Street Food in Uzbekistan – 1,500 KG. of RICE PLOV (Pilau) + Market Tour in Tashkent!
Uzbekistan Day 1: Tashkent
On Day 1 in Uzbekistan we went on an ultimate Uzbek street food tour in Tashkent, including the biggest bazaar in the city, and the most massive plov (rice pilau) cooking in Tashkent.
We had arrived at the airport in Tashkent at about 4 am in the morning, and at 9 am we were ready to start eating our way through the city.
First we met up with Bekruz and Akbar both from the Ministry of Tourism Uzbekistan (Bekruz is the one who invited me to Uzbekistan and arranged everything for us, so thank you Bekruz!), and Ravshan, a local food vlogger in Uzbekistan.
Two of the most important phrases you should know in Uzbek are:
Assalomu Alaykum – Hello / Greeting
Rahmat – Thank you
Bread Bazaar, Tashkent – We started this ultimate street food tour at the bread bazaar in Tashkent, a market dedicated fully to bread, with a little fruit and other things mixed in. We bought some break, some kaymak, and some fruit and then went to a nearby restaurant where they laid everything on the table for us, along with tea. Uzbek breakfast was a great way to get started.
Chorsu Bazaar – The grandest bazaar in Tashkent is Chorus Bazaar, and it’s a perfect place to get a feel of Uzbek culture and food. We first stopped at the food court to try hanum, a type of dumpling filled with potato and somsa. Then we continued to the dome shaped iconic part of the bazaar, filled with fresh meat and spices. It’s one of the coolest market structures anywhere in the world.
Plov Center – We kind of had to rush out of Chorsu Bazaar because although they prepare 1,500 Kilos, seriously, of rice plov per day, it only takes 2 – 3 hours before they run out everyday. So we got there, already one of the monster swimming pool pans was finished, but they still had a few others going and serving. Plov is the national dish of Uzbekistan, a food that’s eaten on every and all occasions. For Tashkent plov, it’s pretty heavy on the meat at oil, with rice, chickpeas, and raisins. Also it included, qazi – horsemeat sausage which is a delicacy. It was incredibly delicious, and proper meal experience.
Total price – 100,000 UZS ($12.21)
Plov is love, remember that when you’re in Uzbekistan.
National Food Restaurant – After strolling around for a while in the afternoon, we continued to a National Food restaurant, a laid back family style restaurant that serves all things Uzbek food. Along with a number of dishes, the main dish I was most interested in was the naryn, thin slices of dough mixed with minced meat and horse. It was interesting, and quite good, as were the other dishes.
Total price – 110,000 UZS ($13.43)
Sultan Suleyman Restaurant – For dinner we went to a bit of a fancy trendy restaurant, and had another platter of food. This time, dough noodle like sheets topped with meat, horse sausage again, and green onions.
Total price – 122,000 UZS ($14.90)
It was a day of learning, eating, and meeting some amazing people along the way. Thank you for watching this Uzbekistan food tour!
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IWeb TEFL Team