Food of Uzbekistan
With Uzbekistan being right in the middle of the Silk Road, the food here is an interesting mix of East and West.
We found everything to be quite delicious - here’s a good summary of the main types of food you’ll want to try when visiting Uzbekistan:
Types of food in Uzbekistan
Plov
Plov, the signature dish of Uzbekistan, is served in every restaurant in the country with many varieties all over the country. Also it’s a good thing it’s delicious, since you’ll most likely be eating it everyday as part of a meal during your visit in Uzbekistan.
What is Plov exactly? Well, in summary it’s a hearty rice dish that has been cooked with lamb or beef, onions, garlic, peppers, raisins, apricots, and carrots. We loved the comforting feel of it after a long day of exploration.
Since it’s quite a fatty entree, it’s recommended to be paired with a refreshing salad and tea.
If you find a restaurant that cooks their Plov in a giant iron cauldron (called a kazan), it’s really fun to see the whole cooking process.
Cool fact: Plov is officially labeled as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Shashlik
Shashlik, derived from the word ‘shish kabob’, is wildly popular in Uzbekistan and is not too far off from the shish kebobs in Central and Eastern European countries like Turkey, Iran, Morocco, and Israel.
Most of the time it’ll be chicken, beef, or lamb skewered on a metal shank and cooked over coals.
I had shashlik both at restaurants and from street food vendors, with my favorite being chicken. I thought the chicken was juicer than beef or lamb and absorbed the smoky coal flavors better.
Tip: For some fantastic chicken Shashlik, check out the open air food vendors at Chorsu Market in Tashkent or Chayxana Chinar in Bukhara.
Manti
Manti are large steamed dumplings stuffed with minced meat and vegetables.
You might find some resemblance in Chinese dumplings since they were brought over from Uighurs who were living in China at the time. It’s also assumed that ‘Manti’ is derived from the Chinese word ‘Mantou’ which are steamed bread buns.
They are usually served with a yogurt based dip, which I thought would be weird, but actually tasted quite nice.
Some restaurants also serve vegetarian Manti filled with radish, pumpkin, and other vegetables.
Lagman
Lagman, which means ’stretched dough’ in the Dungan tongue, are hand pulled noodles that are served either stir fried or in a soup.
In soup form, expect a hearty combination of beef or lamb, vegetables, and a rich broth.
For stir fries, there will be all sorts of varieties of meats, veggies, and sauces. I even came across a green lagman variety where the noodles were made with dill.
Shurpa soup
Soup is also one of the main dishes of Uzbekistan cuisine, with Shurpa being the most popular variety.
Uzbek shurpa is basically a fatty soup with lamb, thick cuts of carrots, potatoes, and onions with plenty of herbs like dill or parsley.
You’ll find that shurpa is cooked differently depending on the season. For example in the summer you might find apples in the soup and in the fall there might be turnips.
Fun fact: Shurpa was the favorite dish of the great medieval conqueror Tamerlane.
Samsa
Samsa, not to be confused with Samosas, entered Central Asian cuisine far back in history but really came into its own in the late 1800’s when Russia conquered the area. It wasn’t until then that higher quality flour was used and things like potato and cabbage started appearing in the filling.
The modern version of samsa is made with meat (lamb, beef, or chicken), vegetables (onions, potatoes, cabbage, pumpkin), and other things like eggs and mushrooms. You might find dessert versions of the samsa as well.
Always baked to a flaky consistency, samsa are quite delicious and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Bread
Bread in Uzbekistan is called “non”, which is derived from the Persian word for bread and is served with almost every meal in Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan breads are usually cooked in tandoor ovens and have a delicious slightly smoky aftertaste as a result. You’ll also notice that many breads come in a ring shape, with a beautiful braided texture and flat disc in the middle.
Every city and region as their own way of making bread and since fresh bread is pretty much the best thing ever, most cities have bicycle delivery men who service cafes, restaurants, and homes early every morning.
Suzma
With Central Asia being renowned for its rich, smooth dairy products, Suzma is a very popular yogurt dip made from these dairy products.
The basic Suzma is yogurt and salt, but it’s often mixed with onions, coriander, dill, garlic or even beetroot.
You’ll see many locals eating bread with Suzma. Sometimes it’s not even listed on restaurant menus since it’s as common as water! Just ask for Suzma when ordering bread and you’ll look like a seasoned local.
Tea
Tea is a very important part of life in Uzbekistan and is usually offered to guests when entering homes.
The most traditional way to enjoy tea in Uzbekistan is to use a brewing cup where the first pour is filled into and then put back into the teapot. This is repeated 2 or 3 times so the full flavor of the tea can be brought out.
In Uzbek culture, and in many Asian cultures, you should always pour tea for others before filling your own cup. Interestingly, it’s considered polite to never fill a tea cup more than halfway.
Fruit
Due to Uzbekistan’s fertile soils and abundant sunshine, they are a major producer and exporter of fruit. You’ll see this at all the outdoor markets with the endless amount of delicious cherries, figs, persimmons, pomegranates, melons, grapes, and whatever else in season.
When we were visiting, cherries were in season - we probably ate 2 kilos a day b/c they were so cheap and delicious!
Halva
Halva is a very popular dessert found in many Asian and Arabic countries with Uzbekistan having their own take. There are quite a few varieties ranging from simple nut based halvas to complex halvas. Make sure to check out the sweet shops and outdoor markets to sample all the different and unique halva treats.