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Uzbekistan consistently occupies a leading position in the list of the most popular places for gastronomic tourism, and this is understandable.
The national cuisine, which has developed over many centuries, is exceptionally diverse and incredibly tasty. Many traditional Uzbek dishes are genuine culinary masterpieces - let's get to know them better!
Plov
A real pearl of Uzbek cuisine and one of the main national symbols, included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. Plov is present on the table every day, no celebration or important event is complete without it.
Traveling around Uzbekistan, you will be surprised by the variety of recipes, of which there are more than 200. The dish is based on an organic combination of grain and zirvak (meat fried with onions, carrots and spices). In addition to rice, pilaf can include chickpeas, mung beans, wheat, and there are recipes with quince and dried fruits.
Shurpa
The basis of the soup is a thick, rich broth, mainly made from lamb, less common is the beef version.
30 minutes before the meat is ready, add coarsely chopped onions, carrots, and tomatoes to the broth, add red pepper and bay leaf. The last thing to add is coarsely chopped potatoes and cook until done. The finished dish is sprinkled with herbs and served with hot flatbread.
Naryn
If you want culinary exoticism, be sure to try this dish, which includes a meat that is not the most familiar to Europeans - horse meat.
The preparation of the dish is quite labor-intensive and takes several hours. Before cooking, the meat is sprinkled with salt and dried for 24 hours. Layers of homemade noodles are boiled in meat broth, the finished meat and noodles are cut into small pieces and sprinkled with herbs.
Kazi
Another horse meat dish is a gourmet homemade sausage, an indispensable attribute of the Uzbek festive table.
Kazi is prepared from fatty meat from the ribs and lard with a large number of spices - black pepper, garlic, cumin. When serving, the sausage is cut into thin slices and generously sprinkled with onions.
Samsa
The most popular Uzbek street food is triangular pies made from homemade puff pastry. Samsa is prepared with a variety of fillings, the most popular variety is with lamb and onions
The products for the filling are cut into cubes, and the pies themselves are baked in a tandoor, which gives them a rich taste and a mind-blowing aroma. The surface of the samsa is greased with egg yolk and sprinkled with black sesame.
Halvaytar
Halva is perhaps the most famous oriental sweet, but you won’t often find it in liquid form.
To prepare this unusual delicacy, flour is fried in a cauldron in vegetable oil until it is chocolate-colored. Then sugar diluted in water is added and cooked over low heat until it reaches the consistency of thick sour cream. Nuts and dried fruits are added to the finished dessert, poured into bowls and served with tea.
Navat
This traditional sweet in the form of large crystals of a beautiful amber color is sold at any Uzbek bazaar. Navat is a type of candy, only much healthier, since it is prepared on the basis of fruit sugar.
Strings are lowered into a cauldron with grape juice, on which sweet crystalline “garlands” are formed during the boiling process. Navat is stored for a very long time, so you can safely buy it "in reserve" and as a tasty souvenir.
