What to eat in Uzbekistan

12 dishes worth travelling for: smoky plov from the kazan, hand-pulled lagman, dumplings by the dozen, and bread so good it has its own etiquette. Here's what's in each, where to find it, and why it matters.

Plov & Rice

Rice

Nationwide

Plov

The national dish: rice slow-cooked with lamb, carrots and cumin.

Soups & Noodles

Soups

Fergana Valley

Lagman

Hand-pulled noodles in a spiced meat-and-vegetable broth.

Soups

Nationwide

Shurpa

A clear, hearty lamb broth with big-cut vegetables.

Soups

Tashkent

Naryn

Thin noodles tossed with horse meat, a nomadic classic.

Dumplings & Pastries

Dumplings

Nationwide

Manti

Big steamed dumplings filled with spiced meat and onion.

Dumplings

Nationwide

Samsa

Flaky baked pastries stuffed with meat or pumpkin.

Dumplings

Nationwide

Chuchvara

Tiny dumplings served in broth or fried crisp.

Grilled & Stews

Grilled

Nationwide

Shashlik

Char-grilled skewers of marinated meat over open coals.

Grilled

Nationwide

Dimlama

A slow-steamed one-pot of meat and layered vegetables.

Breads, Sweets & Tea

Breads & Sweets

Samarkand & Tashkent

Non

Round tandoor bread, stamped and baked to a golden crust.

Breads & Sweets

Bukhara

Halva

A dense, sweet confection of nuts, sugar and flour.

Breads & Sweets

Nationwide

Green Tea (Koʻk Choy)

The drink that accompanies every meal and every welcome.

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