National Cuisine of Tajikistan

Tajik Cuisine
Traditional cuisine in Tajikistan
Tajiks are by right proud of their national cuisine and consider it among the most attractive factors for the development of tourism. Culinary art of Tajik people was formed for many centuries under the influence of rich history. Semi-nomadic way of life was impossible without abundant meat and farinaceous dishes. Of course, the national cuisine of Tajiks is similar to the cookery of other Central Asian countries; however, it has its peculiar features expressed in the techniques of food preparation, products processing and, certainly, taste. We are going to make a little excursion around national Tajik cuisine and we introduce you to the basic dishes so that that your culinary choices would be deliberate.
Dinner Ceremony

It is a ceremony indeed because Tajiks treat food with respect. They have a very special attitude to bread: bread cannot be thrown or dropped on the floor, it cannot be put on dastarkhan with bottom part upwards, and bread is not cut but broken very carefully.

Tajiks eat sitting on a sufa around a low table – dastarkhan. The dinner begins with tea. Tea is drunk only from pialahs which are brought in on trays. A tray with sweets, fruit, and flat cakes is brought separately. After that they serve big pialahs with soup, and on bigger round dishes with main courses. Vegetable salads are served on plates. A dinner there is to be started by a senior family member then the others may join the meal.