Uzbek bread (non)

No meal in Uzbekistan begins without bread. At home, in restaurants and in teahouses, round loaves of non are placed on the table first and torn by the host into pieces for everyone to share. Bread is a symbol of life, hospitality and prosperity, and Uzbeks say that bread is more sacred than anything else on the table.

Traditional non is baked in a tandir, a round clay oven heated with wood or charcoal, found in courtyards, bakeries and bazaars. The baker shapes the dough into rounds, thick at the edge and thin in the middle, and stamps the centre with a chekich, a tool with metal pins arranged in patterns, which prevents the centre from rising and decorates the bread. Sometimes sesame or nigella seeds are sprinkled on top.

Then the baker places the loaves on a cushion and slaps them onto the hot inner walls of the tandir, where they stick and bake in a few minutes. The bread comes out golden and crisp outside, soft inside, with a smoky taste.

• Samarkand non: thick, dense and shiny, with a rich taste, said to keep fresh for days. It is the most famous bread in Uzbekistan.
• Obi non: the everyday round bread found everywhere.
• Patir: a richer bread made with butter, milk or fat, often flaky; the Fergana Valley and Tashkent are known for it.
• Katlama and qatlama patir: layered, flaky breads.
• Khiva and Khorezm: thinner breads, and tukhum barak and other dumplings baked differently.
• Festive breads: decorated with patterns for weddings and holidays.

Every city claims the best bread, and bakers in each mahalla have their loyal customers.

A well-known legend tells that an emir of Bukhara, who loved Samarkand bread, ordered the best baker of Samarkand to come to Bukhara to bake for him. The baker brought his own flour, water and tools, but the bread was not the same. "What is missing?" asked the emir. "The air of Samarkand," replied the baker. The story is told with pride in Samarkand, and travellers often carry loaves home as gifts.

Bread is treated with great respect. A few customs:

• Tear, do not cut: bread is broken by hand, usually by the host, not cut with a knife.
• Right side up: never place bread upside down; it is considered disrespectful and bad luck.
• Never waste it: do not throw bread on the floor or in the bin; leftover bread is fed to animals or left in a special place.
• On the table first: bread is served before other dishes, and the meal does not start until it is broken.
• Bread as a blessing: at weddings and when someone leaves on a journey, a piece of bread may be bitten and kept, to ensure they return.

If a piece falls, Uzbeks often pick it up, kiss it and touch it to their forehead.

• Siab bazaar, Samarkand: a whole section is devoted to Samarkand non. See Siab bazaar.
• Chorsu bazaar, Tashkent: bakers and bread stalls around the dome.
• Old-town bakeries in Bukhara and Khiva, where you can watch bakers at the tandir early in the morning.
• Family homes and guesthouses, which sometimes bake their own bread.

Bakers are usually happy to show their work; buy a warm loaf and taste it on the spot. See Uzbek dishes and Samarkand food.