Uzbek Cuisine

The interlinked histories of the Uzbek and Tadzhik nations have accentuated similarities of cuisine arising from geographical factors. As far back as the fourth century, two distinct races inhabited these regions of Central Asia –one descended from oasis-based agricultural settlements, the other from nomadic shepherds. The Tadzhiks belong to the first people, the Uzbeks to the second, though neither group took on its national character until much later. Cultural and culinary differences tend to be between the social classes within each race, whereas ethnic differences are more apparent in the language and customs. Thus, the traditional diet of the lower classes in both regions consisted mainly of flour, yoghurt, vegetables and pulses, while the better-off Uzbeks and Tadzhiks enjoyed an abundance of meat, fruits and desserts.