What is it about Uzbek cuisine that the world is crazy about?

 What is it about Uzbek cuisine that the world is crazy about?

This article was first published on BBCUrdu.com in April 2020.

Located along the former Silk Road, Uzbekistan has always exchanged goods and commodities with its neighboring countries. This exchange has enriched its culture, which is reflected in the country's fascinating mosaics, handicrafts, artworks and especially cuisine.

Uzbek dishes

The cuisine of Uzbekistan varies from region to region, but the cuisine is united by a few 'national dishes' that are eaten throughout the country and are available everywhere. These popular foods are as follows:

Pastries that are usually filled with meat and onions and baked in a clay oven or oven.

Rice Beef and Noodle Soup.

A handmade noodle and meat dish.

A popular soup made with meat and vegetables.

Kebabs made with grilled meat and spices.

Steamed dumplings filled with meat and onions.

Traditional bread that is usually baked in the oven.

Pulau made with rice, carrots and meat.

"Uzbek food is diverse and regional," says Ravshan Khudiyo, an Uzbek food blogger. A lot can be said about them and a lot can be written about these great foods

۔A history full of stories

Central Asia, which includes modern-day Uzbekistan, has a long and interesting history. Alexander the Great conquered the region in 329 BC and united the warring tribes, after which the region became so stable that it emerged as an important trade route between the East and the West. The legendary Silk Road cities of Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand emerged as important centers where traders bought and sold goods and exchanged ideas.

By the 8th century, Islam had come to the region and magnificent madrassas and mosques built with the money of merchants adorned the cities. Bukhara came to be known as an important center of learning, where intellectuals from all over the Muslim world would gather and exchange ideas.

It was against this backdrop that modern day Uzbek cuisine began to take shape. The cooking process was influenced by merchants and conquerors from around the world, resulting in an untouched result. Even today, the national dishes of Uzbekistan still have a taste of Turkish, Kazakh, Uighur, Mongolian and other cultures.

The biggest national dish

The most famous and popular dish of Uzbekistan is pilaf. According to a tradition, this dish was introduced during the era of the famous Uzbek conqueror Amir Timur, who founded the Timur Empire in the 1300s. According to one tradition, Amir Timur needed a way to feed his large army between conquests, and palau was considered the ideal food for him, as it was high in calories and easily transported from place to place. could go

After the wars, the simple yet delicious recipe of this dish was carried by the returning soldiers to their respective regions. Even today, when Uzbeks make pilaf, according to tradition, they add the same ratio of ingredients as the cooks in Amir Timur's army used to add, that is, one part meat, one part rice, and one part carrot. Apart from this, another important component is the high-calorie oil it contains. Some (but not all) of the recipes at the Tashkent-based Central Asian Pulau Center include recipes for pulau made with sesame oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil, and rapeseed oil, in addition to fat-based oils. are also included. In regional varieties, eggs, garlic, onions, tomatoes, chillies and spices are also added to them.

In Uzbekistan, pilaf is cooked on almost every special occasion, and many Uzbeks eat it every day for a whole week. This dish is similar to a similar Middle Eastern dish in which rice is cooked in an iron pot over an open fire with a meat or vegetable stock. Traditionally, it is cooked at home by itself, but on special occasions, cooks prepare it in which hundreds of guests eat from a single pot.

How harmful is this?

Earlier this year, the journal The Lancet released a global study on food-related deaths. The study reported that one in five deaths in 2017 was due to poor diet. That was mainly caused by eating too much salt, too few whole grains or whole grains, and too few fruits and vegetables. The country with the highest number of food-related deaths was Uzbekistan. The news angered many Uzbeks who pride themselves on their food. According to him, this research has been released at a very wrong time when Uzbekistan is promoting itself as a major tourist destination.

Uzbek doctor Lola Abdulrakhimova says that the problem is not only food, but the changing lifestyle of Uzbek people. For a resourceful society, where people work hard all day, Uzbek food is fine if eaten in moderation, she says.

She says that health problems are caused by three changes in modern lifestyles: overeating, more sedentary habits and a lack of variety in the diet. More and more Uzbeks are less active now that they have adopted an urban lifestyle and are therefore expending fewer calories, but they are unwilling to change their diet. On top of that, socializing in Uzbekistan usually takes priority over food and lasts for several hours. If all these are combined, the food for destruction is ready. In the past this food was eaten as a snack but now it is being replaced by fast food from other countries like hamburgers and doners etc.

"The problem is that our people don't know when to stop," says Abdul Rakhimova. While a normal portion is four manti (an Uzbek measuring stick), some people eat eight or 10.

Is it good?

The cuisine of Uzbekistan is very famous and popular in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a confederation of seven independent states from the former Soviet republics.