Tours
Central Asia is not renowned for its cuisine, apart, probably, from its famous plov (pilau). Perhaps it is the right time for a rethink. If you’re about to embark on a journey through Central Asia, unravel the mystery of Central Asian cuisine and such names as lagman, plov, manty, beshbarmak that you’ll encounter on a typical restaurant or café menu.
With our dedicated tours and master-classes you will get a bit of background about the cultural and historical peculiarities of the region’s food habits. You’ll understand the basics of a Central Asian nomad’s diet based on meat and dairy, see how that differs from the settled people of the region with their love of vegetables, rice and noodles as well as the Russians who influenced the region when it was part of the Soviet Union.
The mention of Central Asian foodways usually conjures up competing images of nomadic and sedentary lifestyles. In one, the roving sheep-herder astride a brawny steed, between base camp and mountain pasture, clutches a leather pouch of fermented milk. The other vision includes the long-beard in his colorful robe and headdress, enjoying perfumed pilaf in a tranquil teahouse. While scholars quibble over cultural and physical boundaries of Central Asia, culinary cultures of the region represent an intriguing mix of steppe and settlement, highlands and lowlands, Turkic and Iranian.
The Uzbek cuisine is probably one of the most diverse in Asia. Situated on the caravan routes of the Great Silk Road, Uzbekistan has for many centuries been assimilating the most interesting and original recipes of food from various countries. Each meal in Uzbekistan has its own traditional way of cooking, and one and the same dish has innumerable methods of preparation throughout the country.