Plov

Not only the archaeology, history or cultural heritage attracts the guests to Uzbekistan, but local food of the country play a great role as well. Delicious and useful food is one of the main aspects during any travel. The local Uzbek food plov is among the first that a visitor wishes to taste on his visit to Uzbekistan. Plov is one of the most favorite meals of Uzbek people who have it in any events like at wedding parties, with the guests at home, at festive dinners together with the family or friends and even as a funeral meal.

Speaking about the plov means a meal consisting of the simplest products, but having a unique taste cooked all together. Main ingredients are rice, meat, onion, oil, carrot and also ingredients that give additional aromatic taste if added to plov which are apple, garlic, dried barberry, raisin, dried apricots, quince and chickpeas.

As an Uzbek tradition the festive plov is made by men for bigger number of people.

The first rule in cooking the plov is to have an iron cauldron as it guarantees to have real delicious plov by cooking in such cauldron instead of rice porridge. Each of the 12 provinces of Uzbekistan can offer its own recipe for plov, but there are around a hundred recipes. And the inveterate cooks say that in order to cook a delicious plov just a good mood is required.

So, finely cut onions, sliced pieces of meat and thinly shredded carrot are fried in a burning hot cauldron with oil which becomes the bottom of plov or so called zirvak in Uzbek. This zirvak is followed by salt, red ground pepper and cumin. At the same time rice is thoroughly washed up and soaked in salty water. Next step is laying the rice on zirvak and filling up with water. When water is evaporated, rice is gathered into the center and cauldron (pot) is tightly covered and fire is set minimum.

Quality of rice is important as well. The best rice is local Uzbek one devzira which is grown in Ferghana valley in the east of the country. In Uzbekistan plov is served in big ceramic or highly glazed plates. To have green tea after having plov is recommended as it helps digest the meal.

The time of appearance of plov is unknown but it has become the lovely delicacies of Uzbek people.