Somsa
Pastries baked in a traditional outdoor oven and filled with meat, potato or pumpkin.

Gumah (‘go’mma’)
A distinctive Khorezm dish, gumahs are semi-circles of pastry filled with meat, potato, pumpkin or spinach and then shallow-fried.

Koverduk (‘qovurdok’)
A substantial stew made from large chunks of meat, potatoes, onions and tomatoes.

Shivitosh
A summer dish only made in Khorezm, consisting of tagiatelli mixed with yoghurt and dill topped with hot koverduk or stew.

Shorva
A common soup ranging from watery to substantial depending on the cook.

Grechka
A good source of roughage, this boiled buckwheat is a bland but healthy and oil-free dish. Usually served with fried eggs.

Salads
In summer cucumber as well as tomato and onion salads are popular along with a sour cream dip. Winter salads usually consist of pickled cucumbers or cabbage and carrot. Pickled Korean salads are available all year round offering spicy combinations of carrots, aubergine, cabbage and beans.

Sweets
While everyday meals don’t include a sweet course, biscuits, small buns and elaborate cakes with vivid swirls of icing are a must for parties and celebrations. Ice-cream is also a particular favourite and is readily available at bazaars and restaurants.

Drinks and Beverages
Green tea is the number one beverage in Khorezm although black tea is generally considered superior. At all costs, avoid unboiled water and street-side soda water. Go for soft drinks, mineral water and fruit juice instead. Despite the Muslim taboo on alcohol, vodka (‘arak’) is consumed in unbelievably large quantities and other spirits such as champagne and beer are also popular. Uzbekistan boasts a long history of viniculture with legend stating that the world’s first wine came from Samarkand. Nowadays Urgench produces a quite passable sweet red wine.