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EveryMasala

Spices of Samarkand

A great Silk Road city whose Siab Bazaar sells cumin, barberry, dried herbs and spices for plov.

Samarkand

Traded and grown here

CuminBerberis vulgarisCoriander

Best time: April to June, and September to October.

Samarkand grew rich on the Silk Road. Siab Bazaar, beside the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, is a busy market for bread, dried fruit, nuts and spices.

Sherdor madrasah‎
Photo: Adam Harangozó, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Spices and trade

Plov, the national dish, is seasoned with cumin, barberry, coriander and black pepper, and sometimes dried chilli. Cumin is also used in lamb, samsa pastries and soups.

The place and its people

Samarkand has Uzbek and Tajik communities. Registan Square and the Timurid monuments are among the finest in Central Asia.

Visiting

Siab Bazaar is best early in the day. Spice stalls often sell ready mixes for plov.

A trail idea for Samarkand

  1. Siab Bazaar See cumin and barberry in sacks.
  2. Registan Visit the madrasa square.
  3. A plov house Eat plov.
  4. Shah-i-Zinda See the tiled necropolis.
About this page

Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Samarkand" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.

PartSeedBarkRootFlowerFruitChilliLeafResinBulbStigmaBlendPasteSeasoning
FlavourHot and fieryWarm and sweet-spicedSweet and mellowEarthy and deepCitrus and brightSharp and pungentSmokyFloral and perfumedBitterAnise and liquoriceSour and tartSavoury and umamiNumbing and tinglingHerbal and green
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperSnacks and tea timeDrinksDesserts and sweetsStreet foodPickles and preservesFeasts and banquets

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