The Uzbek cuisine has been formed for centuries due to a sedentary lifestyle and under the influence of other nationalities inhabiting Central Asia. Uzbek dishes, especially meat ones, are high in calories due to the addition of a large amount of oil – cottonseed or sunflower oil with fat of sheep’s tai. Also, most dishes are fried and different types of spices and herbs are added.
The main ingredients of Uzbek cuisine are meat (lamb, beef, horse meat), flour, various spices, herbs, vegetables. Bread products, namely the flat bread lepeshka, which is baked in a tandoor or an earthen oven, is known not only in the country, but also far beyond its borders. Also popular is puff pastry samsa, which has a triangular shape and is filled with meat, also cooked in the oven.
Pilaf, known all over the world, can be safely called the king of Uzbek cuisine. The varieties of its preparation cannot be counted. Pilaf is usually prepared from fried meat (lamb or beef), rice, onions and a large amount of carrots in a cauldron, cast-iron pot. To give an unusual taste, raisins, chickpeas, eggs or fruits are also added to it. Pilaf is prepared mainly by men.
Lagman is very popular, which is prepared from meat, hand-cooked noodles, vegetables (bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes) and a wide variety of greens. Also widely known is manti, which is a bag of dough filled with minced meat, onions, vegetables and steamed. Among the soups, one can distinguish shurpa, mastava and others.
Tea plays an essential role in the East. There are many varieties of tea in Uzbekistan and not a single feast is complete without it. Green and black teas are popular, sugar and milk can be added if desired. Tea is poured into piala, a special cup for tea. Besides tea, sherbets, fruit compotes and fermented milk drinks are known.
Uzbek cuisine has absorbed the best of oriental culture and is also interesting for a culinary trip.
