Electronically read dishes of Uzbek cuisine. Traditional cuisine and food of Uzbekistan

When it comes to Uzbek cuisine, everyone immediately remembers Uzbek pilaf. But Uzbek cuisine is famous not only for pilaf.

National cuisine of Uzbekistan has an ancient history and is closely connected with the Uzbek culture, language, traditions and geographic and climatic conditions. A significant impact on the diversity and originality of the recipes of Uzbek cuisine was the fact that, unlike the cuisine of the closest geographical neighbors (the nomadic peoples of the Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Kirghiz and Turkmens), Uzbeks historically were characterized by both a sedentary and nomadic way of life. At the same time, the adoption of culinary traditions, the assimilation of cultures (especially the Persian-Tajik) had a profound effect on the variety and richness of dishes. The origin of many of them has common roots with traditional Asian dishes such as plov, lagman, manti and others. However, Uzbekistan has its own peculiarities in the preparation of these dishes, as well as its own completely original dishes. Despite the fact that the main dishes and cooking technologies of Uzbek cuisine were formed more than a thousand years ago, Uzbek cuisine was enriched with new products, ingredients and culinary techniques of Russian, Ukrainian, Caucasian, Tatar, Uighur and European cuisine.

These are hearty and fragrant meat dishes, thick soups with an abundance of fresh vegetables and herbs, exotic sweets and original pastries. Features of Uzbek cuisine, like many other national cuisines, are determined by the specifics of local agriculture. Grain farming is very well developed in Uzbekistan, so noodles and bread are of great importance in the local cuisine. Sheep breeding is also widespread in Uzbekistan, so the most popular type of meat is lamb, which is part of most of the main dishes of Uzbek cuisine. Horse meat and camel meat are used less frequently.

Recipe for Uzbek cuisine huge. More than 100 types of pilaf, 60 types of soups, 30 types of barbecue are known.

Pilaf- the most popular dish in Uzbekistan. It is prepared for every day, and for special holidays, both secular and religious. And each region of Uzbekistan has its own plov - Bukhara, Khorezm, Fergana, Samarkand, Tashkent. They differ in the way of preparation and additives to the main products.

Among soups, especially tasty and fragrant are lagman And shurpa- vermicelli and potato soup with lamb, fresh herbs and vegetables.

Steamed manti stuffed with meat, pumpkin, spring greens.

Diverse in taste and appearance cakes- Uzbek bread, which is baked in a tandoor - a special clay oven. Samsa is also prepared in the tandoor - national pies with meat, onions and tail fat.

No meal is complete without sweets. They are put on the table before serving the main course with green tea - the main drink in Uzbekistan. Among sweets, dried apricots, raisins, nuts, halva, parvarda, baklava, honey are served, and in spring sumalak is sure to be on the table - a delicious and healthy dish made from germinated wheat.

The main meat dishes are characterized by the preparation of fried, high-calorie foods, the widespread use of cottonseed oil, lamb tail fat, butter, spices and herbs. Meat dishes are almost always prepared with onions, and its proportion to the meat is much larger than in European cuisine.

Many dishes have a complex recipe, are prepared by hand, which requires many years of skill and culinary art. A special professional skill is required when preparing a large pilaf for tens and hundreds of kilograms of rice. Manti, dumplings (chuchvara) are molded by hand, the popular spring dish sumalak is cooked over low heat for more than 10 hours. At the same time, the preparatory stage for wheat germination can take several days.

Currently, modern gas and electric stoves, kitchen utensils and appliances are widely used for cooking in Uzbek cuisine. However, traditional cooking methods are still popular. An obligatory element of kitchen utensils is a cauldron - a cast-iron cauldron of a spherical shape. Tandir - a clay oven can be found everywhere in Uzbekistan and it is an almost indispensable element, especially in rural cuisine.

Traditional type of dishes, on which pilaf and many other dishes are served - lagan, a large flat plate or dish. Forks are rarely used in a modern meal in Uzbek cuisine - if pilaf is not eaten with hands, then it is customary to eat it with a spoon. Other utensils used in Uzbek cuisine: scythe (deep bowl), piala (cup usually for tea).

In the Uzbek national cuisine, there are noticeable differences between regions. In the north, pilaf, dough dishes are considered the main dishes. In the southern part of the country, preference is given to multi-component dishes of vegetables and rice. In the Ferghana Valley they cook darker and fried pilaf, in Tashkent it is lighter.

In Uzbek families, it is typical that cooking at the household level is considered a male occupation, and men often take on culinary duties in the family. Cooking a large pilaf in a cauldron for a hundred or more kilograms of rice is the prerogative of only men. To fully enjoy the Uzbek feast for a European is an impossible task. Not only that, Uzbek cuisine is fatty and satisfying. Here it is customary to eat slowly, long and tastefully. A long series of dishes strikes the unprepared imagination of those who are used to diets. Up to ten dishes per meal is the usual Uzbek hospitality.

They eat in Uzbekistan three times a day, but there are an abundance of different dishes on the table, and all of them are very high in calories. The main dishes are not for lunch, but for dinner. Firstly, because of the heat, and secondly, because many Uzbek dishes are cooked for a long time, sometimes even throughout the day. And in general, a good feast, in a big company, a real dastarkhan (Uzbek table), can be arranged in the evening, when the day's bustle is behind.

There are dishes that are not prepared every day, but only for weddings and festive tables, dear guests. These are such delicacy dishes in their own way as kazy-karta, post-dumba uramasi (tail-tail shell roll), tandir-kabob (barbecue in tandoor), norin, khasip (homemade sausage).

If the choice of soups and hot dishes of Uzbek cuisine is quite wide, then the assortment of desserts is really very limited. A typical meal ends with fresh fruit or dried fruit compote, baklava, nuts or halva are also served at the table. Sweet pastries are less common than in other countries of the region.

Traditional Uzbek national drink, as in many other countries of Central Asia - green tea. Green tea for Uzbeks is a drink that has not only gastronomic, but also cultural significance. This drink always accompanies the meal, it is a symbol of hospitality. If the owner of the house offers tea to the guest, it means that he is happy with this guest. Green tea is considered traditional, but black tea is no less popular in Tashkent.

Alcohol in Uzbekistan is consumed much less than in European countries, but wine is popular compared to other Muslim countries. There are more than a dozen wineries in Uzbekistan that produce good wine from local grapes. Beer and strong alcoholic drinks (vodka, brandy) are also consumed.

The main well-known dishes of the Uzbek national cuisine: Pilaf- this is undoubtedly the most popular and most famous dish of Uzbek cuisine, which is, roughly speaking, pieces of meat with rice, carrots and onions. Dozens of varieties of pilaf are known in Uzbekistan, which differ both in the way they are prepared and in the situation - there are different types of festive and ceremonial pilaf. Pilaf is not just a dish, it is a real cultural symbol of the country. According to tradition, if pilaf is prepared for guests, then the owner of the house must certainly cook it. In many families, this tradition is still observed today.

Shashlik- pieces of meat (lamb, beef, pork, liver, fish, vegetables) on metal skewers cooked on coals,

Shurpa(soup from a large piece of meat, potatoes and fresh vegetables),

Lagman(a noodle-based dish that can be served both as a soup and as a second course),

Mastava(vegetable soup with lamb and rice),

Domlama(meat stew with vegetables),

Manti(large steamed dumplings)

Chuchvara and samsa(stuffed pastry pies served both as an appetizer and as a main course),

Kainatma shurva(broth), mohora (soup with peas), ugra (noodles), chuchvara (dumplings), manchiza (soup with dumplings),

flat cakes: round-shaped bread cooked in a tandoor (clay oven),

Sweets(jam, nishalda, honey, parvarda, baklava, sumalak),

Uzbek national cuisine photo

Uzbek national dishes- these are the bright colors of nature, centuries-old traditions and the aroma of the East, food that will not leave indifferent any gourmet and connoisseur of true taste. Feeling the aroma of the dish, and even more so when you see it, your stomach will immediately scream to you “I'm hungry!”. Gastronomic joys in Uzbekistan, believe me, are no less than the stars in the sky!

Recipes cooking Uzbek national cuisine formed over many centuries. Not without the culinary influence of other nationalities, who have repeatedly conquered the lands of Central Asia, but Uzbek dishes still acquired their own specifics. A distinctive feature of Uzbek cuisine is the use of all. Most of the dishes are prepared using a large amount of oil: cottonseed, sunflower or sesame, with the addition of tail fat. In the formation of recipes for dishes of Uzbek cuisine, there is a contribution not only from culinary masters, but also from doctors. According to one of the legends, pilaf recipe compiled by Abu Ali Ibn Sino (Avicenna) himself.

Main Ingredients Uzbek dishes- flour, meat (mainly lamb), tail fat (lard), vegetables, herbs and spices. There are dishes that are prepared exclusively by men, or only by women. The preparation of some special dishes is associated with holidays, memorable events, and beliefs.
Uzbek dishes are usually very hearty and high-calorie. Of great importance in their preparation are herbs and spices- coriander (cilantro), zira (zra, cumin), barberry, sesame, raykhon (basil), etc. Spices increase appetite, so you want to eat these dishes as soon as you smell their aroma. Often, katyk (sour milk, classic yogurt), as well as green radish, are used in the recipes of Uzbek national dishes. It is less spicy than black radish, and in combination with butter and carrots, even sweet;

During cooking dishes of Uzbek cuisine often you can not do without specific Central Asian culinary appliances and utensils:
- casacan(mantle). Some national Uzbek dishes are prepared exclusively for steam - these are a variety of manti and khanums. For their preparation, a special pan is used - kaskan with removable grates (mantyshnitsa, double boiler);
- tandoor- Central Asian clay oven. It is made by hand. It resembles a large earthenware jug. Tandoors are vertical and horizontal. For example, horizontal ones are more suitable for baking cakes, and vertical ones are more suitable for;
- cauldron- cast-iron boiler with thick walls. Many dishes can be cooked only in a cauldron, because it retains heat well and evenly distributes it.

National dishes where food is traditionally served:
- kasushka- a large bowl for food;
- lyagan- a large dish decorated with traditional paintings. Plov and many other dishes are served in lagans.
- bowl from which they drink tea.

According to tradition, they eat in Uzbekistan at a low table - dastarkhan, on the floor, in the summer - on the aivan (trestle bed). Around the dastarkhan are laid out colorful kurpachi(a type of Central Asian mattress) and small pillows, so that after eating deliciously, you can relax without getting up from the table.
Pork is strictly not used in food.

Uzbek cuisine- this is a delicious, juicy lamb, a golden hot cake, a lot of fragrant spices, marvelous green tea, sweets, a thousand delicious fruits and vegetables, and most importantly - endlessly cordial Asian hospitality!

Welcome!

Dishes of Uzbek cuisine

Uzbek national dishes are bright colors, oriental flavor and centuries-old traditions carried from the past to the present. The first thing that is associated with the cuisine of Uzbekistan is, of course, fragrant pilaf, delicious shish kebab, lush golden cakes with piping heat and amazing sweets. It is impossible to resist the abundance of local dishes! We can say with confidence that there are no less goodies in sunny Tashkent, Samarkand or Bukhara than there are stars in the sky! Culinary traditions inherent in Uzbek cuisine have evolved over many centuries. It was not without the influence of other peoples, who at one time conquered the lands of Central Asia. The nomadic way of life and the assimilation of cultures, in particular the proximity to the Persians and Tajiks, helped to diversify the range of traditional dishes.

DISHES OF UZBEK CUISINE

The local cuisine, although it was formed under the influence of Asian traditions, still has features and specific features. It is characterized by the use of meat. Lamb, horse meat, beef, poultry - without this it is difficult to imagine a table in Uzbekistan. The food here is very satisfying and high-calorie. Cooking is also unthinkable without spices - coriander, saffron, hot pepper, agar-agar, cumin, rosemary, etc. Such an abundance of fragrant herbs and seasonings saturates the dishes with a unique, exquisite aroma. Spices immediately awaken a brutal appetite, therefore, smelling these goodies, there is a desire to try them. And there are so many delicacies here that your eyes run wide: appetizers, hot first courses, meat products, fragrant pastries, desserts. You definitely won't go hungry! There are hundreds of recipes and names of various dishes in Uzbek cuisine. Naturally, it is impossible to list everything, so it is worth highlighting the most popular of them.

Uzbek snacks

In the local cuisine, snacks are specific. Juicy homemade sausages and tail fat dishes can hardly be classified as light dishes. Khasyp is considered one of the most original snacks. Fragrant, enchanting with pleasant smells of oriental spices, homemade boiled sausage made from lamb meat, liver and rice porridge - this is a heavenly delight for true gourmets. It seems that khasyp does not look very attractive, but in fact it is a real delicacy. Perhaps the presence of lamb offal and intestines will please not everyone, but after tasting a piece of sausage, you forget about everything, even about this small nuance.
In the list of delicious Uzbek sausages, an honorable second place belongs to a dish under the unpretentious name - kazy. This amazing meat delicacy can be eaten at least every day - it is unlikely that anyone will get tired of it. By the way, it is cooked, oddly enough, not from lamb, but from horse meat, using meat from the rib part of the carcass. The sausage is served cold, cut into thin slices, seasoned with spices, garnished with herbs and onion rings. Kazy may not look particularly impressive, but the taste is incredible. In addition, horse meat is very healthy and easily absorbed by the body. In general, there are more pluses than minuses, and this is already good!
For lovers of salty, perhaps, there is nothing tastier than the Uzbek kurt. Truly, this is a universal dish: it will go with both beer and soup, and on a long journey it will help to quench thirst and hunger. On hot summer days, it retains water in the body longer. What is it? In general, kurt is known to Asians from ancient times. Its recipe was invented for the purpose of preserving fermented milk products, with which savvy wives supplied their husbands when they went along with trade caravans far beyond their native lands. Kurt is dried salted curd made into small balls. It is prepared from suzma (a product remaining in the manufacture of cottage cheese) and salt. To improve the taste, various seasonings are added to it, mainly basil and red pepper. Kurt is a magical snack. It is easily digestible, it is equivalent to meat dishes in terms of calories, although it is stored much longer - from 7 to 8 years, it is light and takes up little space.

First meal

Hot dishes in any kitchen are represented primarily by soups. In Uzbekistan, they are quite satisfying, high-calorie, and have a thick texture. They are prepared on the basis of meat or fish broth with the addition of meat, cereals, beans, peas, different varieties of pumpkin and a huge amount of herbs and spices.
Depending on the method of cooking meat, two types of soups are distinguished. The first one is roasted, for it they use pre-fried lamb. Vegetables and other ingredients are usually cut into small pieces. For a richer taste, bell peppers, tomatoes and a lot of seasonings are added. The second option (shurpa, naryn) is made from raw meat, which is cut into large pieces and seasoned with fresh or sour milk.
One of the main national dishes of Uzbek cuisine is mastava, or mastoba. According to the composition of the main ingredients and cooking technology, it resembles pilaf, so in everyday life it is often called "liquid pilaf". Essentially, mastava is a dressing soup made from rice and fresh lamb with carrots, onions, turnips and tomatoes. Its integral components are many spices, in particular cilantro, basil, black and red capsicum, parsley and barberry berries. Before serving, the mastava is seasoned with a small amount of sour milk and garlic, additionally decorated with greens.
Uzbeks consider katykli khurda to be an easily digestible and satisfying meal - a soup cooked in meat or vegetable broth. The main components here are rice and wheat groats, in some regions of the country it is customary to add beans and mung beans (mung beans). Katykli khurda belongs to the category of dietary dishes. Unlike other soups, a little sour milk is necessarily added here, which gives it a light, delicate taste and pleasant aroma.
One of the options for katykli is chalop - a cold sour-milk soup popular with many Turkic peoples. In Uzbek cuisine, it is a mixture of katyk (sour milk), finely chopped greens and vegetables. It is prepared mainly on hot summer days.
Karakum also belongs to sour-milk soups. The set of ingredients in this dish is really minimal. It is prepared on the basis of katyk and finely chopped onion. Season everything with red pepper and add a little boiled water. Karakum is served in bowls along with small flatbreads.
Shurpa is very popular in the East - a filling soup made from pre-fried meat and vegetables. As a rule, it is prepared from lamb, sometimes poultry is used. In some regions, you can find another option - "asy shurpa", which is based on fish broth. It is characterized by the use of a large amount of herbs and spices. A distinctive feature is that, along with the traditional set of vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onions), apples, plums, dried apricots and dried fruits are used in unlimited quantities, which gives the soup a sweetish aftertaste and a fresh fruity aroma.
In the cuisine of Uzbekistan, there are several varieties of traditional soup. Roasted lamb shurpa, or kaurma-shurpa, is widely known. It is prepared from the costal part of the carcass of a ram. A lot of vegetables are added to the dish: carrots and potatoes, chopped onions and tomatoes. It is served in special cups, garnished with cilantro and black pepper. No less famous is corn shurpa.
Among the first courses, it is worth highlighting pieva - onion soup with lamb and tomatoes. Yerma is also considered a popular and satisfying dish - a broth made from crushed wheat, meat and tomatoes. Due to the addition of red capsicum, it turns out to be quite spicy, so it is often washed down with sour milk.
Shurpa-chaban, a soup based on lamb ribs broth with chopped onions, tomatoes and potatoes, is also a common dish. It is served in an unusual way: the rest of the fresh onion grated together with black pepper is placed on the bottom of the plate, and then the soup is poured. Onion with spices perfectly sets off the taste of lamb and vegetables and gives the dish a richer flavor.
Among the first courses made from beef, kiima-shurpa is popular - a dressing soup made from bone broth with meatballs, sauteed onions, finely chopped carrots and potatoes. During serving, separately boiled rice, sour milk or a little sour cream are added to it, sprinkled with chopped herbs.
Uzbek cuisine is also known for hearty and unusually fatty dishes. These include suyuk-osh - a common beef soup with onions, carrots and potatoes. It is also customary to add a little noodles to it. When serving, suyuk-osh is necessarily seasoned with sour milk.
Naryn can be considered a universal dish. Due to its thick consistency and high calorie content, it is often served as a second course. Soup is prepared from finely chopped lamb and lard. Separately, the noodles are boiled in salted water. Mix it with pre-fried meat, pour everything with broth and decorate with herbs.

Uzbek pilaf

The pearl of the local cuisine is pilaf, which appeared a long time ago. For the first time, the technology of its preparation was developed in the East, and since then it has occupied a special, honorable place in Asian cuisine. In the East, it is used daily: not a single event in the family can do without it! Uzbekistan is no exception to the rule.
There are many recipes for cooking pilaf, but its main feature is the harmonious combination of two components - the grain part and the filling (zirvak). Unlike other dishes, several nuances are taken into account in its preparation. The first is the proportions of meat and cereals, which determine the taste. In each region, this combination is different, which is reflected in the taste characteristics. When preparing pilaf, great attention is also paid to grain, so cereals are also prepared according to a special technology - it must be hard and crumbly. To achieve this effect, it is not boiled, but stewed over low heat.
In the East, there are two key options for cooking pilaf - Iranian and Central Asian. In the first, rice and the filling for it are prepared separately and these components are combined only at the time of serving - this is how food is prepared in Turkey and Azerbaijan. In Uzbekistan, the Central Asian version is more popular - when zirvak and grain are cooked together and served as a whole dish.
In Uzbek cuisine, there are many regional variations in the preparation of pilaf, differing in the set of basic ingredients and the ratio between the amount of meat and cereals. Here you can find a variant with wheat, fresh and dried apricots, garlic and beans. Also, fruits are often added to zirvak, in particular quince, barberry, raisins and dried apricots.
Among the many varieties of pilaf in the cuisine of Uzbekistan, togram palov is very popular. It is prepared in two stages: 1/4 of the meat, carrots and onions is stewed with rice, the rest of the filling is cooked in another cauldron. They are joined together at the time of filing. Separately, marinated wild onions are served with it.
The tontarma pilaf is no less famous, it differs from the traditional one only in that the rice is still fried in melted butter before cooking until a red crust forms. Then the grain part is placed in cast-iron boilers and cooked according to the usual recipe, mixing it with sautéed onions and carrots.
In some regions, safaki-palov, or separate pilaf in Samarkand, is popular. In this case, zirvak, which includes lamb, thinly sliced ​​carrots and onions, is stewed separately from the grain. Rice is boiled in another pot. When serving on a plate, first lay out the grits, pour hot oil on top of it, and only then put the appetizing filling.
In Uzbek cuisine, there is also a vegetarian option - this is Bukhara pilaf without meat. For its preparation, only rice, a set of vegetables and fruits, a lot of greens, herbs and spices are used. Groats are mixed with carrots and onions previously sautéed in vegetable oil. Then add some washed raisins, as well as chopped root and parsley. A rich combination of spices, herbs and dried fruits gives the dish an unusual aroma.
It is also worth mentioning bakhsh, or green pilaf. The specificity of this dish lies not only in the unusual color palette, but also in the fact that for it all the components are cut very finely. The dish looks extremely exotic and rather unusual, and its taste will be remembered for a long time.
Shavlya is one of the traditional dishes of Uzbekistan. In the people it is called only as "improperly cooked pilaf." In fact, it consists of the same ingredients as pilaf, just the ratio of these products is slightly different. In this case, be sure to add a lot of fat (1/2 of the entire portion), onions and vegetables, and meat, on the contrary, lay less. There are also tomatoes. All this affects the consistency and taste characteristics, making the dish unlike traditional pilaf.

Main courses

In Uzbek cuisine, preference is given to lamb dishes. Beef, horse meat and chicken are used much less frequently. The main feature in the preparation of meat dishes is that the meat, both for the first and for the second, is boiled or fried along with the bone. Asian cooking is not distinguished by a wide range of side dishes: meat is served mainly with vegetables, onions and herbs.
Basma is a bright, satisfying and fragrant dish. It consists of meat and vegetables stewed in their own juice. For cooking, a large cast-iron cauldron is used here, on the bottom of which a little tail fat is placed. Then coarsely chopped lamb and a whole mountain of vegetables are laid out in layers - onions, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, eggplants and cabbage. Everything must be crushed with salt, spices, herbs and a lot of fresh herbs are added. The ingredients are poured with water and stewed over low heat until fully cooked.
Popular among the Turkic peoples is smoke, which is common in the agricultural regions of Central Asia. It is an assortment of stewed vegetables (cabbage, bell peppers, onions, eggplant, carrots and potatoes) with the addition of lamb and tail fat. It is cooked in large cauldrons. All components are laid out in order, poured with water and stewed over low heat. After cooking, the food is thoroughly mixed and served on large plates.
For the national cuisines of all countries and peoples that have ever experienced Turkic influence, dolma is also characteristic, in the Uzbek version it is called tokosh. To some extent, this is an "eastern" relative of Russian cabbage rolls. Dolma is minced meat wrapped in young grape leaves. Usually lamb and rice are used for it. Lemon juice, nuts, olive oil, and onions are often added for a richer flavor. Dolma in Uzbekistan is made from beef meat and round rice. Greens are necessarily added to the filling, mainly cilantro, a couple of sprigs of mint and onions. It is served hot with sour cream and finely chopped herbs.
The main dishes include kovurdak - the usual roast meat and offal with the addition of vegetables and herbs. For greater richness, potatoes, chicken and a little pumpkin are added to it. To create a richer flavor range, kovurdak is seasoned with many spices and spices that go well with the main ingredients.
An analogue of kovurdak is bekhili zharkop, or roast with quince. It is quite simple, for cooking they take young lamb meat, onions and a little quince. The crushed ingredients are simmered over low heat. Serve it with finely chopped greens or a few sprigs of cilantro.
Uzbek, like any other Asian cuisine, is hard to imagine without barbecue (kabob). Not a single gourmet can resist tender, fragrant meat roasted on coals. In Uzbekistan, there are many options for its preparation. Here you can find kabob made from fresh lamb, beef, chicken meat and even liver (jigar kabob).
In the classic version, the dish is cooked on the coals of saxaul - the so-called "desert tree". The meat is pre-marinated. For the marinade, they take vinegar, lemon juice, spices and onions. If the meat is too tough, then it is initially rubbed with mustard, and after half an hour it is dipped in the marinade. To make the kebab juicy when frying meat, fat tail fat is added to it. The dish is served with fragrant hot cakes and pickled onions. And after a hearty lunch, guests are offered a cup of strong green tea.
Among the meat dishes, one can also distinguish thum-dulma, or zrazy in Uzbek - a very fatty, but at the same time quite satisfying meal. It is made from ground beef, outwardly it resembles simple meat cakes, inside of which hard-boiled eggs are wrapped. Thum-dulma is breaded in breadcrumbs and deep fried. It is served at the table along with a side dish of fried potatoes and fresh tomatoes. Separately, zrazy is served with hot sauce made from red pepper and tomatoes.

Dough products

In Central Asian cuisine, dishes are often prepared from boiled unleavened dough. One of these is chuchvara, or varak chuchvara - the Uzbek version of traditional dumplings. They are made from minced beef. The dough for them is cut into small squares, in the center of which a little meat mixture is placed, then rolled up in the form of an envelope. Chuchvara is always served with tomato broth. As a seasoning, use table vinegar or a hot sauce of paprika, red capsicum and tomatoes. When serving, it is poured over with sour milk and sprinkled with finely chopped herbs.
The national culinary pride of the Uzbeks is manty - a traditional dish of the peoples of Central Asia, consisting of finely chopped minced meat wrapped in thinly rolled unleavened dough. In shape, they resemble large dumplings; they are steamed in a "mantyshnitsa" - a device made of steam kaskans lined up in several tiers. For them, minced meat is used, mainly from lamb. To make it more juicy, a little poultry meat and tail fat are added to it. There is also a vegetarian version of the filling - from potatoes or pumpkin. The dough for the dish should be fresh, not yeasty and very thin (1-2 mm thick). Ready cakes have an oval or square shape. They are served at the table with meat broth. As an additional seasoning, sour milk and herbs are used.
Another pearl in the cuisine of Uzbekistan is lagman. It can be served as a first or second course. With a considerable amount of broth, it resembles soup, but as soon as the cooking technology is slightly changed, it immediately turns into noodles with fragrant gravy on meat infusion and a complex filling. This dish is in great demand among the Uighurs, Chinese and Uzbeks. For its preparation, a huge assortment of vegetables is used (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, onions, carrots, beans and radishes), lamb and noodles made from unleavened dough. Many spices complement the dish, in particular garlic, bitter pepper, various spices and herbs. It is served hot, in deep bowls or kese.
Among flour products, samsa is extremely popular - ordinary pies with meat filling, having a triangular, oval or square shape. Lamb or beef is used as a filling, less often chicken, as well as vegetables - pumpkin, lentils, potatoes and peas. The dough for pies should be unleavened. They are baked in an oven or tandoor (special clay ovens), served with pickled onions and table vinegar.
Popular among Uzbeks are pies with liver or lamb offal, called gumma - they are deep-fried in cottonseed oil. There are dough dishes that are prepared exclusively for steaming, and khanum belongs to them - small cakes stuffed with minced meat and mashed potatoes and pumpkin. The main highlight of this dish is the thinnest dough, which in the skillful hands of Uzbek housewives turns into elegant roses, simple rolls or original lace "envelopes" with the most delicate, fragrant and juicy filling. It may seem to an inexperienced guest that khanum is the same as manti, but as they say, "the east is a delicate matter," therefore, although these dishes are similar, they should not be confused. It is better to try both the first and the second - then even the most fastidious gourmets will get double pleasure.

Uzbek sweets

Without sweets, the life of any person seems not so joyful. Uzbeks probably agree with this statement, because their cuisine has many unique recipes for cooking various goodies. Oriental delicacies are popular in many countries. To a greater extent, this is due to the fact that they are made exclusively from natural products, without any dyes and preservatives.
If you believe the legends, then earlier the recipes for the best Uzbek sweets were kept in the strictest confidence: only the ruler and his entourage could enjoy various goodies. Centuries have passed, views have changed, now everyone can try these truly divine dishes, the main thing is to want to!
According to local etiquette, the guest is always treated to hot tea, and many goodies are served with him. Fragrant sweet cakes, homemade sweets, golden caramel, nuts, dried fruits, snow-white nishhalda and insanely delicious halva - this is the minimum list of what can be seen on the Uzbek table.
The list of local delicacies consists of several dozen items, but among the huge abundance of sweets, the most famous is called halva, or in the Uzbek version - halvaytay. This is a traditional oriental treat, incredibly tasty, which will appeal to everyone without exception. There are about a hundred recipes for halva, but often it is made from wheat flour, sesame seeds and walnuts. In some regions, it is customary to add almonds and pistachios. For her, sugar syrup is prepared separately, which is mixed with fried flour, nuts and other ingredients are added to it. The delicacy is very sweet and has an amazing taste.
For tea in Uzbekistan, it is customary to serve fragrant crystallized sugar, or navat. It is prepared on the basis of concentrated grape juice. For a richer taste, many spices are added. Navat is not only tasty, but also healthy. Sugar itself is used as lollipops for colds and sore throats, and tea with it has an excellent warming effect, gives a person energy and vigor, and helps to quickly restore strength after colds.
If sweets in the form of white pillows, carefully sprinkled with flour, were brought to the table, then this is nothing more than parvarda - national Uzbek sweets. The process of their preparation is quite laborious. To make them tasty, the main thing is to cook caramel correctly, because this is the main component. Integral components are also fragrant herbs, which give the delicacy refined flavors and endow with healing properties.
Delicate, fragrant, crispy and simply melting in your mouth sweet cakes made from the finest flour threads are, of course, pashmak, served in Uzbekistan with hot tea. The delicacy is not subject to long-term storage, so it should be eaten fresh. This is the only way to feel the amazing taste and delicate structure of these cakes.
Among Uzbek sweets, it is worth highlighting nishalda separately - according to tradition, it is prepared in March, for the Navruz holiday. It tastes very tender, it is a downed egg whites along with sugar and a decoction of licorice root. In appearance and consistency, it resembles thick sour cream. Brushwood (pieces of unleavened dough of small sizes carefully fried in oil, sprinkled with powdered sugar) and chak-chak (sweet cakes in the form of balls or square bars served with honey syrup) are very popular among Uzbeks.
The menu of Uzbek cuisine cannot be imagined without delicious peanuts wrapped in sweet sugar fudge, and gozinaki, which are made from sesame or sunflower seeds, sealed with chalk water in the form of small bricks. In the skillful hands of local confectioners, fragrant cookies are born - kush-tili, elegant, light sweet zangza cheesecakes, delicious caramel and many other goodies. Quince stuffed with walnuts and almonds (behi-dulma) is the ultimate dream!

In general, what else can be said?! Uzbek cuisine is rich and original in its own way. Perhaps these dishes are rustic and look homely, but the main thing is probably not a beautiful wrapper, but what is inside. As practice shows, in skillful hands, and if you also put your whole soul into your favorite business, then even the simplest dishes can be turned into real culinary masterpieces!

Spicy, rich, hot and hearty dishes of Uzbek cuisine are food that has been familiar to many since childhood. It is unlikely that many will name more than two or three dishes, and it will most likely be plov, manti or lagman, but Uzbek cuisine is rich and varied. Most importantly, the dishes are prepared from natural products, there are no complex ingredients, and the taste is amazing.

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1 Lagman is an Uzbek soup with homemade noodles, a kind of Central Asian version of ramen with a very spicy and fatty lamb broth and lots of vegetables and meat. Depending on the recipe, there is a more liquid or thicker lagman.

2 Eggplant appetizer "Badamdzhan" is baked or fried eggplant with slices of bell pepper and radish, sprinkled with finely chopped herbs and drizzled with oil.

3 Chuchvara is a soup with small dumplings that is usually served with suzma (a fermented milk product like sour cream) and contains black pepper, onion, tomato paste and bell pepper.

4 Pilaf - a delicious combination of rice, pieces of beef, veal or lamb, carrots, onions and a special set of spices. It is easy to cook in large quantities in a cauldron, which is why this dish is often the basis of a festive table.

5 Salad "Tashkent" - a signature capital salad made from boiled beef tongue, radish and herbs, seasoned with sour cream sauce and garnished with fried onions.

6 Manti is a steamed meat and dough dish. The filling is beef, lamb or veal, although there is a variant with pumpkin. The filling must be chopped into pieces, otherwise all the juice will flow out. Onions and spices are also placed inside. Optionally, a little fat tail fat is sometimes added for flavor. Manty is eaten with kaimak (not to be confused with cottage cheese, which is sold in stores), but it is not found in Russia, so it is better to eat with sour cream, remembering to sprinkle with fresh herbs.

7 Samsa - triangular pies made from homemade puff pastry stuffed with meat or pumpkin, onion, lamb fat and spices. As in manti, the filling is cut into cubes. Samsa is baked in a clay oven - tandoor, but at home you can also cook in the oven. When the samsa is ready, it is smeared with egg yolk and sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

8 Salad "Achik-chuchuk", also known as "Achichuk", is fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs. This dish is perfect for vegetarians and fasting people.

9 Naryn is a national Uzbek dish of homemade noodles and boiled meat served with broth. Usually, naryn is made from lamb, horse meat or kazy (boiled horse meat sausage) and sometimes from veal or beef. The main secret of this dish is that before you cook the meat, it must be covered with salt and dried for a day. This is done for transparency and saturation of the broth. Onions are added to meat and noodles. In the original recipe, they take ordinary fresh onions, cut them, rub them with their hands and add them to the dish. You can also fry the onion, and brush the noodle dough with the remaining oil.

10 Shurpa - a rich and fatty soup made from lamb and vegetables. The most famous varieties are kaitnam, where the meat is put fresh, and kovurma, where the meat is first fried in oil.

11 Dimlama is an Uzbek version of a roast that uses beef, lamb, various vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, as well as fresh herbs and - of course - spices.

12 Kutaby - fried flat pies made of the thinnest dough stuffed with meat, herbs, tomatoes, cheese - individually or together.

13 Kabob (barbecue) - beef, lamb or veal, strung in small pieces on skewers and cooked over an open fire. As a rule, the meat is pre-marinated. Pieces of lamb alternate with pieces of tail fat, which is browned on fire and acquires a delicate taste, and when served, all this splendor is sprinkled with fresh finely chopped onions and herbs and sprinkled with table vinegar. As a sauce, spicy tomato or adjika is suitable.

14 Khalvaitar is the liquid embodiment of halvah. Flour is added to the overheated fat or butter, stirred, then sugar is added, and nuts and vanilla are added only at the end of cooking.

15 Tea with sweets is an Uzbek tradition. There are only a lot of options for making tea in Uzbekistan, and this drink is certainly served with nuts, dried fruits and other natural and healthy delicacies. By the way, Uzbeks never pour a full bowl for guests, showing that they are very happy and want the guest to sit longer. A full bowl means that the owner is in a hurry to get you off.

A country ideal for gastronomic tourism. It is no coincidence that I began to lose weight ahead of time so that a trip to the world of meat and dough would not cause irreversible changes to the figure.

Main dishes of Uzbek cuisine

Hot dishes

The most famous dish of Uzbek cuisine is plov.

Pilaf

Pilaf is not just rice and meat, plov is a symbol, this is what first of all pops up in the head when the phrase “Uzbek cuisine” is used.

To date, there are more than a thousand pilaf recipes with various ingredients. For example, in the capital of Uzbekistan, before cooking pilaf, all the ingredients are fried, and in Samarkand, vegetables are laid in layers and steamed. Pilaf also differs in color: in Samarkand it is light, and in the Ferghana Valley it is dark.

The story of the appearance of pilaf, which the locals told me about, is curious. In ancient times, at the end of the XIV century, the great Timur turned to the mullah, concerned that the soldiers were often starving and did not have enough strength for a full-fledged battle.

The Muslim priest advised: “We need to take a large cast-iron cauldron. Put in it the meat of not old, but not very young lambs, selected rice, swelling with pride that will be eaten by brave warriors, young carrots, blushing with joy, and a sharp onion, stinging like a sword of the highly revered emir. All this must be boiled on a fire until the smell of the cooked dish reaches Allah, and the cook does not collapse in exhaustion, because he tastes the divine food. Pilaf proved to be excellent in action and more than once rescued the Tamerlane army.

This dish is not cooked in portions. If you want to try real pilaf, then ask the locals, and they will definitely send you to some nondescript establishment, where fragrant food is languishing in a large cauldron. Usually by one o'clock the plov is already over. I remember my despair when, leaving Samarkand, my evening plan to get acquainted with plov could not be realized. Thanks to the kind people who gave me a tip, and the next day at 11:00 I was already there, eating a delicious meal with spices and tender meat.

Another interesting story is associated with pilaf, which explains its name. Once upon a time, a prince fell in love with a girl from a poor family, and they, of course, could not be together. The prince suffered so much that he finally refused food and food. The prince's father did not want to watch his son wither, and called the famous healer Abu Ali ibn Sina with a request to find out the cause of the illness. Ibn Sina examined the prince and realized that the cause of the illness was love. There were only two ways to save the unfortunate prince: let him marry, or feed the prince’s palov-osh- a dish from which the name of modern pilaf came from.

Shashlik

Another dish, without which one cannot imagine Uzbek cuisine, is shish kebab. Who among us does not like to indulge in a juicy kebab with pieces of fried bacon and with an indescribable aroma of a fire? However, few people know that there are a lot of shish kebab recipes in Uzbekistan.

The most traditional barbecue is made from young lamb meat, previously marinated in spices and spices. Meat is strung on a skewer mixed with lard.

If you ask an Uzbek what is the best marinade for meat, we will be surprised. This is not kefir, not vinegar, and not even wine. The most correct marinade is water. This is how Uzbek men (namely, they are responsible for the barbecue) prepare meat. Chopped onion, spices, dried apricot branches, cherry leaves and grapevine are added to the water.

In good restaurants, in addition to the traditional barbecue, you can find other delicious curiosities:

• minced meat shashlik kiima kabob,
• shish kebab from the liver - jigar kabob,
• skewers of meat wrapped in a film of fat - charvy kabob.

Soups

People in Uzbekistan love rich soups and cook them on a slow fire. And although the soups here are so satisfying that they could well be a separate dish, here they are more often treated as an addition to the “main” delicacy.

Shurpa

This is the most popular soup in Uzbekistan. It got into world cuisine from the Ottoman Empire and acquired different names in different countries: sorpa in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz shorpo and even Romanian chorbe. An important component of this appetizing and hearty dish is the broth, in which, in addition to the traditional fatty lamb, chicken or beef is added. Be prepared for the fact that a rich soup of meat and vegetables hits all taste buds at once.

Lagman

Another delicious soup typical of Uzbek cuisine. It is incredibly satisfying thanks to its excellent composition. Meat, homemade noodles, vegetables - this is the perfect combination, which, with the right choice of all ingredients, leads to an excellent result.

To make the lagman “correct”, it is best to use sheep meat with a layer of fat. Of course, there are many lagman recipes, including adapted ones, but a real soup is obtained when, in addition to correctly selected ingredients, aromatic gravy from lamb fat and vegetables is added to it. waja.

I was surprised by the skill of the chefs when I saw how skillfully they knead the dough for noodles and how beautifully such perfect and tasty noodles appear from a simple set of flour + water.

Among other delicious soups of Uzbekistan worth trying:

• mastava from meat (served with sour milk),
• mashkhurda from beans
• mashatala from fried fat
• moshubirinch lamb and rice.

Uzbek food is always accompanied by bread, which the locals have a special respect for. Hot non cakes from the local tandoor oven are served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Let's take a closer look at baking.

Dough products

Flat cakes non

Despite the fact that the tortillas are many hundreds of years old, they are absolutely not beaten and can easily satisfy even the taste of gourmets: crispy crust, soft dough and piquancy that sesame seeds, nigella, cumin or poppy seeds add to the tortillas.

Surprisingly, the recipe for cakes has practically not changed over time. From ancient times, cakes were made round, since without the sun and without bread there is no life on earth.

Another interesting tradition is that mainly men are involved in baking bread. There is no goal to humiliate the weaker sex, on the contrary, work with the tandoor is very difficult, because every day you need to manually knead many kilograms of dough, and work at the hot oven is more suitable for men.

There are different types of cakes, a very tasty cake patir with the addition of lamb tail. In addition, different parts of Uzbekistan have their own bread traditions:

• in the Fergana Valley, puff pastry with cracklings is considered typical jizzali-non And zogora-non from cornmeal;
• and the greatest fame in the world deservedly went to cakes gala osiegi non from Samarkand. They are baked from fermented whey or cream, adding chopped onion and sesame oil to the recipe. The popularity of this cake is largely due to the amazing fact that, even knowing the exact recipe, it is impossible to repeat it.

There is a legend in Uzbekistan, according to which the emir (ruler) of Bukhara once tasted the most delicious Samarkand cake and ordered the best baker from Samarkand to be brought to him to bake exactly the same cakes for him. The baker followed the order of the emir, but, alas, he did not manage to achieve the exact result, the taste was slightly different from Samarkand. The enraged emir called the baker to account, but he justified himself in the style of Central Asian wisdom by saying that the Samarkand air was not enough in the ingredients.

For me, this feature of the East is very attractive, because it is so fabulous when every little thing is overgrown with legends and legends.

Manti

Uzbek manti is another dish that cannot be left unsaid. I love Georgian khinkali, so when I saw manti, I wanted to try and compare two dishes. Well, the comparison could not be made: both dishes were so perfect that I decided not to choose a winner.

Uzbek manti made from tender dough with juicy filling is eaten with hands, gently sipping rich broth. The most popular filling is meat, but there are other options that are no less interesting and definitely no less tasty: meat with radish, lamb fat with sugar, pumpkin and potatoes.

Dishes from vegetables and fruits

Vegetables and fruits of Uzbekistan are one of the symbols of the country. In the summer-autumn period, they can also be bought at Russian markets, but it is much more pleasant and cheaper to try local juicy natural products at the place where they are collected, in sunny Uzbekistan. The most delicious and healthy Uzbek vegetables and fruits are pot-bellied eggplants, colorful peppers, flavorful tomatoes, sweet pears, colorful grapes, spicy figs, poured plums, sugar melons and scarlet watermelons. In autumn, ripe persimmons, fragrant quince, juicy pomegranates and sunny lemons appear in the markets.

During the autumn harvest season, bazaar stalls can easily replace museums. Bright colors, aromas of juicy vegetables and fruits, abundance and variety of varieties, naturalness of the product - all this made me a regular in the Uzbek markets. Moreover, while walking and choosing one of 10 varieties of tomatoes, you can taste a lot: the sellers are very good-natured and easily let you try their goods.

There are few vegetable dishes as such in Uzbek cuisine, a special role here belongs to pumpkin. It can be found as a separate dish from meat. The most delicious option is fried pieces, which are then stewed in sour cream.

Uzbeks also love corn on the cob, but they do not roast it in the ashes, as in neighboring countries, preferring to cook it over coals.

If you are in Uzbekistan, then do not pass by Cook Biyron, a dish that serves as both a side dish and a filling for flour products, and even an independent dish. Cook biiron is a combination of greens and mutton fat stewed in butter.

Spices

Spices, like flatbread, are another important attribute of Uzbek cuisine. After all, such a “banal” set as meat, flour and vegetables can sparkle with completely unusual notes when adding various spices.

The most popular additives are coriander, zira, barberry, cumin, sesame, basil, thyme. Spices not only add taste, but also create an inviting aroma that makes you discard all plans for later and urgently try an alluring dish!

At any Uzbek bazaar, the seller of spices is one of the first to catch the eye. Bright fragrant mountains of spices will not leave anyone indifferent. Here, unlike supermarkets, you can smell and choose both individual spices and themed sets: for fish, barbecue, pilaf.

I especially want to commend saffron considered the king of spices. It gives dishes a yellowish tint and an incredible aroma. Even in ancient times, saffron cost 10 times more than the most expensive spices.

As a true king of taste, saffron is a loner and does not tolerate combination with other spices in dishes. In Uzbekistan, saffron is added to pilaf, pastries, butter and even tea. But still, saffron is an expensive spice, so not any pilaf or any tea is seasoned with it, but rather only festive dishes or treats for dear guests.

Sweets

No meal is complete without sweets. They are put on the table before serving the main course with green tea, the main drink in Uzbekistan, which is served in atmospheric painted bowls.

Among the sweets in high esteem:

National drinks

Kumys

This drink is probably the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of fermented milk products of Asian cuisine. Koumiss should be tried, because if you say “a drink with a simultaneous taste of wine, kvass and kefir”, then the desire to try may not arise. Although in practice, not everyone likes koumiss the first time. I must admit that for the first time I was also not very inspired by the strange viscous drink, but after 3 days of traveling around the country, I realized that in the heat there is no better thirst quencher than koumiss.

Koumiss is traditionally made from mare's milk, but there are also modifications from camel's, goat's and even cow's milk.

Kumis perfectly refreshes and restores strength. It is even considered to be slightly alcoholic (1–3 °), but I did not feel such an effect, except for the emotional intoxication from the unexpected and so generous hospitality of the locals.

Tea

Not a single feast is complete without tea. And this is great, because in countries where coffee is more common, I feel uncomfortable. And here expanse: green tea, black tea, tea before meals, tea during meals, tea after meals. So I found my little paradise!

Tea has not only gastronomic significance, it is believed that if the owner offered you this drink, then he is sincerely glad to the guest. I have never encountered the fact that I was not offered tea, which means that the hospitality of the Uzbeks is, indeed, at its best.

By the way, interesting local traditions are associated with tea:

1. Before treating guests with a drink, the hosts pour it into the bowl three times and pour it into the teapot three times so that the tea mixes well and brews better.
2. In addition, you should not be offended if the bowl is incomplete: the less tea is poured into the bowl, the more important the guest.
3. According to the laws of hospitality, the more often the host pours fresh tea for you, the stronger his respect. At the same time, respect is mutual, because, after drinking tea from a half-empty bowl, the guest again and again turns to the owners of the house for more, and these appeals are interpreted as a tribute to the hospitable family.

Other soft drinks

Soft drinks are popular here various compotes including dried fruits.

Especially delicious is a drink made from apricot - a small apricot - with a sweet and refreshing taste.

Alcoholic drinks

Alcoholic drinks are not banned in Uzbekistan, but not as popular as in Russia or Europe, so you should not expect 15 types of whiskey, 20 brands of wine and 50 types of draft beer on the shelves. There are only a few wineries throughout the country that produce intoxicating drinks from local grape varieties. When buying alcohol in stores, be prepared for the fact that semi-sweet wine is more popular here than dry.

The most famous winery in Uzbekistan - JSC "Samarkand wine factory named after. Khovrenko". Its products regularly win awards and are much loved by locals and tourists alike.

An exquisite bouquet of the only wine in the world from Gulyakandoz kishmish variety, wine with chocolate shades of Cabernet, ruby ​​Uzbekiston, wines with quince flavors, with notes of roses, dessert wines - all these are the products of the plant, which, by the way, can be visited as part of a tasting tour.

In Samarkand I was pleasantly pleased with the eponymous cognac of local production "Samarkand".

Gastronomic traditions

How is the meal in Uzbekistan? Usually guests sit on the floor or on low mattresses at a low dastarkhan table. Then the main thing begins - the change of dishes. Sit down, eat and leave - this is not about. As in other countries of the East, eating here stretches for hours, so stock up on time.

Nevertheless, there are traditionally three meals in Uzbekistan, like ours, just Uzbeks are in no hurry and enjoy the dishes, and do not absorb what they managed to get on the run.

A real traditional feast is no less interesting than visiting historical museums, which means that if you are in Uzbekistan and you are invited to visit, be sure to agree!

Usually, comfortable pillows are invitingly laid out on the couches at the table, as if hinting that after eating there is no need to rush, but it is better to lie down a little, leaning on soft pillows without getting up from the table.

Food is prepared in a special dish. For example, for pilaf, this is only a cast-iron cauldron with a thick bottom, for tea - a painted bowl, and for main dishes, a wide lyagan dish.

The most traditional place for tea drinking - teahouse. Usually they choose a place near the water, under the shade of trees. Chaikhona is not only a place where people come to drink tea, it also plays an important social role: here they share the latest news, communicate and talk about the eternal.

In restaurants and cafes, there is no menu in the usual sense, usually these are two or three main dishes, but tasty and satisfying. The portions here are rather big, if there are several people, then it is better to order more dishes in order to try different dishes.

You should not expect special decorations, but the service, even in the smallest eateries, is always on top. In cafes and teahouses with trestle beds, it is customary to take off your shoes. An interesting fact: in winter, in mountain teahouses, small stoves are placed under the trestle beds to keep guests warm and comfortable.

When choosing a place, you should pay attention not to the design of the restaurant, but to the number of people inside. After all, even the simplest-looking eatery can turn out to be the very place thanks to which the phrase “Uzbek cuisine” will cause bouts of virtual gastronomic ecstasy for a long time to come.

Summarizing

I have listed only some of the dishes from the Uzbek cuisine rich in traditions. Reading about food and tasting it personally are two big differences, so my main recommendation is to go to and personally taste the whole variety of meat, vegetable, dairy and flour dishes.

And remember, before eating, you need to work up an appetite well so as not to “break down” while taking the first course and be able to try a little of everything!

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