If you want to see Uzbekistan, go to the market! Uzbek bazaar - best place to get a feel for the country and look at the people, and at the same time try all sorts of tasty treats! In our understanding, traditional trade is practically undeveloped here. In the store on the shelf there will be two types of kefir and one and a half types of baklava - a shameful assortment. At the market the abundance is simply eyes are running away! You can come here in the morning to have breakfast with Uzbek melon and flatbread and leave in the evening when the sun is already setting, not understanding where the time went!!!
You should definitely go to the bazaar directly from the airport for the simple reason that money is changed here and you are unlikely to be offered a better rate anywhere else. The fact is that in Uzbekistan there are two exchange rates - official and unofficial - they differ exactly twice. There is no point in changing currency at the bank - you will receive half as much local money. Under no circumstances should you change money from taxi drivers - they cheat! So we went to try our luck at the market. Here the uncle-magician with frightened eyes turned our modest 200 bucks into a million soums, which took up half of my backpack. And then I realized that there is no more meaningless object in Uzbekistan than a wallet. Nothing will fit there :)
There are about 20 large bazaars in Tashkent, but the largest and oldest is the Chorsu market. Chorsu was formed in the Middle Ages at the intersection of important trade routes passing through Central Asia to China. The word Chorsu translated from Persian means “crossroads”. An excellent view of the Chorsu Bazaar opens from the old water tower located on the outskirts of the market. And there’s a million in the backpack on my back :) it was a little annoying, of course, carrying such heavy weights))
Uzbek flatbreads are sold everywhere at the bazaar - still hot and with a crispy crust - delicious!!!
They swallowed one flatbread before they even had time to pay for it, and saved the second one to eat with melon. Uzbek melons are as sweet as honey - they cost a lot of money here, and then they cost mere pennies. The cost is not per kilo, as is customary here, but per piece. A small melon, 5 kg, cost approximately $0.2. Melon is eaten with flatbread and washed down with tea - this is the custom, and is usually eaten for breakfast. The first melon went quickly and replaced both breakfast and lunch for us!
Shopping in Uzkekistan is not only tasty, but also beautiful! For a tourist with a camera, this is a fairy tale! The national flavor and bright colors are off the charts!
There are separate pavilions for each type of product: vegetables, fruits, spices, cereals, carpets, gold, etc. At Chorsu Bazaar, the entire upper tier of the central domed structure with a diameter of 350 meters is reserved for nuts and dried fruits only. You make a circle, and it takes a couple of hours until you try everything and bargain with everyone...
Especially colorful bazaars in old Bukhara. Bukhara is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia with an age of at least 2500 years and a cultural layer of at least 20 meters. Sounds terrifying! When you walk around Bukhara, you get the impression that nothing has changed here for the last 500 years. Of course, restoration work is ongoing, but the buildings of the caravanserais and market domes are being recreated exactly as they were many centuries ago (so they say). There are three main market domes in Bukhara, they are called: first, second and third, for ease of remembering)
In ancient times, each of the markets specialized in a specific type of goods/services. In one of the domes they exchanged money, in another they sold hats, in the third they sold jewelry and decorations. Nowadays these are mainly souvenir markets, aimed at tourists, but very colorful and colorful..
Dome bazaars are organized, as before, at the intersections of roads or city streets. The street enters the market on one side, winds between shopping rows and exits on the other.
In one of the domes there is a carpet workshop, where you can go and watch the girls work..
The process is very labor-intensive and painstaking. During a day of work, a girl advances on average 1 cm, so a large carpet can take months, or even years!
What they don’t sell in the bazaars of Bukhara! The city is one continuous trading platform! One bazaar smoothly flows into another. Lamb hat...
Skullcaps for every taste and color!
Ceramics - very beautiful and cheap!
Uncle specializes in making seals.
Carpets are the pride of Uzbekistan!
In one of the market squares, such a miracle of technology was discovered, in working condition. Grandfather, seeing my amazement, treated me to tarragon for free!
The gold market in Bukhara is an amazing place! Aunties in colorful scarves with gold teeth carry out transactions for the purchase and sale of gold))
But these are all markets more for tourists. Now we go to the market, where the locals are buying. A whole huge hall is dedicated to various pickles...
Spices are my weakness! It’s impossible to quickly leave the spice department :) If you ask, they will make a mix for pilaf, shish kebab, meat, fish. It smells simply amazing! You need to bargain and ask to get better quality, not from the display...under the counter they always have a product “for their own”...
Dried fruits and nuts. There are a couple of dozen types of raisins!
Sweets...halva, baklava. Yellow is sugar...of the best quality!
My favorite fig... At home I can afford to buy ten of them per season, but here a kilogram in one fell swoop is easy!
The right rice, from which the right pilaf is made! Real Uzbek pilaf is made only from local rice :)
Yes, we also ate pilaf and washed it down with chalop, and it was incredibly tasty... but that’s a completely different story...
What do you remember from your trip to Uzbekistan besides the stunning architectural monuments? Of course, Uzbek cuisine. We have probably been her fans since childhood. Well, who among Russians doesn’t love amazing pilaf, juicy samsa and big manti? But even despite the fact that even our mothers occasionally make these delights, not to mention the presence in Moscow of many places where you can try Uzbek cuisine, the culinary delights of Uzbekistan did not leave us indifferent. Probably because of the air itself, everything we ate there seemed tastier and juicier. And I haven’t eaten such sweet tomatoes since my childhood, when there was still the USSR!
The main dish of Uzbek cuisine, without a doubt, is pilaf, the method of preparation of which differs in different regions. This is how to eat boiled pilaf - this is when meat and rice are cooked separately. This pilaf is the most useful. And there is the most delicious - fried - when meat and rice are cooked together in one pot. It’s just finger-licking good, although this food is heavy, especially in the heat. In this case, only green tea, which is drunk in incredible quantities, can save you.
This is what boiled pilaf looks like. 
and this is already “yummy” fried pilaf. 
Also, each region has its own bread, which is baked in the form of flatbread. I remember the Bukhara name for the flatbread - fatyr and the Khiva name - chorech. The most delicious, in my husband’s opinion, is the Samarkand version of the flatbread, but I liked the Bukhara bread.
This is what bread looks like in Samarkand. 
This is what Bukhara bread looks like. 
And this is Khiva flatbread. 
What else have you tried from Uzbek cuisine?
Nukhat – porridge soup made from large peas with lamb ribs. The owners of the hotel in Samarkand, where we were served it for dinner, said that this was one of the dishes that was being prepared for the wedding. 
Lagman - prepared from lamb, vegetables and special long noodles. Can be soup or just noodles with meat. 
Samsa - pies with the fat of fat-tailed sheep, which are sold on every corner. 
Manti are large dumplings with chopped lamb. They are amazingly tasty with local kefir, which is sweet and without sourness. 
And, of course, shish kebab in different variations. Distinctive feature Uzbek kebab - size. The pieces are small, so at first he didn’t get enough of them. But when we tried the rib kebab (it was in Bukhara), our delight knew no bounds. Be sure to try it if you are in Bukhara.
This is a regular lamb shish kebab. 
This is an amazing rib barbecue. 
And this is a shish kebab made from minced meat, something like a kebab. 
An incredible amount of sweets: pashmak - it looks like a hairy pie, it tastes very sweet and floury, etc. whose names we simply don’t remember. 
And such “pies” are specially made for weddings. In general, it’s actually melted sugar (like our cockerels), it’s almost impossible to bite, just suck :) 
It should be noted that all of the above splendor cost mere pennies. Nowhere have we dined for more than $20 for two (including drinks). And in Khiva, in our wonderful family hotel, they set a whole table for us for just 10 dollars for two! This was the table, plus then they brought pilaf. Uzbek bazaars deserve special words. Living miniatures from the works of the land of Uzbekistan. A huge variety of vegetables and fruits and this is in early June. Delicious melons. At the beginning of June there were only small melons: zomicha - orange inside and khandalak - greenish inside. In Uzbekistan, almost all souvenirs are made by hand. This is still one of the countries where you can hardly see the inscription “made in China”. The most original and beautiful (at least for me) is Uzbek ceramics: from dishes to magnets :) Such dishes are just a song!!! If it weren’t for the loud objections of my husband, who had to bear everything, I would have bought all the plates and teapots from small to large :) But they also have different patterns! There is a Bukhara style, a Khiva style and some other style, the name of which I forgot. Advice: buy everything in Bukhara. Firstly, it is much cheaper than in Samarkand and Khiva, and secondly, there is a huge variety, it’s simply mind-boggling. And in Bukhara there are a huge number of truly Masters (with a capital letter of this word). There are those who practice writing in Arabic style. We met one of them. A most wonderful person (his name is Davlat Safarov, his office is in a former caravanserai opposite Lyabi-House), and here are his works. 
There are those who make dolls, paint tambourines and ceramics, sew and weave. Bukhara is a real city of craftsmen. 
They also love to talk about themselves and their lives. They are very open. This girl from Khiva told us that in the mornings she goes to Urgench to the university, and in the evenings she works in a souvenir shop, and again at 3 days she works in a hotel. In general, she is the eldest daughter, so she works tirelessly. At the same time, her dad lost his job, and her mother is raising her younger brothers and sisters. In general, she is very cheerful, cheerful and beautiful:) And she speaks French and English better than Russian, because... There are now more foreign tourists in Uzbekistan than Russians. 
But representatives of the authorities simply make a repulsive impression, so it is better not to encounter them (be patient when going through customs when leaving).
Many cities of modern Uzbekistan were involved in continental trade relations 2-3 millennia ago. Therefore, people know how to trade here, and the bazaar still remains one of the main institutions of society.
This is one of the pavilions of the old city Tashkent Chorsu market. The first floor is almost entirely occupied by spices. The best varieties of fragrant mountain cumin (cumin) for pilaf, anise, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, barberry and a special variety of pilaf raisins - what’s not here...
I noticed that in many Uzbek restaurants it is customary to seat guests in separate rooms, so that one company does not overlap with another:
However, there are restaurants with ordinary rooms. This is lunch during an excursion in Samarkand: shurpa, samsa, pilaf and shish kebab:
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This is anzur, a mountain onion, which is marinated in alum for a long time. Popular appetizer for pilaf:
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Samsa is a layer pie with meat or pumpkin. Traditionally, they bake in special tandoor ovens, and in modern homes - in a regular oven:
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Samarkand pilaf. With peas (chickpeas), cumin, yellow carrots and beef. I thought that in Uzbekistan they definitely prefer lamb, but no. Pay attention to the dish (or "lagan"). Ceramics and its decoration are one of the national crafts of Uzbekistan:
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Shashlik. Ground and lump. Mandatory, with a heap of onions, for digestion:
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And these are local sweets for tea. Milk-coffee molasses and crystalline sugar (or “nawad”), which is prepared from ordinary refined sugar, but when melted, sucrose is removed from it, leaving only fructose and glucose:
In Uzbekistan, several dozen types of flatbreads are baked: puff pastries, with pieces of lamb tail, with onions, butter... Firmly kneaded thick flatbreads have been baked since Tamerlane’s military campaigns, as they slowly become stale and are very high in calories:
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Soft flatbreads "chap-chap" (named after the sound of the dough being crushed). They are especially tasty while hot:
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Fish is brought from the nearby Syr Darya and from Lake Aydarkul, which is located between Samarkand and Bukhara:
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The spice seller offers Central Asian peas (“chickpeas”), cumin, paprika, red pepper, black cumin for flatbreads and liver, white sesame seeds, cilantro seeds for meat:
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Grenades. Sweet, sour, sweet and sour, with and without seeds. If you don't know which variety to take, they can help you by asking what your blood pressure is:
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In addition to local fruits, you can also find exotic ones. It is not in particular demand, but they say that people sometimes take it to decorate a holiday table:
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Fresh herbs and peppers. In the middle are thin-skinned Central Asian lemons (hybrids of lemon and orange), and in the bottles are various hot sauces:
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Nothing is taken away from the market: traders simply leave their goods on the counter at the end of the working day. The markets are guarded and the next morning everything will be exactly the same - safe and sound:
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A girl carries a box of sweets: sweet milk molasses with sesame seeds or nuts:
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Very popular wedding sets for newlyweds:
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Gingerbread and cookies:
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And this, as the locals told me, is an Uzbek diaper from the 16th century. The tube fits between the baby’s legs, and the other end goes into the potty under the cradle:
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Option for girls:
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Actually, the cradles themselves. Carved, decorated, with a hole for a pot. They are not in particular demand among urban residents - modern diapers are replacing national ones:
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A slide is the same sugar, “navad”. The white ash contains roasted seeds of Samarkand apricots, the yellow ash contains Central Asian peas, which become soft after roasting. And on the left are raisins or sultanas. Experts said that Samarkand raisins are the best in the world:
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When was the last time you were at the market? I am a long time ago. Maybe a few years ago, when we, as students, were buying food for a New Year's party, at that time hypermarkets were just appearing and the prices there were higher than at the bazaar. Now I buy everything at Okay or Lenta, because they are in every district and you can buy everything you need in one store.
In Uzbekistan, the attitude towards bazaars is completely different. My Uzbek friends go to the bazaar once a week to buy groceries for the week, and in small shops on the territory of the bazaar they buy sausage or all sorts of household goods.
Today I want to show you the most famous bazaar in Tashkent - Chor-Su. The name translates as four waters or four streams. It is still unclear whether we are talking about four rivers that once flowed here or about the intersection of trade routes.
The central part of the bazaar is under a huge dome painted with national patterns. 
At the entrance to the bazaar there is a “glutton row” where you can snack on samosas or Omad burgers. 
Rows of flatbreads. 
The tomatoes that are sold here are very different from what is sold in winter, spring, and even early summer here in St. Petersburg. I don’t know what’s the matter, but ours have absolutely no taste. There is no point in buying them in winter - they are expensive and don’t even smell like tomatoes. 
When I arrived in Uzbekistan in May and saw huge red tomatoes that were sold in every market and even along the roads for a ridiculous 4 thousand soums per kilogram, I bought and made myself a salad every day. Fantastically delicious, especially with local sour cream. 
And this is navat - ordinary sugar in crystals. They drink it with tea when poisoning - they say it helps. It tastes no different from regular sugar. 
Delicious and beautiful cherries. One evening I ate a kilogram, the next day I felt bad :) 
The seller waters the vegetables so that they dry out in the heat. 
This photo shows yellow carrots, regular carrots and turnips. 
Onion seller. 
And here you can buy a whole bag. One guy wanted to pose with an onion. 
They sell nuts, dried fruits, spices, cereals and flour. Anything that is afraid of moisture. 
The spice seller offers to buy saffron. I can't even imagine why I might need it. 
And here is the same yellow carrot, only already cut for pilaf, which I talked about earlier. The yellow one differs from the usual one not only in color, it is also sweeter. 
And these are peas, which are also needed for pilaf. Before adding to pilaf, you need to soak it in water for 24 hours. Here they sell it already soaked - buy it and cook it. 
Spice sellers. 
I asked one of them what kind of stones these were. 
The seller said it was lime and pregnant women bought it very well. To form bones, the child needs lime and women are advised to drink lime water, otherwise the necessary substances will be “pulled out” from the mother’s teeth. 
The yellow heap is turmeric, which is used to give yellow color to rice. Unfortunately, I don't know about the rest. 
It would be great if you could tell me. 
What kind of dried fruits are these and what kind of yellow powder is this? 
The sticks look like cinnamon. 
Different varieties of pepper.
The date on the check is May 29. It was around that time that I took these photographs, they are just posting them now. 
Good seller. 
Tough seller. 
And this is the famous Uzbek cheese “kurt”. It is prepared from special sour milk. First, the fermented milk mass is hung in bags in the shade and the moisture is allowed to drain, and then salt is added and rolled into balls or other shapes. 
In national cuisine restaurants, kurt is often served as an appetizer with beer. Some connoisseurs like to put cheese balls directly into a glass of beer. 
Smoked kurt. 
Kurt with pepper. 
And this is a special dark variety of Devzira rice that grows in the Fergana Valley. Because of this rice, Fergana pilaf has a special taste. 
This is mung bean - something like peas. They make mung bean soup and porridge from it, which I have not tried yet. 
Beans. 
Another variety of pea is Nuhot. This one in the picture is from Jalal-Abad. 
On the second floor under the dome they sell nuts and dried fruits. 
Almost all nuts are brought from Iran. 
These apples, bananas and oranges are also imported. 
There are special guys with carts at the market. You walk around, buy groceries and put them in a cart, which is driven by a guy in a green vest. 
"Mochenka", that is, noodles that need to be soaked before cooking, for the Korean cold soup kuk-si. 
And finally, a few photos from the clothing market. 
The policeman has some complaints against the slipper seller. 
Other posts about Uzbekistan.
The assortment of souvenirs in Uzbekistan is so rich that even seasoned shopaholics are lost in the selection. Ts-1 has compiled a shopping guide, without which it is prohibited to leave the country.
1.Dried fruits and nuts
In the markets of Tashkent, Samarkand and other tourist cities they sell ready-made sets of nuts and dried fruits - from 10 thousand soums (1.5 US dollars at the black market rate) for a small plate and up to 20 thousand soums (3 dollars) for a large one.
But it’s much more interesting to create such sets yourself. There is plenty to choose from: thin-shell almonds - from 45 thousand soums per 1 kg (6 dollars at the black market rate), almonds in sugar - from 30 thousand soums per 1 kg (4 dollars).
Afrosiyab market in Samarkand; photo: Ts-1 Don't pass by dried apricots - take a closer look at brown apricots and dried apricots, which are dried without dyes. Price – from 7 thousand per 1 kg (from 1 US dollar).
Returning home without a couple of kilograms of raisins can also be considered a crime - from 15 thousand per 1 kg (2 dollars). The most expensive - golden Samarkand or blue long - from 30 thousand soums per kg (4 dollars). And dried melon, prunes, quince also beckon - it’s impossible to leave the Uzbek market lightly.
It is important for foreign tourists to remember about baggage restrictions; as a rule, it is 21–23 kg in different airlines, plus 7–10 kg of hand luggage.
2. Uzbek textiles
Uzbekistan is the world leader in cotton production. Sanctions Western companies gave a powerful boost to local raw materials textile industry inland.
Designer dresses from adras in the Autograph salon in Tashkent; photo: Ts-1 If you search, you can find children's clothes, T-shirts, bed linen and towels of very decent quality in Uzbekistan.
Prices are nowhere lower. Children's knitted pajamas - from 15 thousand soums (2 dollars).
But it’s much more interesting to go shopping for souvenirs in local “designer” stores and find a unique scarf, fashionable slip-ons, a sophisticated clutch or a summer coat made of adras. The production technology of the latter has not changed for many years - first, silk and cotton threads are dyed and then woven on a machine.
Gulnara Karimova set the fashion for adras in the world. This fabric has not left the catwalks for quite some time now - famous designers love to use Uzbek fabrics in their collections.
3. Skullcap
In Uzbekistan they say that the skullcap must be bright in order to be noticed even in the sky. Traditional skullcaps from Chust are made of black satin with a white pattern in the form of four pepper pods.
There are many variations of women's skull caps, and the most beautiful are the Bukhara ones, decorated with gold. The simplest skullcap costs 5 thousand soums (0.7 dollars).
Those who find skull caps too decorative can bring a completely practical and warm embroidered felt hat - a vivid reminder of Samarkand and Registan with its cells filled with merchants. In the most expensive “souvenir” place in Uzbekistan they are sold for 100–120 thousand soums ($14–17). You can find it cheaper in local markets.
4. Rubber galoshes. Possible with rhinestones
Uzbek people are very fond of galoshes and rubber slippers; they can safely be called national footwear. Local designers TamKam several years ago improved galoshes and decorated them with stones, rhinestones and beads. It turned out original. For rubber product No. 1 they ask from 50 thousand soums (7 dollars).
5. HoneySeveral types of honey are produced in Uzbekistan. The most popular are mountain and cotton. The first one gathers in the mountains. Honey from the Jizzakh region, in particular from Zaamin, is prized - this is a mountain village on the border with Tajikistan, where President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was born and raised.
The price of Zaamin honey is from 4 thousand soums for a 100-gram jar. Cotton honey (from 20 thousand soums per 1 kg, or three dollars) is absolutely white in color and is valued for its high fat content. It is recommended to take it for colds and for everyone who wants to preserve their health for a long time.
youth and beauty - it is impossible to imagine an Uzbek SPA without cotton honey.
6. Alcohol
Several types of wine, cognac and brandy are produced in Uzbekistan. Dessert wines receive good reviews - local grapes have a high sugar content. But the real pearl is the Samarkand balm, which is also called “male Viagra”. The magical black drink is infused with 28 herbs. Prices start from 50 thousand soums (7 dollars).
7. Dishes
It is unlikely that you will be able to leave the old city of Samarkand, Bukhara or Khiva without cute plates, dishes, vases, plates, jugs, bowls, teapots. Prices for a small bowl start from 5 thousand soums (0.7 dollars), and a large dish for pilaf with floral ornaments – from 50 thousand (7 dollars).
There are more than ten ceramics production centers in Uzbekistan. There are thousands of technicians, masters pass on their secrets from generation to generation.
Only the symbolism of the circles remains unchanged: every seller will tell you that you are in the center, next lap– your children, grandchildren and so on.
The most famous are the products of the Rishtan school, which is decorated with bright blue glaze “ishkor” (dye made from plant ash - Ed.).
When buying plates, it is important to remember that you will have to take them in hand luggage - don’t even think about checking them in as luggage, you will bring shards.
8. Paper
Samarkand paper is made at a paper mill in the village of Koni Gil, a couple of kilometers from the city. Technology of the 10th–11th centuries. restored by a famous Samarkand artisan.
The paper, more like a thin non-woven fabric, is made from mulberry bark and silk fibers.
Previously, miniatures were written and drawn on it, but now they make postcards for 10 thousand soums ($1.2), passport covers for 40 thousand soums ($6), and even masks and wallpaper.
9. Wooden boxes and panels
Made from walnut, plane tree, and elm wood. Elm is a very dense wood, which allows you to carve the smallest details on it: fabulous flowers, strange birds and bizarre geometric patterns.
Take a closer look at the carving with an in-depth background - real 3D in this type of craft. A small box can be traded for 20 thousand soums (3 dollars).
10. Wolf tooth
This unusual souvenir was sold at the Afrosiab market in the center of Samarkand. They asked for 20 thousand soums ($3) per tooth. As proof of the origin of the tooth, the seller laid it out on a wolf skin.
For this money they promised an amulet, a cure for the evil eye, damage, career advancement and a crushing victory over enemies.
