Uzbek palov (osh)

Uzbeks call it simply osh. It is cooked over a fire in a large cast-iron kazan: meat and onion are first fried in oil, then long strips of yellow carrot are added; this base, with cumin, garlic and chickpeas, is called zirvak, and the rice goes in last.

Every region has its own plov — Samarkand, Bukhara, Khorezm, Fergana and Tashkent versions all differ — and it is usually cooked by a male chef, the oshpaz.

Plov is a must at weddings, religious festivals and charitable gatherings; the "morning plov" served to hundreds of guests on a wedding day is a special tradition. In 2016 UNESCO inscribed "Palov culture and tradition".