A Taste of Uzbekistan
Breads or non, of all shapes and sizes are the main staple in Uzbekistan. From the round, chewy and nut-filled breads in Tashkent to the crustier versions that resemble pizza crusts in Bukara, I quickly got addicted to dipping them into fresh sour cream that can be found along with appetizers at every meal. A range of cold dishes like diced beetroot and potato salad, marinated eggplant with bell peppers and Greek salads and oven baked samsa beef pockets keep my tummy filled before we even got to the mains. Soups, also known as shurpa, are popular and often have an assortment of vegetables or chewy beef balls with noodles. A special miniature dumpling with mutton filling, or manti, is quite popular. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from and mains are quite affordable at around US$6 to 8. But eating in Uzbekistan is more about the ambiance, especially when there’s live music in the evenings. There’s nothing like sinking one’s teeth into the meaty lamb and chicken kebabs barbequed on metal skewers. Another meaty dish is beef stir fried with onions. Pavlov is a type of stir fried rice mixed with onions, carrots, raisins lamb, beef and even horsemeat sausage. The fresh figs, grapes, watermelons and melons in Uzbekistan are the sweetest ones I’ve ever had. I wish they could come home with me!
No comments:
Post a Comment