Tajik cuisine is the traditional cuisine of Tajikistan. While it has similarities with Russian, Afghan and Uzbek cuisines, it is something entirely of its own. Food is a huge part of Tajikistan culture and eating amongst the locals is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in this authentic country.
Whether you eat out at a restaurant or indulge in a home-cooked meal in a local homestay, you will find some of the tastiest food and drink in Tajikistan.
The national dish of Tajikistan
The national cuisine in Tajikistan is called oshi palov, also known as palav, plov, pilaf, or osh. It is made up of cubes of meat, onions and carrots served with yellow rice.
This typical Tajik meal is served on a single plate in the center of a communal table and it is eaten with your bare hands. Another typical Tajik dish called qurutob is presented the same way, but it is a meat-free dish made with salty cheese poured over flatbread and topped with onions and fried vegetables.
What kind of food is eaten?
Traditional Tajik meals usually start off with a sweet starter such as halwa and tea. The main meal typically involves a thick and hearty soup such as shurbo.
Other Tajikistan popular cuisine includes steamed meat dumplings (mantu) and Tajik street food such as samosas (sambusa).
What is the most popular food in Tajikistan?
Meat dishes and soup are the most common dishes in Tajikistan and salads of diced cucumber and tomato are also common.
Typical Tajik cuisine can also include meaty noodle soups (laghmon) and lamb skewers (shashlik, meaning ‘six pieces’ in Persian). All dishes are served with greens, onions, clotted cream, and cottage cheese or off milk and plenty of fresh herbs and garlic.
©Mayur Bhagat
Meat dishes in Tajikistan
Tajik cuisine meat dishes contain mainly sheep and goat meat. Horse meat is used to make the national Tajik sausage (kazi). As Tajikistan is a Muslim country, pork is not eaten.
One of the more popular meat dishes in Tajikistan is a shish kebab or shashlyk (kabob) made with the traditional pickled Tajik kebab and minced or cubed meat grilled over an open flame.
© Curt Toumanian
Dairy products in Tajikistan
Tajikistan has plenty of fresh dairy products sourced from cows, goats, and even horses. These include yoghurty cheese balls (qurut), cheese, sour milk (chaka), thick yoghurt, drinking yoghurt (kefir), cottage cheese, curd, and clotted cream (kaymak).
Dishes made with dairy are often presented as part of a spread of Tajik starters and eaten with your fingers using pieces of flat bread as makeshift bowls.
Fresh produce in Tajikistan
With plenty of farmland and fertile valleys, Tajikistan cuisine is filled with fresh seasonal produce. In summer, grapes and melons are plentiful and frequently eaten as a dessert or a snack between meals.
Interestingly, the very first apples, pears and apricots were grown in this part of Central Asia. They are sugary and filled with water so they have been popular in the arid areas for centuries. You will be able to pick up apricots, plums, apples, pears, peaches, figs, pomegranates, and persimmons at any of the local Tajikistan food markets.
There are also plenty of homegrown veggies in Tajikistan. These include onions, eggplants, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, and radishes, as well as fresh herbs and tomatoes.
Drinks in Tajikistan
Tea is the most commonly served drink in Tajikistan. It is provided before, between and after meals in a china teapot and bowl-like cups without handles known as piala. As tea-drinking is a big part of Tajik culture, the tea houses known as choykhona are a popular gathering spot – much like a coffee shop is in the western world.
Green tea is the national drink in Tajikistan, but many Tajiks will have green tea in summer and black tea in winter. A black milk tea known as shirchai is also common in Pamirs, made with boiled water, boiled milk, butter, and salt.
As it is a Muslim country, alcohol is not permitted in Tajikistan. However, many people still do drink Tajikistan alcohol, particularly the Tajiks who grew up during the Soviet era. Vodka is served freely in the most cafes and restaurant.
Breakfast in Tajikistan
Tajiks usually break their fast with a light morning meal between 07h30 and 08h30. Typical breakfasts include Tajikistan tea and bread. Depending on how well-off the family is, they may add butter and jam or even porridge or eggs.
Tajikistan hotel breakfasts are a continental breakfast that consists of eggs, breads, cold meats, spreads, and orange juice.
©Damon Lynch
Lunch in Tajikistan
Lunch in Tajikistan is usually held between 13h00 and 14h00 in the afternoon. A typical Tajik lunch is made up of plov, bread, and soup or a meat dish followed by tea. Much like the western world, lunches are a bigger affair in Tajikistan on Sundays.
Dinner in Tajikistan
Dinner tends to happen between 18h30 and 20h00 in Tajikistan. A typical evening meal will include a meat dish (usually mutton, chicken, and/or beef) or a bone broth soup served with plov, carrots, potatoes, vegetables, rice, and salad. Osh is served at least twice a week.
A more formal dinner affair may start off with appetizers, a meat dish served with flatbread, vegetables, plov, and salad, and end with a fruit platter or a dessert and tea. Some Russian Tajiks may swap their after-dinner tea for vodka.
Tajik eating customs
In Tajikistan, eating is an important part of family life. Some Tajikistan food is even considered sacred, such as their flatbread. For this reason, bread should be treated with respect. It should be torn with the hands, rather than a knife.
Other Tajik food customs include tea and meals being served and consumed first by the host as a sign that it is safe for guests.
When eating at another Tajik family’s home, visitors should not mess any food on the floor and should stay seated until the dinner table has been completely cleared at the end of the meal.
On top of the taboo of eating pork, Tajiks do not consume the blood or meat of animals that have not been killed following Islamic guidelines. The slaughtering of animals always begins with prayer.
Food and feasts on national holidays in Tajikistan
Tajiks eat their meals on a sufa around a low-lying table known as a dastarkhan. During special events and national holidays, the host serves tasty dishes that symbolize the wealth and generosity of the host.
On the Persian New Year known as Navruz, Tajks serve a meal called sumalak that consists of wheat sprout extracts. The preparation of the dish is ceremonious and tends to involve age-old Tajik rituals such as poetry, song and dance.
Restaurants in Tajikistan
Tajik restaurants often serve Tajik as well as Western-style or typical Russian cuisine, but the most authentic meals are served in local homes (available in some guest houses and homestays). Dining in Tajikistan includes meals like kebabs, dumplings, plov, and noodle soups or Russian favorites like the famous Salisbury steaks.
If you are in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, you may find more variety in terms of Tajikistan restaurants – take your pick of Chinese cuisine, European dishes, or food from neighboring Central Asian regions such as Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran. Other eateries may offer a mixture of Uzbek cuisine, Kyrgyzstan cuisine, and even Turkmenistan cuisine in Tajikistan.
Tajik tea houses known as choihonas are the most common places for eating in Tajikistan. They offer an authentic experience dining with locals and the Tajikistan food prices are extremely reasonable.
Discover the best of Central Asia’s Tajikistan cuisine and culture with a trip with Paramount Journey. Take a look at our tours and itineraries for more information on our Tajik cuisine tours!
