Tajik cuisine is a traditionalcuisine ofTajikistan, and has much in common withIranian,Afghan,Russian,Chinese, andUzbek cuisines.Palov orpalav (pilaf) (Tajik:палав), also calledosh (ash) (Tajik:ош), is the national dish in Tajikistan, as in other countries in the region.Green tea (Tajik:чойи кабуд) is the common national drink.
Palav or osh, generically known asplov (pilaf), is arice dish made withjuliennedcarrot, and pieces ofmeat, all fried together invegetable oil or mutton fat in a special cookware calleddeg (awok-shapedcauldron) over an open flame. The meat is cubed before or after being cooked, the carrots can be yellow or orange, and the rice is colored yellow or orange by the frying carrots and the oil. The dish is eaten communally from a single large plate placed at the center of the table, often in with one's hands in the traditional way.
Another traditional dish that is still eaten with hands from a communal plate isqurutob (Tajik:қурутоб), whose name describes the preparation method:qurut (Tajik:қурут, dried balls of salty cheese) is dissolved in water (Tajik:об,ob) and the liquid is poured over strips of а thinflaky flatbread (patyr orfatir,Tajik:фатир, or more accurately фатир равғанӣ,fatir ravghani, i.e., fatir made with butter or tallow for flakiness). Before serving the dish is topped with onions fried in oil until golden and topped with fresh seasonal vegetables. No meat is added.Qurutob is considered as one of thenational dishes, predominantly consumed in the Southern regions.
Meals are almost always served withnon (Tajik:нон),flatbread found throughoutCentral Asia. If aTajik has food but notnon, he will say he is out of food. Ifnon is dropped on the ground, people will put it up on a high ledge for beggars or birds. Legend holds that one is not supposed to putnon upside down because this will bring bad luck. The same holds if anything is put on top of thenon, unless it is another piece ofnon.[1]
Breakfast usually consists of tea,kulcha (Tajik milk bread) ornon with butter,hasib (sausage),panir (Feta cheese),qaymoq orsarshir,murabbā (jam),tukhmbiryān (omelettes with meat), etc. Fruits such as berries, grapes, melons, apples, peaches, and apricots are eaten too during the summer. Kompot (a non-alcoholic sweet beverage that may be served hot or cold and is made with fruits) is often drunk as well.
Traditional Tajik soups include mainly meat and vegetable soups (such asshurbo andpiti), and meat soups with noodles (such aslaghmon andugro). Other dishes shared regionally, either as fast food or as an appetizer, includemanti (steamed meat dumplings),tushbera (pelmeni),sambusa (a triangularpastry with either a meat and onion stuffing or a pumpkin and onion stuffing, baked in atandoor oven), andbelyash (pl.belyashi,Tajik:беляши, deep-fried cakes made of yeast dough and filled with minced meat, similar topirozhki).
Soviet cuisine both influenced and was in turn influenced by Tajik cuisine.[2]
Dairy dishes, usually served as part of the spread of appetizers in a Tajik meal and scooped with pieces of flatbread, includechakka (a sour milk preparation), thickyogurt, andkaymak (high-fat clotted cream).Qurut balls may be served as a snack or an accompaniment to cold beverages. Although not a traditional Tajik drink,kefir, a drinkingyogurt, is often served withbreakfast.
In the summer, Tajikistan abounds inproduce andfruit; itsgrapes andmelons were famous throughout the formerSoviet Union. Thebazaar also sellspomegranates,apricots,plums,peaches,apples,pears,figs, andpersimmons.
Tea generally accompanies every meal and is frequently offered between meals as a gesture of hospitality to guests and visitors. It is served hot in a china pot with a lid, and is drunk withsugar from small saucer-less cups without handles (piola). Because of the universal popularity of tea-drinking, thechoykhona, or teahouse, is the most common gathering place in Tajikistan, and is similar to the Western-stylecoffee house.
