Article

Popular dishes you must try in Uzbekistan

Sep 04, 2026 • Reading time: 5 min

Uzbekistan is famous not only for its ancient cities and Silk Road history, but also for its delicious and diverse national cuisine. Each region and city stands out with its unique dishes.

If you travel to Uzbekistan, be sure to try the following dishes.

🍜 Lagman — hand-pulled noodles

Lagman is a dish made with hand-pulled dough noodles, meat, and various vegetables. It can be served in a soup version or fried.

Where to try it?
📍 Tashkent
📍 Samarkand

🥟 Somsa — hot delicacy straight from the tandoor

Somsa is a popular dish made with meat, onions, potatoes, or pumpkin, and usually baked in a tandoor. Especially, the taste of hot somsa freshly taken out of the tandoor is exceptional.

Where to try it?
📍 Jizzakh — famous Jizzakh somsa
📍 Tashkent — in bazaars and somsa centers

🍢 Shashlik — kebab cooked on charcoal

Shashlik is a dish made of meat pieces or minced meat, strung on skewers and cooked over charcoal. It is usually served with onions and fresh vegetables.
In every city, you can find a unique way of preparing shashlik.

Where to try it?
📍 Bukhara - Gijduvan shashlik

🥚 Tuxum barak — a unique dish of Khorezm

Tuxum barak is a dish made by filling thin dough with a mixture of eggs, milk, butter, and spices. It is boiled and usually served with katyk or kaymak. This is one of the most unique dishes of Khorezm cuisine.

Where to try it?
📍 Khiva and Khorezm region

🥬 Shivit oshi — Khiva's green lagman

Shivit oshi is a green-colored hand-made lagman prepared with dill infusion. It is served with meat and vegetable gravy and katyk. It is especially popular in the summer season.
For tourists visiting Khiva, this is one of the must-try dishes.

Where to try it?
📍 Khiva

🥩 Ijjon — an ancient Khorezm dish

Ijjon is a very unusual traditional dish typical of Khiva. It is prepared based on finely minced meat, onions, salt, oil, and other ingredients. The peculiarity of the dish is that the meat is prepared without cooking.

Where to try it?
📍 Khiva and Khorezm region

Note: since it is a raw meat dish, it is recommended to try it only in reliable places that comply with sanitary requirements.

🥟 Manti — steam-cooked dough dish

Manti is a dish made by putting meat and onions inside thin dough and cooking it in a special steamer. There are meat, potato, and pumpkin varieties of manti. It is usually eaten with katyk or kaymak.

Where to try it?
📍 Tashkent
📍 Samarkand
📍 Bukhara

🍲 Shorva — hot and hearty traditional dish

Shorva is a hearty dish made with meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, and other vegetables. It is a very good choice, especially on cold days.

Where to try it?
📍 Samarkand
📍 Tashkent
📍 Bukhara

🍚 Plov — the national dish of Uzbekistan

Osh or plov is one of the most famous dishes of Uzbekistan, prepared in a cauldron from rice, meat, carrots, onions, and spices. The method of preparation and taste of osh vary slightly in different regions.

Where to try it?
📍 Tashkent — in famous osh centers
📍 Samarkand — unique Samarkand zigir oshi