What to eat in Central Asia

The king of Central Asian dishes: rice, carrots, onions and meat cooked slowly in a cauldron (kazan). Every region has its own version. In Tashkent, the Central Asian Plov Centre cooks it in giant cauldrons at lunchtime.

Bread (non) comes with every meal and is treated with respect. Green tea is the everyday drink in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan; black tea with milk is common in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

• Samsa: flaky pastries baked in a tandoor
• Lagman: hand-pulled noodles in broth
• Shivit oshi: Khiva’s green dill noodles
• Manti: steamed dumplings
• Beshbarmak: boiled meat and noodles (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan)
• Qurutob: bread with yoghurt sauce (Tajikistan)
• Ashlyan-fu: Karakol’s cold noodle soup
• Dograma: bread and meat in broth (Turkmenistan)

Summer and autumn bring melons, grapes, pomegranates, apricots and figs; dried fruit and nuts are available all year. A morning in a bazaar is one of the best introductions to the region.

Meat is central to the cuisine, but vegetarians manage well with salads, soups, vegetable samsa, bread, dairy and fruit. Tell us in advance and we brief guides and restaurants.