Plov (osh)

Zirvak, rice and the oshpaz

Uzbeks usually call plov simply osh. The method is straightforward: oil is heated in a cast-iron kazan, meat and onions are browned, and matchsticks of yellow carrot go in to make the zirvak, the flavourful base. Washed rice is spread on top, the water is cooked off and the dish is left to steam under a lid. Cumin and dried barberries are almost always used; chickpeas, raisins, quince, whole heads of garlic or quail eggs are common additions. Uzbek reference works list more than 40 kinds of plov, from fried qovurma plov to the festive wedding version.

Cooking plov in a large kazan is traditionally a man’s job, and an oshpaz who can feed several hundred wedding guests is a respected figure in his mahalla.

Morning plov and UNESCO

On the day of a wedding or another big family event, nahor oshi — morning plov — is served at dawn: the men gather early, eat, offer blessings and go on with their day. In 2016 Uzbekistan’s ‘Palov culture and tradition’ was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Every region swears by its own style; Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Fergana and Khorezm plov each have their own entry here. Plov comes with achichuk, a sharp tomato-and-onion salad, and green tea. City plov canteens often sell out by early afternoon, so go at lunchtime rather than later.