Breaking bread in Uzbekistan

With a rich history of breadmaking that stretches back hundreds of years, the bread of Uzbekistan is not just sustenance; it’s a cultural emblem, an art form, and a testament to the country’s enduring traditions.

A short queue of local kids patiently waits across a plain white door. I knock to find a man eating bread. In his broken English, he signals me to wait. Thanks to Google Translate I tell him, I am here to watch the process. He smiles and welcomes me in. Behind the door is a small makeshift bread-making factory that opens into a courtyard and Akhmal Mir’s home in Samarkand. His 70-year-old mother is busy weighing the dough, cutting it into pieces and making round shapes. This is one of the many bread-making factories in Uzbekistan that is a successful cottage industry. Uzbek bread locally known as non or lepeshka is sacred in the country. And it is especially so in Samarkand. Legend has it that a 14th-century emperor tried to reproduce the same bread in other cities of Uzbekistan by getting the flour, water and equipment from Samarkand. But failed to get the same taste because the air of Samarkand is very special. 

The art of making Uzbek bread is a labour-intensive process that has been passed down through generations. The ingredients consist of flour, typically sourced from locally grown wheat, and water. Yeast is added for leavening, and sometimes yoghurt or milk is added to enhance the flavour and texture. The dough is kneaded until it reaches the perfect consistency, and then it’s left to rest and rise. Once ready, the dough is expertly shaped, with the decorative patterns added by skilled bakers who use their hands or special tools. Finally, the bread is baked in a
tandir (tandoor), a traditional clay oven. The tandoor oven is an integral part of Uzbek breadmaking. These cylindrical, wood-fired ovens are present deep in the ground like pits and can reach scorching temperatures, giving the bread a unique flavour and texture. The bread is stunning to look at; glazed to perfection with just enough shine and sprinkled with black or white (or both) sesame seeds. The bread comes in just one shape — round.

Although walking through the many bazaars in Uzbekistan makes it clear that there are as many decorative patterns at the centre of bread as there are bakers. These patterns are not mere decorations; they carry a deep cultural significance, often representing the sun, prosperity, and family unity. The patterns are embossed using bread stamps, called chekich, which are made of walnut wood with iron pins arranged into floral patterns. 

Cultural significance

Culturally, the bread is never placed face down or cut with a knife, it is always only torn by hand. The bread is deeply intertwined with the country’s culture and traditions as it is connected to certain rituals signifying life’s major events such as marriage, childbirth and the departure of a son for military service.

It plays a central role in social gatherings wherein guests are greeted with bread and salt as a symbol of hospitality, friendship and goodwill. In addition to lepeshka, there’s also patyr, a thinner, flatter bread perfect for wrapping around kebabs and other fillings and samsa a triangular pastry filled with meat, vegetables, or pumpkin, popular as a snack or appetiser.