Uzbek Spices: Cumin, Barberry and Red Pepper Explained
The spices plov and shashlik cannot do without, how mountain cumin differs from the ordinary kind, how to choose spices at the bazaar and how much to take home.
Uzbek cuisine is neither fiery nor heavily spiced like Indian food, but a few spices are absolutely essential. Without cumin, plov will not smell like plov; without barberries, its gentle sourness disappears; and shashlik without ground coriander and pepper tastes flat. The spice rows of the bazaars are among the most fragrant places in the country, and they are easier to navigate than they look.
Cumin: the key spice of plov
Zira is the seed of a plant related to caraway, with a warmer and deeper aroma. In Uzbekistan two main kinds are distinguished:
- mountain (black) cumin: small dark seeds, more aromatic and more prized; considered the best for plov;
- ordinary (light) cumin: larger and paler, with a milder aroma and a lower price.
Cumin goes into plov as whole seeds, often rubbed between the palms right over the kazan to release the aroma. It is also used in shashlik marinades, samsa and meat soups.
How to choose it at the bazaar:
- Take a pinch and rub it between your palms: good cumin gives off a strong smell straight away.
- The seeds should be dry, without dust or debris.
- Buy whole seeds: ground cumin loses its aroma quickly.
Barberries: the tang in plov
Dried barberries are small dark red berries with a pleasant sourness. A handful goes into plov, and as it steams the berries swell and give the rice a light freshness. Barberries also go into marinades and sometimes tea.
The best barberries are deep burgundy, without a grey bloom, with whole berries that are not stuck together. Very pale berries may have faded in the sun and lost their flavour.
Red pepper
Uzbek cooking uses red pepper in moderation. At the bazaar you will find:
- ground hot pepper: for soups, lagman and marinades;
- flakes: for sprinkling over shashlik and salads;
- whole dried pods: placed whole in plov to add aroma without too much heat.
That last trick appears in several regions: a pepper pod and a whole head of garlic are buried in the rice and then served with the plov.
Other important spices
| Spice | Where it is used |
|---|---|
| Coriander seed | shashlik, samsa, pickles |
| Sesame | sprinkled on bread and samsa |
| Nigella | flatbread, especially festive loaves |
| Black pepper | shashlik, soups, manti |
| Saffron and safflower | sometimes in plov for colour |
| Dried mint and basil (rayhon) | soups, katyk, salads |
Fresh herbs matter as much as dried spices: dill, coriander, rayhon basil and spring onions come to the table by the bunch.
Ready-made blends
Every spice stall sells blends for plov, for shashlik and for lagman. They are handy, but every vendor's recipe is different. Ask what goes into the mix and ask to smell it. If you plan to cook plov at home, buy cumin and barberries separately and add the rest to taste.
How much to take home
A rough guide for a family-sized plov:
- cumin: about one to two teaspoons for a kazan feeding 4 to 6 people;
- barberries: roughly a tablespoon or a handful;
- pepper: one or two whole pods or a pinch of ground pepper.
So a 100 to 200 gram bag of cumin will last many meals, and the same amount of barberries is plenty. Spices keep for a long time in a dry, closed jar away from light.
Where to buy
- Chorsu (Tashkent): a huge choice and the chance to compare many stalls.
- Siab Bazaar (Samarkand): right next to the main monuments, easy to combine with sightseeing.
- Bukhara old-town markets: spices are traditionally sold around the trading domes and at the bazaar.
Spice prices depend on quality and season, and are generally much lower in the big bazaar rows than in souvenir shops near the monuments. Bargaining is fine, especially if you buy several kinds at once. Exact prices change, so ask the vendors.
Getting them home
- Ask for spices to be packed in a double bag, and transfer them to jars at home.
- Keep the bags in a separate pouch or container: cumin is very aromatic.
- Pack them airtight in your luggage so pepper dust does not escape.
- Check the food import rules of your destination country, as they vary.
Bukhara to Tashkent: shopping before the road
Many travellers finish their trip in Bukhara and return to the capital. The morning of the last day is a good time to stroll through the old-town market, smell the cumin at a few stalls and buy barberries. The drive Bukhara to Tashkent takes about 6 to 7 hours. With Yo'ldosh you can find a shared ride with a verified driver and choose a departure time that leaves room for the bazaar. It is usually cheaper than a taxi, and you book your seat right in the app. All directions are listed under all routes.
Cover photo: EgorovaSvetlana, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
