Discovering uzbek food traditionsSuch popular Uzbek foods as the kurt (mare's milk dried in the shape of small balls), airan (a type of traditional kefir), round bread, dried raisins, apricots, and melons were a real discovery to many foreign participants, said Victor Tsoi, who headed the Uzbek delegation at Terra Madre, a world meeting of food communities organized by the Slow Food movement in Turin, Italy, last autumn. The forum showcased not only traditional foods of the participating countries but also their history, culture, and folklore. Visitors to the Uzbek exposition were much interested in the country's foods, dances, songs, and clothing. Many participants in the forum expressed the wish to visit Central Asia and one of them has already done it. Mikhail Stepannikov, a Slow Food expert, retraced Marco Polo's route along the Great Silk Road of centuries ago. The expert visited Khorezm, Bukhara, Samarkand, and Tashkent where he tried to learn more about Uzbek cuisine and saw holidays dedicated to certain food products (the Day of Grapes, the Day of Melon, the Holiday of Bread, etc.). Mariko, Stepannikov's six-year-old daughter, was greatly impressed by the ancient architectural buildings of Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand, as once happened to Marco Polo who described his feelings in his diary. During his trip, Stepannikov was collecting the recipes of different Uzbek dishes. He saw the difference in the taste of the same dish prepared in different Uzbek regions. So pilaf in Bukhara tastes and is made differently than in Tashkent. In Stepannikov's words, in Russia all food is almost uniform, and you would rarely see any diversity. "My task was to learn not only cooking technology but, first of all, the traditions and culture of eating, which really shows the specific character of a nation," the expert said. "I live both in Russia and Japan, so I have attended the Japanese tea ceremony. Japanese are famous for their traditionalism; each movement in the tea ceremony is polished to perfection. These traditions make up the philosophy of life. Each nation has such traditions and philosophy. In Uzbekistan I saw that gastronomy is also connected with the history and culture of the people." Stepannikov visited the Akramovs family in the village of Humsan near Tashkent, whom he first met at Terra Madre. The expert saw how close and careful to nature the villagers are, and acquainted with their unique technology of cooking food. He is going to write about his impressions for international gastronomical editions. In Stepannikov's words, after the trip he would include some highlights of Uzbek cuisine in Slow Food's encyclopedia. Slow Food will organize its next forum in September 2005 in Italy, and Uzbek representatives are also expected to participate. © Copyright: Алишер Таксанов, 2009.
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