Samarkand travel guide

Samarkand plov

Samarkand claims the recipe dates to Alexander the Great's army cook; the golden carrot—the Samarkand variety—gives this plov its signature color and sweetness; eaten communally as breakfast on Sundays at the Siab bazaar teahouses

Shashlik

Bukhara's lamb and kidney skewers grilled over saxaul wood smoke at the bazaar surrounding Lyabi-Hauz reflecting pool; the Central Asian evening ritual; the smoke drifts over the turquoise domes, making dinner here an atmospheric event

Samsa

Flaky triangular tandoor-baked pastries stuffed with lamb and onion; Bukhara's version has a caraway-seed pastry crust that distinguishes it from Samarkand's round version; pulled from the tandir walls at the bazaar market stalls all morning

Non bread

Samarkand's non is stamped with unique chekish patterns and flavored with anise and sesame; so revered it was sent to Soviet leaders as a diplomatic gift; the round flatbreads are visible cooling on wooden racks throughout the old city

Dried fruits

Samarkand's bazaar overwhelms with dried apricots, compressed mulberries, golden raisins, dried figs and candied walnuts; the dried mulberry is particularly unique—sweet, grainy and unlike anything found outside Central Asia; buy by the kilogram