This is What You Want to Eat – Uzbekistan

Let me tell you about Uzbek cuisine...

I've always travelled home to Uzbekistan several times a year to visit family, meet with colleagues on the ground and explore new hotel, restaurant and tourism options. We never stop improving our tours and there's always something interesting. Recently the hospitality industry there has seen an increase in gluten free and vegetarian meal options in our Silk Road destinations, especially in the larger cities.

Since the start of this pandemic, I haven't been home. Instead, I've been videoconferencing - collaborating on fresh ideas with our clients and colleagues and the tourism and hospitality industry in Uzbekistan.

Living in the Garden State for many years now,I've come to rely on our fabulous vegetable garden evere summer. It reminds me of gardens back home. Food in Uzbekistan is always fresh and local. Our travelers fall in love with the cuisine and it's great to have a wider dietary choice for them now.

In a nation where "hospitality is rated higher than courage", it is not surprising that the cuisine here is bountiful! Since the days of the Silk Road caravans, the meal laid out for a guest was never simple fare - every inch of the table was covered with delicacies, enough for several helpings, and bonds created over those meals became lasting friendships.

Some Uzbek recipes are centuries old, complete with different rituals and traditions. The most well-known of the national dishes, featured at every feast, is an intricate, savory pilaf (plov or osh) prepared with mutton, vegetables and spices. Women usually do most of the cooking, but men are considered best at preparing plov. For special occasions, an oshpaz (special pilaf chef) may even be called in.

As varied as the countries along the Silk Road routes, Uzbekistan's dishes include traditional breads, delicious soups flavored with vegetables, noodles or chilled yogurt, unique stuffed pastries and dumplings and an abundance of fresh fruit. Yoqimli Ishtaha! Bon Appetit!