The traditional Tatar meal is organized around a first course of soup (şurpa or fatty broth), followed by a filled pasta or meat dish (ikençe aş — the main course, often a bälesh or pilmänner), then the sweet course (tatly) accompanied by tea (çäy). Round bread (ikm äk) is always present. Fermented dairy products (qatıq, ayran) accompany every meal. During celebrations, the table is laden with honey pastries.

Rendered fat from the fat-tailed sheep (qoyrıq qoy), ubiquitous in the Tatar cuisine of the Kazan Khanate. It serves as cooking fat, a binder in stuffings, and a preservative. Its rich, slightly tallowy flavor is the aromatic base of most Tatar dishes, from bälesh to broths. It radically distinguishes this cuisine from neighboring Russian traditions using butter or lard.