Famous European Tourism portal Travel Tomorrow published another article about Uzbekistan, this time dedicated to Uzbek Cuisine. The article was written by the travel journalist Dana Stefan and talks about the five famous dishes of the Uzbek cuisine.
The list of the delicious Uzbek dishes highlighted by the author of the article include Uzbek Pilaf, Uzbek bread, Manti, Samsa and Uzbek kebab, which is named as Shashlik, as it is typically used in Uzbekistan by locals.
The author starts the article talking about the history of the Uzbek cuisine, mentioning how it was effected by merchant from all over the world throughout the centuries, since Uzbekistan was located on the Great Silk Road, playing a key role connecting East to the West. Regional variations and peculiarities of Uzbek dishes depending the district and location are explained to the readers, mentioning the approaches of preparing the famous so-called “Uzbek rice”, which is Uzbek Pilaf (Plov) in each region of Uzbekistan, giving an example of Tashkent and Fergana Valley styles of the Uzbek Rice.
The inclusion of the Uzbek pilaf into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO is also highlighted by the author, which talks about the uniqueness of this deliciously prepared Uzbek rice with meat and carrots, adding various spices to it.
“Located along the ancient Silk Road, Uzbekistan's cuisine has been influenced by traders from around the world for centuries,” the article says. - As with any culture, there are variations throughout the country depending on the availability of local products. In the north, the main dishes are rice or dough dishes. In the southern part of the country, preference is given to multi-component dishes made from vegetables and rice. In the Fergana Valley, rice is cooked darker or fried, while in Tashkent it remains lighter. Regardless of regional characteristics, some dishes remain basic in Uzbek cuisine.”
The article talks about pilaf - the signature dish of national cuisine. “Uzbek pilaf, which is sometimes also called palov or pilaf, was inscribed by UNESCO in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” the portal reports. “There is a saying in Uzbekistan that guests can leave the host’s house only after they have been served pilaf,” writes Travel Tomorrow.
The next unique example of a traditional Uzbek cuisine is Uzbek bread, or so called flatbread, which is generally called Non in Uzbek language. The author describes the recipe and preparation methods of the Uzbek flatbread variations, teasing the readers, who doubtlessly crave trying it as they read how thoroughly it is baked, bringing a delicious bread to the table.
Shashlik, locally referred kebab in Central Asian countries comes next in the list of the author’s Uzbek dishes. The next dish that attracted the attention of European gourmets is shashlik or kebab. The variations of Shahlik, which are made with lamb, chicken and beef are mentioned, quoting “The characteristic of Uzbek shashlik is alternating the meat with tail fat on the skewers to create the juiciest possible results. Moreover, the ingredients for shashlik, be it meat, fat or even onion, are always marinated, preferably overnight, before the mosaic is created on the skewers and grilled over charcoals”.
Uzbek Samsa was compared to Indian Samosa, mentioning that Uzbek ones are baked in the tandoor whereas Indian samosa is fried. The variations of Uzbek samsa, which can be stuffed with beef, lamb, chicken or vegetables, adding spices according to a taste is also described in the article.
And finally, Manti, another favorite Uzbek dish, steamed large dumplings filled with minced meat, concludes the article dedicated to Uzbek cuisine.
On our end, we would like to add that you should visit Uzbekistan not only for its historical monuments of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, but also delicious Uzbek cuisine, which is absolutely unique in its taste and variety.
