Tajikistan food originated from the blending of many Turkic peoples and civilizations. One of the world’s oldest cuisines, it was even described in an Avicenna treatise from the 10th or 11th century (Ibn Sina). Over the past 1,000 years, certain Tajikistan foods have hardly altered, while others that have been adapted from other cultures frequently undergo changes in Tajikistan to suit local preferences.
The staple Tajikistan foods of the country are milk, meat, cereals, legumes, vegetables, and legume products. Due in part to the fact that some of the Tajiks’ ancestors were nomadic and others were sedentary, traditional Tajikistan food is renowned for its variety.
The distinctive mountainous, subtropical, and continental climates of the nation have contributed to the variety of meals, with winter foods typically being high in fat and summer foods being much lighter.
Tajiks frequently buy Tajikistan food in bulk when they go grocery shopping. In Tajikistan, males tend to shop for groceries more frequently than women because lugging such large, heavy items is not an easy process.
It is difficult to visit a Tajik home and depart hungry because Tajiks are such welcoming people! Eating is traditionally done on the floor while seated on kurpachi, soft mattresses filled with cotton wool, which are arranged around a dastarkhan, a huge tablecloth on which the Tajikistan food is spread out.
7 Easy Tajikistan Foods To Prepare In Your Kitchen
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1. Qurutob from Food Perestroika
There are mainly two national Tajikistan foods: plov (aka osh), and qurutob. While plov is more famous and is also the national dish of neighboring Uzbekistan, qurutob, a mix of bread and onions in a yogurt sauce (with the occasional extra meat and vegetables), is specifically Tajik.
Qurutob recipes seem even rarer. The Tajikistan food obviously exists — I ate it in Dushanbe. The only version I could find comes from someone who obviously fantasized about Tajik food for a short while before trying it in its natural environment, and subsequently quitting blogging altogether (Tajik reality can be tough like that). Her post was later adapted by another blog that aims to cook a dish from every existing country.
2. Plov or Osh from International Cuisine
Plov or Osh is considered to be the national dish of both Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. This Tajikistan food is made in giant pots called Kazan and served in markets all over. It is believed that only men are the masters of preparing plov. There is a saying that the one who has managed to cook a real plov, will be able to cook any other dish.
I loved making this Tajikistan food, it truly is a scrumptious meal. There are hundreds of variations and I am certain each family has their own beloved plov recipe. There is an old Turkish saying “There are as many kinds of Plov as there cities in the Muslim world are.”
This recipe has lamb, onions, carrots and a little dried berry called a barberry which I had never tried before. I found it here. It is called Zereshk and is wildly harvested and full of antioxidants. It tastes similar to a dried cranberry which would be a fine substitute if you want. I always love trying new things and try to be as authentic as possible.
3. Tajikistan Cream Cheese Cookies from Cook Pad
My Tajikistan friend’s mother made this Tajikistan food. So tasty and I often make this. I had another one this morning for breakfast! Soooooo delicious. My colleagues loved it too!! Thank you so much! Please try!
4. Vegan Shakarob (Tajik Salad) from Best Of Vegan
Shakarob is a delicious Tajikistan food that is mine and my husband’s all-time favorite. “Shakar” means sweet and “Ob” means water in the Tajik language. This dish is served in a special wooden bowl and eaten with your hands. Shakarob is very filling and usually made right after a big batch of bread is made.
In the old days, it was prepared at dawn and eaten for breakfast to fill people up for long hours of working in the field or shepherding in the mountains. It is made with yogurt, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, and lots of herbs like green onions, cilantro, and dill (optional), and a drizzle of hot butter or oil.
Want more ideas to round-out your Recipe Box?
A lot of great options are in these posts!
- 20 Best Traditional Pakistani Recipes (2022)
- 25 Easy Authentic Indian Recipes
- 40 Best Authentic Chinese Foods With Easy Recipes (Updated 2022)
5. Yogurt Naan from Global Table Adventure
Any woman worth her salt is an incredible, complex specimen which takes time and love to fully understand. But even when you think you know a woman, she remains – at her core – mysterious. And so it is with today’s Tajik naan recipe.
Even after several focused, heart-felt queries into her nature, I must admit I am unable to replicate the intricate, ornate designs found on the Tajikistan food. This is partly because, in Tajikistan, the flower designs are pressed into the bread with special tools, making their results far more ornate than anything I can manage with a simple fork.
6. Sambusa from Vegan Physicist
For our visit to Tajikistan, I chose to make a Tajikistan food recipe for vegan sambusa or samosa. Like so many other countries in a very large region centered around Central Asia, the sambusa (or samosa, or samsa) is very popular in Tajikistan.
While samosa has almost become synonymous with Indian cooking (who can imagine an Indian restaurant without samosa in the starter section?), the samosa, or sambusa, most likely originates from the golden crescent.
In Tajikistan foods, sambusa are made from a flaky dough made from wheat flour and water, rolled out thinly, oiled and layered. The Tajik sambusa come with a variety of fillings, such as onion and lamb, fresh herbs, onion and pumpkin or chickpeas. Always triangular and baked rather than fried, the sambusa is often decorated with sesame seeds.
7. Tajikistan Cabbage Pie from Cook Pad
This is my Tajikistan food. It’s so easy and crispy! This cabbage pie is very popular in Tajikistan and in Russian cuisine. Traditionally, it is made with a yeasted puff pastry but normal puff pastry will work just fine. You can bake it as one big pie, or make small triangles called pirozhki. Serve warm.
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