Uzbek REALIES

PLOV (OSH) - “Palov”, also known as “Osh” is a classical main dish of Central Asian countries. It is
rich, filling and very tasty if prepared right. Nowadays there are many ingredients like garbanzo
beans, barberries, eggs, quince, pomegranate incorporated to this dish. But the main ingredients like
onions, rice, oil and meat remain unchanged.

For many years I thought that palov is the dish that is specifically prepared by men and only men can
perfect it. Well, now I think every woman can be great at making an outstanding Uzbek Palov. Please
prove your men wrong :)

2. SOMSA- Uzbek somsa is a queen of Uzbek cuisine. No wonder Jami sings of samsa in his
rubai.Uzbek samsa is a hearty baked dish of Uzbek cuisine for holidays and everyday life, with various
fillings to suit all tastes.Do not confuse samsa and patty with meat. They are completely different
things. While the relative similarity of ingredients they like each other less than pilaf and rice
porridge.

If you're in Tashkent, and want to taste the best Uzbek tandyr samosas, be sure to go to Bodomzar.
Here are 12 species of Uzbek samsa: mutton samsa, lamb samosas, chicken samosas, samosa on the
ribs, samosa with kazi, samosa with potatoes, samsa with pumpkin
3.Navruz-Navruz (or Nowruz) is a spring festival or New Year. The term "Navruz" is composed of two
Persian words "nav" (new) and "ruz" (day), that is the first starting day of the most momentous
holiday of the Aryans. Navruz is tied to the natural environmental conditions of the continent and the
actual astronomical events. The holiday marks the joyous awakening of every living thing after

winter, when farmers begin sowing seasonNavruz holiday in Uzbekistan is music of karnays, joyous
voices of children in nice clothes on their way to a holiday in the morning, set up tables in homes as a
symbol of abundance and hospitality. There are many traditions, precisely handed down from one
generation to another, which are coupled with this holiday.

4. Sumalak (a wheat bran pudding) is a dish cooked exclusively for spring festival of Navruz and thus
available for tasting only once a year. Sumalak is very tasty, invigorating and restores one’s strength
lost in the course of the winter.

Today we do not know exactly who was the first to cook this ritual dish based on sprouting wheat
grains and when they did it. Nevertheless, every year in the last days of March all regions
of Uzbekistan witness the appearance of huge cauldrons in the streets and in courts together with
great numbers of people talking merrily and dancing around them. This is ‘Sumalak sayli’
(the sumalak holiday), which calls people to friendship, fraternity and cooperation.

The process of cooking sumalak is an interesting ritual, which aims not only to prepare a tasty meal,
but also to foster mutual support and unity. Traditionally this was the time when grains of wheat
were put into soil, some part of which were reserved for the cooking of sumalak, the main dish of
Navruz. Each family put their share of grains into the cauldron, bringing a handful of sprouting grains
to where people were boiling sumalak all together.
5. Beshik- The beshik itself is a light wooden cradle used in Central Asia since time immemorial. It
provides a place for the baby to sleep safely away from physical harm and is covered with thick
curtains to protect from the evil eye. Often further spiritual security is given by keeping a knife,
garlic, pepper, onion and bread underneath to scare away evil spirits intent on harming the child.
Triangular charms are usually hung on top, stuffed with cotton and verses from the Koran.

Children sleep in a beshik until they are at least a year old although prolonged use can cause the
back of the baby’s head to become flat. This is regarded as a desirable quality in boys since it means
that Uzbek hats fit snugly!

6. Do'ppi This traditional headdress of the Central Asian peoples, along with the preservation of
common features, has always been distinguished by the individual style of the masters who created
it. The history of skullcaps goes back centuries. The high artistic merits of skullcaps and ornamental
images of embroideries prove a long way of development of this variety of folk art. Indirect
confirmation of the existence of hats resembling skullcaps, even in ancient times, can be found in
sculpture, wall painting, terracotta figurines in oriental miniature of the XV-XVI centuries.

The skullcaps of Uzbekistan are divided into several groups: Tashkent, Ferghana, Samarkand,
Bukhara, Kashkadarya-Surkhandarya, Khorezm-Karakalpak, as well as several types: male, female,
children’s and skullcaps for the elderly. Elderly women do not wear skullcaps.
7. HUMO- The bird of happiness Semurg or as it is called in Uzbekistan “Humo”, is the embodiment
of happiness and well-being of the Uzbek people. There are legends about this bird in Central Asia
and beyond.

The Semurg, a creature of mythology, was first mentioned in the Avesta, a collection of sacred
Zoroastrian texts dating from 1200-800 B.C. This magical bird, whose name means “bird from a tree
or mountain top,” had the appearance of a huge bird covered in fish scales and having the outline of
a lion or dog. However, in spite of such an unsightly image, Semurg possessed magic wings,
shimmering with all bright colors and dwarfing the plumage of any other bird in its beauty. On these
wings, according to legend, she saved the most worthy and noble of people from misfortune and
persecutors.

8. chilla- , defined as a special period of time , which includes 40 days - cold winter , from December
25 to February 5 to 40 days, hot summer, from 25 June to 5 August ( the summer is still the name of

Saratan ) : Honeymoon in newborns and small chilla lasts 20 days, the usual chilla - 40 days. This
reality includes certain rules, signs, because, while it is impossible to show chilla newborns
strangers .Each contains information realema deeper character than just the usual meaning of the
word.

9. Ko’z munchoq-In Uzbekistan, many people wear “ko’z munchoq” – a decoration in the form of
pebbles from the eye, it is believed that it protects against the evil eye. It is attached to clothing,
home, car, etc.
It is found in many cultures in the Mediterranean region, the Balkans, the Middle East and Central
Asia, with such cultures often believing that receiving the evil eye will cause misfortune or
injury, while others believe it to be a kind of supernatural force that casts or reflects a malevolent
gaze back upon those who wish harm upon others (especially innocents). The idea appears multiple
times also in Jewish rabbinic literature.

10. Kupkari – competition of real dzhigits

Kupkari (ulak, buzkashi) is a traditional Central Asian team competition played on horseback. In
Turkic “kup” means “many” and in Persian “kari” means “work, case”, hence “kupkari” is “the case of
many people”.

In Uzbekistan the kupkari competition is also called an ulak. In this game skilled equestrians compete
to carry a goat or sheep carcass into a goal.

Usually Kupkari is held in spring or autumn, when the Central Asian peoples traditionally celebrate
weddings, as well as during the main spring holiday, Navruz. Often Kupkari game involves brave
riders from neighboring regions.
Equestrians prepare for the kupkari competition in advance and carefully. They choose a strong,
short horse of great endurance. The horse should be shortll to make it easier to pick up the carcass of
an animal from the ground, because in the heat of battle, it often falls to the ground. For the Kupkari
game, riders usually wear head protection, quilted cotton robes and pants to protect themselves
against other players' whips. Because getting excited, horsemen can whip each other; it is not
prohibited by the rules of the game.