Khiva food: what to eat in Khiva

Khorezm is an oasis cut off from the rest of Uzbekistan by the Kyzylkum desert, and its cooking developed on its own path. You will find more dishes built on dough, eggs and dairy, generous use of fresh herbs, especially dill, and a local plov tradition. Many Uzbek travellers from Tashkent come to Khiva partly for the food.

Shivit oshi

The dish of Khiva. Noodles are coloured and flavoured with finely chopped dill (shivit), then topped with a stew of meat, potato and vegetables and a spoonful of yogurt. Fresh, herby and filling. Most restaurants in and around Ichan-Kala serve it.

Tukhum barak

Delicate boiled dumplings filled with egg (tukhum) whisked with milk, served with butter or sour cream. It is a little tricky to make, which is why it is a dish to look for in Khorezm specifically.

Gumma

Fried pies filled with minced meat, sold hot at bazaars and street stalls in the morning. Eat them with tea.

Khorezm plov

Plov is cooked all over Uzbekistan, and every region claims its version is the best. In Khorezm, look for plov made with yellow carrots. Plov is usually a lunch dish; the best pots are often finished by early afternoon.

Bread, samsa and tandir dishes

Flat round bread (non) baked in a clay tandir oven, and samsa, meat-filled pastries baked on the oven wall. Look for the tandir bakeries in the lanes of Dishan-Kala.

Melons and fruit

Khorezm melons have a reputation across Central Asia. The season peaks from late July to October, when stalls on the roadside and in the bazaar are piled high. Grapes, pomegranates and apricots (fresh in early summer, dried all year) are also excellent.

Tea

Green tea is the default, poured in small bowls (piala). Black tea is also common. Tea comes with almost every meal and every visit.

• Inside Ichan-Kala, cafés and restaurants line the main street between the west and east gates. Several have rooftop terraces facing Kalta Minor or the walls, which are lovely at sunset.
• Outside the walls, prices are lower and the clientele more local, especially near the bazaar by the east gate.
• Eating with a family is the best food experience in Khiva. We can arrange a home-cooked meal or a cooking session where you make shivit oshi yourself; see the shivit oshi cooking class if it is open for booking.

Restaurant names change often, so we recommend places to our travellers directly rather than printing a list that may go out of date.

• Water: drink bottled or filtered water. Most guesthouses provide it.
• Vegetarians: shivit oshi without the meat stew, tukhum barak, salads, bread, dairy and fruit make Khiva easier than many places. Say go‘shtsiz ("without meat").
• Alcohol is available in many restaurants, but not at religious sites or in some family-run places.
• Ramadan: restaurants for visitors stay open, but eat discreetly in residential lanes during the day.