Uzbek food

  Mutton and lamb is mostly used in traditional Uzbek Food. Uzbek food may seem a little spicy compared with European food. Uzbek people sometimes cook with whole chilies, so beware! Generally the food is no too spicy.

First course

  Shurpa is a hot rich meat broth with potatoes, peas and carrots. It is possible to eat the large chunks of meat on the bones with your hands.

  Lagmon is a rich spicy stew with chopped meat, vegetables and spices, poured over long hand-made noodles. The noodles can be eaten with a fork and the gravy with a spoon. Lagmon is served in individual bowls (kosah).

  Mampar is similar to lagmon. A spicy meat and vegetables stew poured over chopped piece of dough. It is served in bowl and eaten with a spoon.

  Kovurma-lagmon and kovurma-mampar are the same as above only without broth. The noodles are lightly fried. The dish is served hot and eaten with a spoon of fork.

 Chuchvara (meat dumplings) consists of small "packages" of minced meat, onion and spices in dough. This is boiled in tasty broth, served hot in bowls and eaten with a spoon. Sour cream or yogurt can be served as a dressing.

Second course

    Pilav is the most popular dish in Uzbekistan. You will almost always be served pilav as a guest. This dish basically consists of cooked meat, rice, onion, garlic and spices. During the autumn hunting season, gourmets would use quail, pheasant, wild goose, and wild pigeons as a substitute for mutton. This, however, is not very common. There are more than 100 different kinds of pilav. Each region has its only kind; various ingredients such as raisins, quinces, garlic, etc. are added for different occasions, different seasons and different areas. We strongly recommend you to try Bukhara's sweet pilav with raisins and dried apricots instead of carrot. Pilav is always served hot.

    Dimlama is made of coarsely chopped potatoes, meat, onions, garlic, carrots, cabbage, eggplants, tomatoes, sweet peppers and variety of herbs and spices. These ingredients are placed in strict order in tightly sealed pot and cooked for hours on moderate heat, traditionally over a slow fire. This nutritious meal is usually cooked during spring and summer when there is a wide choice of vegetables. It is served on a large plate (lagan) and eaten with spoon. The meat can be eaten with your hands if pieces are large and still on the bone.

    Manty (meat dumplings) is meat, onion and the chopped fat of a sheep covered in dough "packages" and streamed. Manty is served on individual plates (3-5 pieces) and dressed with sour cream or yogurt.

    Somsa is a pastry with meat, onion and the fat of a sheep's tail cooked in a special clay oven called a tandir. Somsa is served straight from the tandir and eaten with hands.

    Shashlik is one of the most popular dishes served in Uzbekistan, enjoyed by one and all. It is marinated pieces of mutton (sometimes beef) and sheep's fat threaded on metal skewer and cooked over hot coals. There are 2 kinds of shashlik, meat and liver. Hot shashlik is served with chopped onion. Before eating, it is advisable to sprinkle some pepper and vinegar over while they are still hot. Shashlik can also be prepaired from wild pigeon and fat fish. But it is not very common.

Appetizers

    Kazi is a special kind of sausage made of horse meat and fat using special spices prepared according to ancient recipes passed down from generation to generation. This sausage has distinct dark colour. It is a delicacy and is normally served only on very special occasions.

    Kasib is a sausage made of meat, rice and spices. The outer casing is made of the inside of a sheep's intestine and cooked on low heat for a long time. Salads Fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful in Uzbekistan, which is evident in the abundance of salads served at every meal. The most popular salad is made from chopped fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, garlic and dill. You can also try the very tasty salad made of grated carrots, finely chopped garlic, spices and dressing.

The English spelling of national food:

Akroshka - cold yogurt soup with potatoes, eggs, meat

Bifshteks - steak

Blini- thin pancake

Brinza - White cheese

Chakka - creamy curd

Chuchvara - bouillon with steamed meet dumplings

Dimlama - steamed vegetables with meat

Galubtsee - stuffed peppers

Gretshka - buckwheat sprouts

Cutlet - minced meat balls

Kalbassa - sausage

Kazi - spicy sausage from horse meat

Kebab - if "Ljula" or "Molotyiy" - minced beef, if "Kuskavoy" - pieces of meat

Kissloe moloko, kefir - yogurt

Kuritsa - Chicken

Lagman - beef bouillon with noodles and vegetables

Lipjoshka / Non - whole round bread

Mantee - steamed dumplings (ravioli)

Mastava - rice soup

Pelmene - small steamed dumplings(tortellini)

Pilav - national rice dish varying by region

Samsa - filled filo dough pastry

Shashlik - BBQ over charcoal / grilled meat on skewer

Shurpa - beef bouillon with vegetables and potatoes

Smetana - thick double cream

Syr - cheese

Tandir Kebab - traditional oven backed meat

Uzbek Tea Ceremony

    Tea is served from ceramic pots into small pjala bowls. The precious liquid is poured into the clean pjala of the host and poured back in to the chainik (teapot) -this repeated three-four times. The fourth time, a half filled cup is offered in the guest's own pjala, allowing for the tea to cool down rapidly so as to quench ones thirst immediately. A bowl filled to the brim goes against all standards of hospitality and good form. Tea is served with homemade jam or honey, which substitutes as sweetener.