The city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan hosted the first-ever International "Samarkand Plov" Festival from August 1-3.
The event was crucial in advancing gastronomy tourism and enhancing cultural ties, News.Az reports.
The event gathered chefs from over 15 countries, including Türkiye, Japan, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, among which Azerbaijan also took a central stage, demonstrating its mouthwatering national dishes.
The Azerbaijani delegation was led by Nigar Amirbayova, Azerbaijani national cuisine expert, author and Director of Diyar.az culinary project – a digital platform, featuring Azerbaijan’s interactive gastronomy map.
The platform serves as guide to various culinary spots across Azerbaijan, which encompass the country’s culinary diversity.
The delegation included such renowned masters of Azerbaijani cuisine Simuzar Suleymanova, Elchin Hasanov, and Tural Karimli.
During the visit, the Azerbaijani chefs familiarized themselves with the historical landmarks of Samarkand, as well as its cultural and culinary heritage.
During the plov cooking masterclasses on August 2, the Azerbaijani chefs prepared the iconic samples of Azerbaijani plov, namely plov with dill, lamb, cherry, chicken, “Boranı” (pumpkin), and smoked fish.
The festival also featured a conference titled “Plov as a symbol of culture and gastronomy”, highlighting plov’s history and ethnographic significance.
The festival marked a crucial humanitarian effort, with cooked plov being distributed among the children with disabilities, orphanages and nursing homes.
