Tajik Cuisine

Some truly believe that food is only for survival. But a true foodie knows that there is much more to food than just its sustenance value. Cuisine is linked to factors like culture, tradition, family-values, nationality and even spiritual beliefs and celebrations. That is why no two cuisines in the world are the same even if they belong to close neighbors. Tajiks are no different. Not only is their food different, the timings and the way they eat their food is also quite different. They are even known to have stringent time-bound meal routines. The Tajik follow a special tradition of having food together as a family. Each member of the family has to wash his/her hands before the meal, and no noise during mealtimes is tolerated. As per tradition, the oldest member present at the dining table will first break bread, with the rest of the members following. After the meal, the oldest member says ‘Amin’ and will also collect the table cloth or ‘dastarkhan.’ Tajik families will traditionally always praise the person/s who cooked the meal and end the whole meal ceremony with a ritualistic prayer. Tajiks are truly respectful of their culture and religiously inculcate it into every member of the family. If you are impressed by Tajik tradition and customs, you are sure to be enticed by their cuisine too. Given below are a few recipes to give you an occasional peep into the Tajik way of life and culture.

Some of these recipes from traditional Tajik Cuisine are truly very healthy. You can add or change some of the ingredients and spices as you go along, to modify the recipe as per your preferences if you so choose.