As previously reported, the first-ever ‘Samarkand Plov’ International gastronomic festival was held from August 1 to 3. Renowned chefs from Uzbekistan and several foreign countries showcased their culinary skills at the event.

“I’ve been taking part in gastronomic festivals for eight years and have won numerous prizes,” said Qatari chef Hamad Al Hajri. “At the Samarkand Plov festival, I prepared one of our most famous national dishes. We didn’t just cook food — we also promoted our cultural traditions and exchanged experiences with other chefs.”

A record-breaking 30-meter-long shashlik was prepared and distributed among attendees. The achievement attracted significant interest from guests and once again highlighted the region’s rich gastronomic heritage.

On the third day of the festival, a 7-ton plov was cooked in a giant kazan at the ‘Eternal City’ complex by 50 local and 5 foreign chefs. Visitors watched the entire cooking process and had the opportunity to sample the dish. The prepared plov was delivered to orphanages, special boarding schools for children with disabilities, and nursing homes.

Throughout the three-day festival, more than 200 chefs took part in culinary competitions. The program featured 20 unique varieties of plov, chef-led masterclasses, live demonstrations of international plov recipes, and exhibitions showcasing traditional crafts and Eastern sweets.

The festival concluded with an awards ceremony honoring the winners. Third place was awarded to chefs from Khorezm region, second place to Bukhara region, and first place went to the team from Tashkent city. In addition to the winners, active participants, media representatives, and bloggers who provided extensive coverage of the event were recognized with valuable souvenirs and cash prizes from the Samarkand regional administration and its partner organizations across various nomination categories.

The ‘Samarkand Plov’ Festival marked an important step in developing gastronomic tourism and showcased the hospitality and generosity of the Uzbek people.

Abdulaziz Yuldoshev,

“Xalq So‘zi”.