A Uzbek Treat: Dried Melon

Now I am back in Istanbul, this is probably my last post on my adventures in Uzbekistan.

I just wanted to show you this: there we were, driving along in our wonderful Chinese-made bus Golden Dragon from Tashkent to Samarkand, when we saw a flurry of activity along the side of the road.



what could it be, we wondered?



Our driver obligingly stopped and we all trooped out, cameras at the ready. There were about 5 or 6 guys all selling something that we couldn't identify till Galip, our local guide and font of knowledge, came to our aid.



they were packets of dried melon



In our enthusiasm we all tried a small piece from the plate that was waved under our noses. It had a smell and consistency something akin to dried figs and was nicely packaged as you can see in the pictures.

he has my money in his hand!

 We all bought some. At 1000 sum or 50 cents, it didn't exactly break the bank.

We retired to the bus glowing with the satisfaction of surviving our first Uzbek purchase. However, as the days passed and our stomachs proved to be more delicate than we had thought, this delicacy somehow lost its appeal.

Reader, I dumped it.  

Pazar in Samarkand

Outdoor markets are always great fun and who could resist a Uzbek market?  After Turkish markets the choice of fresh produce was limited but it more than made up for that in terms of colour and general fascination. What great photo opportunities!

Bibi-Khanym Mosque: partially rebuilt in the 1970s after an earthquake in 1897

This market is right next door to the enormous Bibi-Khanym (Hanım) Mosque in Samarkand, a complex that must have been the 'jewel' of Timur's empire in the early 14th Century.  Bibi Hanım was Chinese, his favourite wife. She blotted her copybook however although it was hardly her fault when the architect fell madly in love with her. The story goes that he demanded a kiss from her which she reluctantly allowed, but it left a mark which Timur immediately noticed. As a result, he executed the architect and issued the order that from then on, all women should wear the veil so as not to tempt other men.

smartly dressed for market day



grated salads to go!



cheery sellers of traditional men's hats

the traditional bread or nan



interesting place, interesting people



beautiful hand-knitted shawls - I bought the pink one for $5



selling cheese



this little boy was terrified of me!

Suzani Heaven

Just what is a suzani, you may wonder.

 I know this is a cooking blog but we all fell in love with these and they are very much part of a trip to Uzbekistan.



a mind-boggling selection in a silk carpet and suzani shop in Bukhara


If you live in Istanbul, you will have seen suzanis in the Covered Bazaar as they are everywhere, just more expensive than there. They are beautiful silk-embroidered pieces of cloth which are used as wall hangings or indeed table runners, table cloths or bedspreads depending on shape and size. There are also  highly desirable cushion covers ranging in price from about 15- 25 USD. The vendors were more than happy to accept dollars which was fine but in the end we ran out and they didn't accept credit cards much to our sorrow! Even in the hotel shop in Tashkent, where supposedly they did, my credit card was 'invalid'. So if you go, take cash. Lots of it!

Price depended of course on quality. Our knowledge expanded in leaps and bounds as the trip progressed. Atlas? we enquired confidently, or Adras? Atlas is the premier quality as it is a mix of silk and cotton but a higher percentage of silk usually 70% to 30%. Adras is 50-50. This refers to the piece of material on which the embroidery is done. The work itself can be done either by machine or by hand. We also learnt to look carefully at the back: if there were knots it was handmade!

Another criterion was 'hook' or 'needle' with 'hook being more expensive. We were just getting our eye in as far as this was concerned.

Bukhara, Central Asia's holiest city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the place although we saw them being sold everywhere we went. The choice was intoxicating and we all succumbed. First we went back to the chaihana where we had sampled the herbal teas:

oh was he waiting for us!

And then we visited the Summer Palace of Buhkara Khan:












A pleasant place, slightly crumbling, with the sound of peacocks in the background, we came upon the Harem building. Even though the Khan had four wives, he also had forty one concubines! There was a large swimming pool beside it and apparently he would survey his ladies from a tower and throw an apple down to the chosen one! But inside now it is a suzani museum with fabulous pieces hanging on the walls. The pictures here are of those. But what we didn't realise was that it was also a shop! Here the quality stood out and we were spellbound by the pieces that we were shown.

this must be 'hook'

I'm in Bukhara!

Yes, I really am!

And yesterday I was in Samarkand. Right in the heart of Central Asia.

I can hardly believe it myself. These are the romantic names which evoke the fabled Silk Road which ran from east to west. I have since learned that in fact it was not one single route but rather a network of routes. In those days it was silk and today it is silken suzanis.

beautiful museum-piece suzani

This is the land of Timur the Lame better known in the west as the legendary Tamerlane. He was born on the 9th April 1336 so he has just had his birthday. Since independence in 1991, his statue is prominently placed in all city squares and parks replacing all the Soviet ones of Lenin, Pushkin and the like and brides like to be photographed beside them. On the 9th the people came with bunches of flowers which they placed at the base of these statues.

Samarkand was a key city as it lay on the crossroads leading to China, India and Persia. In 1370 Timur decided to make it his capital and it must have been a fabulous place then. Yesterday we saw some of Islamic Art’s most beautiful medreses with their gleaming minarets and domes of turquoise and blue. There was a lot of restoration work done by the Soviets so it is not as old as one might think but they did a splendid job, it must be said.

 What an amazing history this country has! Rich and colourful, ethnically very mixed, it reflects conflicts over the centuries based on the aspirations of different leaders and complicated by religions and  different ethnicities. It is almost too much to take in but we are fortunate enough to have with us a marvellously knowledgeable guide, Atilla from Antonina Tourism in Istanbul. Without him, we would be lost. The people don’t speak any English. In Tashkent, the capital, where they speak Uzbek, the official language, Turkish is your best bet if you don’t speak Russian. But here in the south, they speak Tajik, a Persian language, as they are right near the Tajikistan border.

But we are discovering that the people here are extremely friendly. They don’t mind at all having their photos taken and they greet us with huge smiles displaying mouthfuls of gold teeth.  They have ruddy complexions many with the distinctive slanted eyes and high cheekbones of their Chinese and Mongol heritage especially in Tashkent.

 The older men favour black hats with long jackets or chalpan while the women love colourful velvet outfits consisting of trousers with a long dress on top. They wear scarves but not at all in the Turkish way while the younger ones love fancy barrettes with shiny beads and sequins. The people are Moslem but only 5% practise.

The food is something else. I could just leave it there actually! I think you have to like no, love meat to get on here! We‘ve got the gist of the meals: a few mixed meze to start, followed by a meat-based broth which can be rather greasy, then a meat course, followed by a dessert.  The meat of choice is mutton, especially from the fat-bottomed sheep which has a distinctive smell  when it’s being cooked and which clings to everything.  The bread is interesting, large and round – nan. We didn’t care for it at first , spoilt as we are with Turkish bread, but now we are starting to like it!

our first lunch in Tashkent

The portions are all very generous and beautifully presented, despite being on the heavy side.  Fresh salads as we know them don’t feature although you may get a few sliced tomatoes and cucumbers  called salat turist! Even so, they make a welcome break. 

I think this is for the tourists

 For me the best part is the green tea which is served in lovely bowls -piala- as opposed to glasses or cups.

 I am a bit biased at the moment as my stomach was not up to the change but no doubt I will revise my opinion. But when I read in the lonely planet guide book that you don’t come to Bukhara for the food, my spirits sank. The wine is also shall we say interesting. And to our surprise there is no raki! Those who like beer are on to a good thing as they say it’s good.

This is all one big adventure even for us who live in Turkey. I can't format my pictures as I am in the rather grandiosely named Business Centre at the hotel here in Bukhara where there is only one outside line - and I have been waiting for two days now!! So I have to go as our group is meeting at 6.45 in the lobby.

Tonight we are going to make our own 'plov' ie special Uzbek pilav!