Culture

Food, crafts and tradition

Plov and tandoor bread, Rishtan ceramics and Margilan ikat silk, weddings and festivals — every region has its own flavours and crafts.

dishes: 36
crafts: 21
traditions: 18
festivals: 10

Plov (osh)Tashkent plov Samarkand plov Bukhara plov and oshi sofi Fergana plov Khorezm plov Samsa Jizzakh samsa Kabob (shashlik)Gijduvan kebab Tandir kabob (tandoor lamb)Qozon kabob Lagman Manti Chuchvara Sumalak Halim Shurpa Ugra oshi (noodle soup)Dimlama Mastava Kazy Achichuk Uzbek bread (non)Samarkand non Patir (Tashkent patir)Qurt Tukhum barak Shivit oshi Karakalpak beshbarmak (turama)Juvari gurtik No‘xat sho‘rak (chickpea stew)Novvot, parvarda and halva Dried fruit and nuts Uzbek melons Norin (naryn)Rishtan ceramics Gijduvan ceramics Margilan atlas and adras Bukhara gold embroidery Khiva woodcarving Chust knives Chust doppi (skullcap)Samarkand paper Suzani and Bukhara embroidery Nurata suzani Samarkand and Urgut suzani Shahrisabz embroidery and the iroqi skullcap Carpet weaving Copper chasing (kandakorlik)Jewellery making (zargarlik)Karakalpak jewellery Ganch carving Tilework (koshinkorlik)Musical instrument making The Karakalpak yurt and felt Naqqoshlik, illumination and miniature painting Hospitality and the dastarkhan Tea culture and the choyxona The Uzbek wedding Beshik to‘yi (cradle feast)The mahalla Hashar Navruz customs Shashmaqom and the maqom tradition Bakhshi art Lazgi Askiya, the art of wit Katta ashula (‘great song’)Kurash Kupkari (ulak)National dress Ramadan and iftar Nasreddin Afandi anecdotes The cultural space of Boysun New Year Defenders of the Motherland Day International Women’s Day (8 March)Navruz holiday Day of Remembrance and Honour Independence Day Teachers’ and Mentors’ Day Constitution Day Ramazon hayiti (Eid al-Fitr)Qurbon hayiti (Eid al-Adha)

01 · 4 dishes

Cuisine

From plov to samsa and sumalak: what to taste, where and how.

Dish · Khorezm

Khorezm plov

Khorezm’s plov tradition, including suzma palov, in which the rice is boiled separately and drained before it meets the zirvak.

Dish · Khorezm, Karakalpakstan

Tukhum barak

Khorezm’s signature dish: delicate boiled dumplings filled with raw egg mixed with milk or butter.

Dish · Khorezm

Shivit oshi

Known as ‘Khorezm’ or ‘green’ lagman: dill-flavoured noodles (shivit means dill) served with a meat sauce and suzma; sources trace the dish to Khiva.

Dish · Karakalpakstan, Khorezm

Juvari gurtik

An old dish of Karakalpak and Khorezm cooking: coin-shaped sorghum-flour dumplings simmered in meat broth.

02 · 1 craft

Crafts

Ceramics, ikat silk, gold embroidery and woodcarving — the workshops and their schools.

Craft · Khorezm

Khiva woodcarving

The carved doors and columns of Itchan Kala: Khiva’s carvers never paint the wood, finishing it only with natural oil; the Juma Mosque alone has more than 200 columns.

03 · 2 traditions

Traditions

Mahalla life, hospitality, weddings and rites — the old rules of everyday life.

Tradition · Surkhandarya, Kashkadarya +2

Bakhshi art

Epic poems sung from memory to the dombra, kobyz or dutar — the performers of Alpamysh and Go‘ro‘g‘li; UNESCO-listed since 2021.

Tradition · Khorezm

Lazgi

Khorezm’s fiery folk melody and dance, evoking the sounds of nature, love and joy; UNESCO-listed since 2019.