Samarkand plov
A layered plov in which nothing is stirred: the rice stays pale, and the carrots and meat are served on top of it.
Sumalak and halim
Two slow dishes of the Navruz table: sumalak, simmered overnight from the juice of sprouted wheat, and halim, a porridge of wheat and meat.
© Shahriyor06, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sumalak, the taste of spring
To make sumalak, wheat is soaked and sprouted for several days; the green shoots are pounded and their juice pressed out three times. Oil is heated in a cauldron, flour and juice are added, and the mixture is stirred without pause for ten to twelve hours. Smooth walnut-sized pebbles and whole walnuts go into the pot to stop it catching on the bottom. After a final rest the sumalak turns into a thick, sweet brown paste — without a grain of added sugar.
Cooking sumalak is a night-long gathering of women and girls who sing around the cauldron and make wishes. In the morning it is shared with the neighbours, and whoever finds a pebble in their bowl is said to have their wish granted.
Halim, a winter warmer
Halim is a porridge of wheat and meat: hulled grain and meat on the bone are simmered and stirred for hours until the meat falls into threads and becomes one with the wheat. It is served with melted butter and, if you like, a pinch of cinnamon. Variants exist across Central Asia, Iran and South Asia; in Uzbekistan halim is made in early spring, in the run-up to Navruz, and on cold days.
Cuisine
Cuisine
Samarkand bread
A tandoor-baked round with a thin, stamped centre, a plump rim and a glossy crust — Samarkand’s signature taste and the classic gift to carry home.
Tandoor samsa
Flaky pastries filled with lamb, onion and tail fat and baked on the wall of a tandoor — Samarkand’s favourite breakfast.
Kabob (shashlik)
Lamb, liver and minced-meat skewers grilled over charcoal and served with raw onion, vinegar and hot bread — the smoke that drifts down every Samarkand street.
Manti
Large steamed dumplings from a tiered steamer, filled with hand-chopped lamb, onion and tail fat — or with sweet pumpkin.
Shurpa
A hearty soup of mutton, carrots, potatoes and herbs, either simply boiled or browned first, served in a deep bowl with bread.
