic design team, I worked on the book's typography, illustrated spreads, recipe layout, and overall visual system, in close collaboration with the research and writing volunteers.

Highlights

5 country sections — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
Illustrated step-by-step recipe spreads, bilingual titles
Designed for FAO Kazakhstan Office as part of the UN Volunteers programme

The Central Asian Cookbook page — front cover
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The Central Asian Cookbook page — back cover

✍️ About the project

Commissioned by the FAO Kazakhstan Office, the cookbook documents recipes and food traditions from across Central Asia — a region whose cuisine is shaped by nomadic heritage, agricultural diversity, and the cultural exchange between five neighbouring countries. The research and writing was carried out by UN Volunteers Eşkan Nilufar, Okroj-Williams Bethan, Omirzak Aida, Seo Yubin, and Shcherbakova Elena; the graphic design team comprised Lee Hyewon, Omirzak Aida, and myself. The final volume was published as part of the FAO’s wider work on food heritage and a hunger-free future.