Uzbek delicacy

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  PARIS / TASHKENT

  Departure from Paris on a scheduled flight with Uzbekistan Airways to Tashkent. Dinner and overnight on board.

• day 2

  Tashkent

  Arrival in Tashkent. Check-in at the hotel. Rest time. Lunch. Visit to a traditional restaurant to taste "NORIN" (horse meat noodles). These are noodles cooked with horse meat, often presented as a large sausage cut into slices, called kazi. Tasting Uzbek tea. This is the favorite drink of Uzbeks, whether black or green. It is a highly respected beverage, and there is a whole ceremony for serving tea, as well as many superstitions. For example, you should never pick up cups or the teapot with your left hand, as it brings bad luck. You should never fill your guest's tea cup, as this would be taken as an invitation to leave. In the afternoon, discovery of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Today, it is a major cultural and scientific center. Stroll through the old part of the city, visit the large Khast-Imam square, the spiritual center for Central Asian Islamic believers, with its 18th-century library housing the oldest Quran in the Islamic world. Excursion to the largest market in the capital, Chorsu. Dinner in the city. Visit to a traditional restaurant to taste "laghman" (Uzbek noodles). These are long noodles, which can be eaten in a soup or stir-fried, often accompanied by chickpeas. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 3

  Tashkent - Urgench – Khiva

  Transfer to the airport for flight to Urgench. Arrival in Urgench and departure for Khiva (30 km). Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Discovery of the inner city of Khiva - Itchan Kala. Lunch in the inner city of Khiva. Participation in the master class for preparing the main dish "Tukhum Barak" (egg dumplings), a specialty of Khiva. Discovery of the mausoleum of the undefeated wrestler, healer, furrier, and spiritual master of the inhabitants of the Khorezm region, Pakhlavan Mahmoud. Dinner. Visit to the traditional café to eat "MANTY" (Uzbek dumplings). Uzbekistan is a traditional country for dumplings: this typically Italian dish is actually of Persian origin, a country that once dominated Central Asia. Mantys are large dumplings steamed and stuffed with meat and onion. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 4

  KHIVA - BUKHARA

  Departure for Bukhara: we cross the Kyzylkum desert (The Red Sands) and the Amu Darya river, the second largest river in Uzbekistan. Picnic lunch. On the way, we stop to meet the breeders of the small sheep of Central Asia, the "astrakhans". Arrival in Bukhara and check-in at the hotel. Stroll in the Lyabi Khauz district. Dinner. Tasting of "MASTAVA", a soup with rice and vegetables, and "CHUCHVARA". Chuchvara are another Uzbek dumpling specialty, quite similar to jiaozi. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 5

  BUKHARA

  Discovery of the monastic city - Bukhara, a place of study and pilgrimage: The royal square of Liabi-Khaouz, one of the most beautiful squares in the old city; the Poi-Kalyan complex with its Kalyan minaret, the symbol of the famous Silk Road which once served as a beacon for caravanners; the "temple" of Chor-Minor. Lunch. Visit to the national house. Participation in the preparation of PLOV (pilaf or osh), the national dish. From meals with friends to circumcision ceremonies and even elections, any excuse is good to eat it. Plov is made of rice accompanied by vegetables such as carrot, garlic, or onion, and complemented by mutton or beef. This dish gave rise to the Russian "plov". Like any national dish, there are as many recipes as there are regions, or even families. Moreover, it is also found among the Tajik neighbors or the Uyghurs. Continuation of visits: the Ark citadel, the residence of the rulers of Bukhara; merchant domes; the royal mosque Bolo Khaouz; the royal madrassa of Abdoul Azizkhan, 16th c.; mausoleum of Ismail Samani, it is the pearl of world architecture. In the evening, dinner at the caravanserai restaurant with a traditional show. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 6

  BOUKHARA - SHAKHRISABZ

  Departure for Chakhrissabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane, through a mountainous landscape, and visit of his Ak Saray palace, the Gumbazi-Sayidan mausoleum built by his grandson Ulugh Beg, as well as a Khazrat Imam mosque. Stroll through the bazaar with its cradle makers' district... Lunch in a national house to taste "Khanoum" – a puff pastry steamed with meat, potato, and onion. Departure for Samarkand Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 7

  SAMARKAND

  Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Lunch. Visit to a workshop for preparing "SAMSA", pastries stuffed with meat and onion, baked in clay ovens. Stroll on the royal square of Registan (15th-17th c.) with three buildings: the Ulugh Beg madrasa, the Sher-Dor madrasa, and Tillya Kori. Visit to the Gur-Emir mausoleum (15th c.). Dinner. Visit to the national house to taste "Kitchiri", a royal meal from the time of Tamerlane made with rice, lentils, and beef. This dish is very rich in protein, which gives strength and courage. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 8

  SAMARKAND

  Discovery of the legendary capital of Tamerlane, the city of Samarkand: Visit to the largest mosque in Central Asia, Bibi-Khanym. The light blue dome of the mosque rivals the sky. Wine tasting in the cellar from the Romanov era. Visit to the Ulugh Beg Observatory (15th century). Lunch at the "Samarkand" restaurant, the traditional Uzbek restaurant known for its good service and dishes. Tasting of "DIMLAMA", a slow-cooked dish of meat, onions, vegetables, and sometimes fruit. Transfer to the station to take the Samarkand-Tashkent high-speed train at 17:00. Arrival in Tashkent at 19:10. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 9

  Tashkent

  The little walk on BROADWAY, to the trendy cafés where people play chess, leads to the astonishing brick palace of a Grand Duke Romanov exiled during the time of the tsars. Lunch. Transfer to the airport for the flight to Paris.