The national dish of Uzbekistan is plov, known locally as osh, a rice pilaf cooked with mutton or beef, carrots, onions, and spices in a single cast-iron cauldron called a kazan. Plov preparation follows regional variations: Tashkent plov incorporates cumin and barberries, Fergana plov adds chickpeas and quail eggs, Samarkand plov uses yellow carrots and less oil, Bukhara plov features green raisins and a darker color from caramelized onions. The dish requires long-grain rice, typically devzira variety from the Fergana Valley, which has a pinkish hue when uncooked and turns brown during preparation. Men traditionally cook plov outdoors at weddings and community gatherings, serving it from a single large platter where diners eat with hands or spoons. Thursday plov gatherings occur at mahallas throughout Uzbekistan, where neighbors contribute money for a communal meal. The Central Asian Plov Center in Tashkent, opened in 2016, seats 1,000 diners and cooks plov in kazans exceeding one meter in diameter. Professional plov cooks called oshpaz train for years to control heat, timing, and ingredient ratios, with some preparing 100 kilograms of rice in a single batch for large celebrations.
Non constitutes the staple bread of Uzbekistan, a round flatbread baked in a tandyr, a clay oven built into the ground or a wall. Bakers press dough against the vertical interior walls of the tandyr where it adheres during the three-to-five-minute baking process at temperatures reaching 400 degrees Celsius. Each region produces distinct non styles: Samarkand non measures 40 to 50 centimeters in diameter with a thin center and decorated edges, Bukhara non is smaller and thicker, Tashkent obi-non contains milk in the dough, Fergana patyr-non includes butter and layering. The bread center features stamped geometric patterns made with a chekich, a brass tool with pins that perforate the dough to prevent bubbling. Uzbeks never place non upside down or throw it away, instead drying stale bread for later use in soups. Wedding ceremonies include a ritual where the bride and groom break non together. Commercial tandyr bakeries operate at dawn in every neighborhood, with customers buying non directly from the oven. The bread remains edible for two weeks when stored properly, though most households purchase fresh non daily from local non-khona bakeries.
Lagman arrived in Uzbekistan through Dungan and Uyghur populations who migrated from western China in the 19th and 20th centuries. The dish consists of hand-pulled wheat noodles served in a meat broth with stir-fried vegetables including bell peppers, cabbage, radishes, and onions, seasoned with garlic and star anise. Noodle pulling requires kneading dough with salt water, resting it for 30 minutes, then stretching and folding it repeatedly until achieving the desired thickness, typically 3 to 5 millimeters. Lagman exists in two main forms: suiyuq lagman with more broth served as soup, and kovurma lagman with less liquid served as a noodle dish. Restaurants in Tashkent neighborhoods like Sergeli and near Chorsu Bazaar specialize in lagman, often run by Uyghur and Korean families. The dish contains beef or mutton, never pork, reflecting Central Asian Islamic dietary customs. Chefs prepare the vegetable-meat sauce called vaja separately, then pour it over fresh noodles just before serving. Some variations add vinegar or soy sauce at the table, though traditional Uzbek preparation omits these. Lagman shops display hand-pulling demonstrations in windows to attract customers.
Shashlik refers to skewered grilled meat, usually mutton or lamb, marinated in onion juice, vinegar, and sometimes pomegranate seeds before cooking over charcoal. Each skewer holds five to seven chunks of meat alternating with tail fat, which melts during grilling and bastes the meat. Vendors at roadside stands called shashlikchi prepare fresh skewers to order, fanning coals in mangal grills made from repurposed metal drums or purpose-built steel boxes. Customers select raw meat displayed on trays, which the cook then skewers and grills for 10 to 15 minutes, turning frequently. Shashlik accompanies raw onion slices sprinkled with vinegar and sumac, fresh herbs including cilantro and dill, and non bread. Liver shashlik uses lamb liver wrapped in tail fat, kidney shashlik soaks organs in milk before grilling, ground meat shashlik presses seasoned mince onto flat skewers. The city of Termez near the Afghan border has a reputation for exceptional shashlik due to local sheep breeds raised on desert grasses. Mountain resort areas like Chimgan and Beldersay feature outdoor shashlik restaurants where diners eat at long tables under grape arbors. Prices range from 15,000 to 30,000 som per skewer depending on meat quality and location.
Samsa are triangular or rectangular pastries filled with minced meat, onions, and tail fat, baked until golden in tandyr ovens. The dough contains flour, water, salt, and sometimes eggs, rolled thin and folded around the filling before sealing. Bakers stick samsa to the tandyr walls like non, where they cook for 20 to 25 minutes, developing a crispy exterior and juicy interior. Pumpkin samsa substitutes squash cubes and onions for meat, popular during autumn harvest season. Potato samsa emerged as a budget option in Soviet times and remains common at street vendors. Green samsa from the Fergana Valley incorporates chopped greens including spinach, cilantro, and spring onions. Vendors sell samsa at bus stations, train stations, and bazaars, wrapping them in newspaper or brown paper for customers eating while walking. The city of Margilan in the Fergana Valley holds a reputation for flaky-layered samsa made with laminated dough similar to puff pastry. Some bakeries produce samsa in electric or gas ovens rather than tandyr, resulting in different texture and flavor. Fresh samsa cost between 3,000 and 8,000 som each as of 2023.
Manti are steamed dumplings larger than Chinese baozi, traditionally filled with ground mutton or beef mixed with onions and sometimes pumpkin. Cooks pinch dough circles into four-pointed pouches, leaving a small opening at the top, then arrange them in a mantovarka, a multi-tiered aluminum steamer pot that sits above boiling water. Steaming takes 35 to 40 minutes, producing translucent dough and releasing meat juices that collect at the dumpling base. Diners eat manti with a spoon to capture the broth, often adding kaymak, a thick sour cream, or vinegar with garlic. Pumpkin manti use cubed squash instead of meat, popular in autumn months when pumpkins reach markets from the Khorezm and Karakalpakstan regions. Korean-Uzbek families prepare kimchi manti and potato manti reflecting their hybrid culinary traditions. Some restaurants serve manti with a tomato-based sauce rather than dairy, particularly in Tashkent. The dumpling size varies from 6 to 10 centimeters in diameter, significantly larger than Russian pelmeni or Chinese jiaozi. Frozen manti appeared in Uzbek supermarkets after 2000, though most families continue making them from scratch for weekend meals.