Archive for category: Restaurants & Foods

Since the distant past, Uzbekistan has benefited from the exchange of food culture and culinary ideas with neighboring countries. This cultural exchange, as seen in the art of mosaic design, handicrafts, works of art, and especially food, has led to the prosperity of the country. In this article, we introduce some of Uzbekistan’s top foods.

Native Nowruz Dishes of the People of Uzbekistan, a Symbol of Friendship

One of the most original and attractive aspects of Nowruz among Uzbeks is to serve guests traditional and native foods and sweets. The authentic dishes of Uzbeks, which are served in ceremonies, represent Uzbekistan culture and civilization and have a lot of value. This ancient tradition is very attractive and interesting for tourists who want to taste authentic Uzbek food during the Nowruz holidays.

What Kind of Food Does Uzbekistan Eat?

Uzbek food is usually aromatic, oily, and accompanied by spicy and delicious spices. Uzbekistan’s climate and seasons play an important role in Uzbek cuisine. In the winter, vegetables, pickles, dried fruits, and fatty meat are used to prepare food. However, in summer, fresh fruits and vegetables are used. Also, most Uzbek dishes have potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, garlic, and tomatoes.

What is the Most Popular Food in Uzbekistan?

It can be said that Uzbekistan’s best food is Plov. The main national dish of Uzbekistan is Plov. The history of this dish goes back to the time of Amir Timur, the famous conqueror of Uzbekistan, who founded the Timurid Empire in the 1300s. According to this legend, Timur was looking for a way to feed his troops during his conquests, and using rice was considered a good option because it is rich in calories and easy to transport.

After these wars, the soldiers who had returned to their homes used the easy and delicious recipe of this dish. Many Uzbeks still use Timur’s army food today: meat, rice, and carrots. Another rich food of this country is high-calorie and heavy oil.

What is Uzbekistan’s Famous Food?

Manty is one of Uzbekistan’s popular foods. Manty is a kind of stuffed food with special doughs, which are filled with minced meat, special spices, and vegetables and then steamed. After it is fully cooked and before serving, tomato sauce, vinegar, or sour cream is also added depending on the taste of each person.

Another interesting thing about this dish is that the ingredients inside this dish are different each time, in other words, every time you eat this dish, you don’t know in advance whether your Manty is supposed to contain meat or Tarkari or other food. Also, people who don’t like minced meat can eat this food with cooked vegetables or potatoes.

Chuchvara Soup

It is one of the soups of Uzbekistan, which is flavored with pepper, onion, tomato paste, black pepper, and cream. This dish is usually found in many restaurants in Uzbekistan and on their menu, and you can easily order it.

Uzbek wedding pilaf

This food is so important and special that it is cooked on special holidays and especially wedding ceremonies, and for this reason, many people of Uzbekistan and also tourists know it as a wedding plate. A combination of rice and meat combined with carrots, onions, and raisins are the main ingredients of this delicious, tasty, and traditional dish.

Laghman

This tasty and hearty soup is an example of authentic Central Asian cuisine, which is a delicious Uzbek soup that is prepared with handmade noodles and cooked with meat sauce or vegetable sauce. Bell peppers, garlic, onions, and special spices are added to this dish, and beef is one of the most important ingredients of this delicious soup.

Uzbek Naryn

It is one of the popular and famous dishes of Uzbekistan, which has been cooked since the presence of a popular businessman in Uzbekistan. This dish is prepared with ingredients such as noodles, minced meat, onion, and chopped pepper. Many people of Uzbekistan and even tourists are fans of this dish.

Achichuk salad

A simple and delicious salad that is more suitable for vegetarians. The ingredients of this salad are tomato slices; it is onions and pickles that are flavored with special spices and sauces in this country and served to customers.

Black Eggplant salad

It is popular among Uzbeks to eat a salad before eating, and that salad is usually black eggplant salad. Of course, this custom has become one of their traditions. In this salad, you have a combination of half-cooked black eggplant, radish, pepper, and tarkari. According to another Uzbek food tradition, this salad is prepared in a big and common dish for all people.

Dimlama

This delicious food is very popular among tourists. Chicken, meat, potatoes, onions, vegetables, and special spices are the main basis for cooking this food. This dish is usually cooked as a meal and served with salad and special Uzbek bread.

Uzbek Camca

It is a type of local fast food that can be found in many shops in this country. Samsa is a triangular dough that is filled with meat or vegetables, depending on the customer’s taste, and then baked in the oven. This food is never fried.

Uzbekistan Wedding Plov

An excellent combination of rice, meat, grated yolk, onion, and raisins can be tasted in this so-called Uzbek assembly dish. This dish is so tasty and popular that it is cooked at important events such as weddings.

Tashkent salad

This tasty salad, which is a complete meal, is cooked from calf’s tongue, tarkari, and is prepared in a sauce made of yogurt and fried onions.

Shashlik

The famous shashlik is a popular food in all Asian countries. But every country has its own instructions for cooking this dish. In the version of the Uzbek shashlik plate, we have a combination of veal, spices, raw onions, and hot red peppers.

Samsa Uzbekistan

Samsa is a kind of triangular cake that is baked in the oven. Samsa is traditionally filled with pumpkin, but you can also fill it with other ingredients. Don’t confuse Samsa and Patigosht. Although they have similarities, they are completely different foods. The relative similarity of their ingredients is less than that of pilaf and rice porridge.

Uzbek Fruit Plate

The famous Uzbek fruit plate is very popular among tourists and customers of Uzbek restaurants, and they usually order this plate with their meals.

Uzbek Halva

Halva is one of the national sweets and desserts of Uzbekistan. Uzbek Halva is made from flour, mesca, and peach juice. Uzbek halva has a very pleasant smell.

Kutabi

Kutabi is a simple but delicious dish that is served with slow-heat fried meat, vegetables, and traditional Uzbek bread. Uzbeks have a special interest in this food.

Final Word

With more than two thousand years of history and culture, Uzbekistan has a long history in the art of cooking and food. The cuisine of Uzbekistan is one of the most authentic Asian cuisines, which tells you about the rich history of this nation and perhaps other Asian nations through the language of food. Be sure to test the taste of Uzbekistan’s food when you travel to this country and try an authentic Asian dish.

Are you planning to travel to Uzbekistan? Check out our Uzbekistan Tour.

More than 3000 years have passed for Persian Cuisine to become what it is today. The long history, ancient culture, and diverse climatic conditions coming from the vastness of this country have influenced Persian Cuisine. If you’re a foodie, we recommend you put Iran on your travel bucket list since there are thousands of Persian recipes to try in every corner of the country. Each province and city has many offers for food and drinks regarding its geographical location and climate. We would welcome any inquiry you may have about traveling to Iran. Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@idt.ir. Here are some classic Persian recipes cooked mainly in the country’s southern region. Try a complete meal, and tell us how you like it!

Appetizer or “Naz Khatoon” pickle

Ingredients
4 medium eggplants
A whole plant of garlic
Chopped and fresh fragrant herbs
Basil and coriander 1 cup
Chopped red chili 1/2 cup
Enough salt and pepper
Ground angelica 1 tablespoon
Black seed 2 tablespoons
Abghore (verjuice) 1/2 glass

How to prepare

Let’s start with the first classic Persian recipe. Grill the eggplants with the skin and cut them a few times with a knife so the insides will be grilled great.
Turn the eggplants over several times so that all eggplants are entirely grilled.
Finally, after a few minutes, remove the eggplants from the fire and mince them.
Add ground angelica, turmeric, black seed, garlic, pepper, salt, chopped greens, and Abghore.
If you want, you can add a little pomegranate paste to make it more delicious.
The appetite is ready; enjoy!

Kofte Anari (Pomegranate Meatball)

-Ingredients for 2 persons
Mince Meat (Mixture of mutton and beef) 200 gr
Chopped and roasted walnuts 100 gr
Chickpea flour 2 tablespoons (spoonful)
Black pepper ½ teaspoon
Salt ½ teaspoon
Cinnamon powder ½ teaspoon
Persian spice or curry powder ½ teaspoon
Turmeric ½ teaspoon
Pomegranate paste 1 or 2 tablespoon
Grated onion (Take its water) 1 medium onion
Dried coriander powder 1 tablespoon
Tarragon or Mint powder 1 tablespoon

-Ingredients for the sauce
Turmeric ½ Dessertspoon
Cube chopped onion 1 medium onion
Pomegranate paste 6 tablespoons
Water 2 glasses

How to prepare

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and knead them well. Then wet your palms with water, take a handful of the mixed ingredients and make meatballs. It would be best if you rolled them so that no cracks are left. Fry the meatballs in a large pan with two tablespoons of liquid oil until all parts turn golden. Remove the meatballs from the pan and fry the chopped onion in the same oil for one minute, then add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. A few seconds later, add 5 to 6 tablespoons of pomegranate paste. Return the meatballs to the pan. Then add two glasses of water. Put the lid on the pan and let the meatballs cook on a low flame for 30 minutes.
Enjoy your meal!

Ranginak

Ingredients for 6 persons:
2 glasses of Sifted flour
100g Butter
½ cup Liquid oil
half a teaspoon of Cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon Ginger powder
half a teaspoon of Cardamom powder
Walnuts and Dates – to taste depending on the size
Pistachio powder or Powdered sugar to garnish

How to prepare

At last, here’s the final classic Persian recipe. First, take out the dates’ seed and put in a piece of walnut or almond kernel instead.
Roast the flour in an oil-free pan over low heat for 15 minutes. Stir it frequently to change color (golden).
Then add the butter and liquid oil to the flour. Stir again until it smooths.
Add cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon, stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Spread the mix of flour and butter over the dates until the surface is fully covered.
Then put Ranginak in the refrigerator for 2 hours so it can be easily cut.
After taking it out of the refrigerator, garnish it with powdered sugar or pistachio powder. Now the tasty Ranginak is ready to serve.
You can keep Ranginak in a closed container in the refrigerator for a whole month.

Hope you try these Persian recipes and enjoy them to your heart’s content. Make sure to share your experience with us down in the comments.

Are you planning to travel to Iran? Check out our Iran tours.

The Caspian Sea is home to a variety of fish and aquatic creatures, however, it is mostly known for caviar. More than 90% of the world’s caviar is obtained from the Caspian Sea. It is also considered a precious souvenir from Iran. To consult us about traveling o Iran, please do not hesitate to send an email to info@idt.ir. Stay with us here to know more about this valuable source of Protein and energetic food; Iranian Caviar.

Sturgeon fish is one of the rare aquatic species around the world. There are five excellent species of these fish that live in the Caspian Sea including the Beluga sturgeon, the Starry sturgeon, the  Russian sturgeon, the Persian sturgeon, and the golden sturgeon. The value of sturgeon is not for its meat, but because of its eggs, which are known as caviar or “black pearl”. Golden, red, and black caviar are three types of caviar, among which black caviar is the most valuable, although the nutritional value of all is more or less the same. While black caviar is mostly known in Iran and southern Russia, red caviar is most popular in Siberia and East Asia.

How Iranian Caviar is harvested?

In the past, sturgeon were intoxicated with a rubber mallet to protect them from moving their tail. They then emptied the caviar and sold the meat. However, today, due to the dwindling number of these fish, the eggs are removed from the fish belly through the cesarean operation method, and some of the eggs are left in the fish belly for later spawning. The fish are then quarantined in special pools for three months, after which they are marked and returned to the sea. This process can be done up to six times for each fish.

How Iranian Caviar is served?

Iranian Caviar is considered the most luxurious breakfast in the world. Many caviar fans eat it raw or with egg yolk or chopped onion. It can be served as a food seasoning, appetizer, or mixed with other foods. Many people prefer it cold without bread. While some people like the pungent smell and taste of Caviar, others may not consider the taste and smell of it as pleasant. And remember you are not allowed to add any kind of spice to it!
Since caviar is prone to being spoiled, salt was added to it right after fishing in the past. Today, with the development of food preservation methods, other methods such as freezing or some preservatives are used to keep caviar. Producing low-salt caviar is the result of these developments and many people tend to consume this type of caviar.

What is the nutritional value of caviar?

This amazing food has proved to offer health advantages. It helps to prevent depression and cardiovascular disease due to its omega-3 fatty acids and it is so nutritious that it is even preferable to fish meat. It is also believed that Caviar consumption is very effective in nerve cell health. Each tablespoon also provides 11% of the iron and magnesium and 15% of the selenium required by the body.

The main areas of caviar fishing in Iran

The main place for caviar fishing is in the south of the Caspian Sea, particularly Sefidrud. Researchers say that in the past, 500 tons of caviar were harvested from Sefidrud. Other important areas for caviar fishing in Iran include Astara, Kiashahr, and Qarasu, where sturgeon farms were established along the rivers.

The main reason for the migration of fish to the south of the Caspian Sea was a favorable situation for living and spawning. However, due to the severely cold winters, and the shallow depth in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, this area is not considered a perfect place for sturgeon to live. The construction of huge dams on streams and pollution from factories and ships are considered other significant factors that have caused the migration of sturgeon to the southern parts of Iran.

Are you planning to travel to Iran? Check out our Iran tours.