Fergana Valley food: what to eat and where

The Fergana Valley is the most fertile region of Uzbekistan. Rivers from the surrounding mountains water orchards, vineyards, cotton fields and vegetable gardens, and the valley produces much of the country’s fruit. It is also the most densely populated region, with a strong tradition of family life and hospitality. Guests are offered tea, bread and fruit as soon as they arrive, and refusing food is considered impolite. If you are invited into a home, expect a long, generous meal.

Each region of Uzbekistan has its own plov, and Fergana’s is one of the most celebrated. It is usually made with lamb or beef, generous amounts of oil, yellow and red carrots, rice and whole heads of garlic, sometimes with chickpeas or quince. The result is rich and golden. In the valley, plov is cooked for weddings, celebrations and Friday lunches in huge cauldrons, and plov houses serve it from late morning until it runs out. Eat it with a fresh salad of tomatoes and onions and green tea.

Bread is sacred in Uzbekistan, and the Fergana Valley has some of the best. Patyr is a round, rich flatbread made with lamb fat or butter, flaky and filling, often eaten on its own with tea. Different towns have their own varieties, decorated with patterns pressed into the centre and baked on the walls of a clay tandir oven. Buy it hot in the morning from bakeries and bazaars. Never put bread upside down or throw it away.

• Samsa: pastries filled with meat and onion, or pumpkin, baked in the tandir.
• Shashlik: grilled skewers of lamb, beef or liver.
• Lagman: hand-pulled noodles with meat and vegetables.
• Shurpa: meat and vegetable soup.
• Dimlama: meat and vegetables slow-cooked in their own juices.
• Manti: steamed dumplings.
• Kazan kabob: meat and potatoes fried in a cauldron.

Kokand is famous throughout Uzbekistan for its halva, made in many varieties: with sesame, nuts, flour, sugar, and in different textures from soft to crunchy. Bazaars in Kokand and across the valley sell it by weight, along with navat (crystallised sugar), sugared nuts, and pastries. Halva makes an excellent souvenir.

Fruit is at the heart of Fergana Valley food. In season, try:

• Cherries and strawberries in late May and June.
• Apricots in June and July, fresh or dried.
• Peaches, figs and plums in summer.
• Grapes and melons in late summer and autumn.
• Pomegranates, especially from the town of Kuva, famous for them, in autumn.
• Persimmons and quinces in late autumn.

Dried fruit and nuts, apricot kernels, walnuts and almonds, are sold year-round.

Chaikhanas (teahouses) serve simple, inexpensive local food, often on raised platforms (tapchan) by a stream or in a garden. Plov houses open at lunchtime. Restaurants in Fergana city and other towns offer a wider menu. Bazaars are the best places for bread, fruit, sweets and snacks; the Kumtepa bazaar near Margilan is especially lively on market days.

Alcohol is less common in the valley than in Tashkent and not served in many traditional places. Tea is drunk throughout the day. Prices are low, and portions generous.

Tea is the centre of hospitality in the valley. Guests are seated in the place of honour, furthest from the door, and served green tea in small bowls, poured only partly full so that the host can refill them often. A spread called dastarkhan, with bread, sweets, dried fruit, nuts and fresh fruit, is laid out before the main meal. Take bread with your right hand, accept refills gratefully, and when you have had enough, leave a little tea in your bowl.

Vegetarians should ask for dishes without meat (go’shtsiz) and be aware that many dishes use meat stock; salads, bread, pumpkin samsa, fruit and dairy are safe choices. If you are invited to a home, it is polite to bring a small gift, such as sweets or fruit, and to try a little of every dish. See the food of Central Asia and compare with Tashkent food and Samarkand food. For a full route through the valley, see our Fergana Valley itinerary.