In this episode of Silk Road Adventures, we explore Uzbekistan’s culinary heritage, from Tashkent’s food markets and plov centre to a mountain village famous for its seasonal samsa.
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00:00Uzbekistan is a true culinary crossroads. Its legendary Silk Road cities didn't just trade
00:25goods and ideas, but fused flavors from both the East and West. The result? Fabulous food.
00:32Get a load of that. Chosu Bazaar is Tashkent's biggest and oldest
00:36food market. Isle upon isle of meat, mountains of spices, and endless stalls of fresh fruit
00:43and veg. You name it, it's here. But I'm after something pretty unique to Central Asia, a horsemeat
00:49sausage said to boost strength and maybe even virility. Now this is kazi and apparently
00:56it's good for men's health. Is that the case?
00:58Oh, yeah? OK.
01:01Oh, really?
01:04Oh, wow. OK, yeah. It's very tasty. Very good.
01:14Maybe next time, yeah? Oh, thank you.
01:17Uzbek cuisine is diverse, but if one dish stands out, it's probably plov. A glorious
01:24mix of meat, vegetables, spices, and rice, plov is cooked in a giant cauldron called a kazan.
01:30I'm meeting up with Ravshan, a well-known food blogger here, to find out more.
01:38Oh, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello.
01:40Look at this place.
01:41You need to hurry, because it's very soon, everything will be finished.
01:44Ravshan, what makes the perfect plov?
01:47There's a lot of oil in this. How many calories are in a portion?
02:03It's almost a day normal.
02:051700 calories in one portion of Tashkent's holiday.
02:10First the beef and lamb are fried, then it's the turn of the carrots and chickpeas.
02:16For a bit more kick, garlic, chilies, and raisins can be added. Finally, a mountain of rice
02:23is spread over the top and left to steam.
02:25The chefs here can make between 10 and 12 tons of plov per day.
02:45Oh, wow. The flavor from it is really amazing, and the meat is so tender. I understand now
03:02why it's been around for centuries.
03:09Before my food adventure ends, there's one last thing I have to try.
03:13It's called Samza, Uzbekistan's version of the Samoza.
03:17Samzas are usually stuffed with meat, but during springtime, they're also filled with a wild
03:22mountain garlic called mador. Located about an hour from Tashkent, Gulbahor's restaurant
03:28has been serving this vegetarian version of the classic street food for the last 20 years.
03:33Gulbahor, this is the special ingredient, the mador. Why is it so popular?
03:39The mador is mixed with onion and oil before being wrapped in freshly made dough. And then
03:53you're sticking them in there. The heat from here is unbelievable.
04:09Oh, wow. That's so good. The perfect midday snack.
04:13Yeah. Thank you.
04:40From freshly baked Samza to smoky plov, Uzbek cuisine is a feast of flavor, shaped by history,
04:52trade, and tradition.
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