The official opening of the cultural and gastronomic complex 'Plov Museum' took place in Tashkent, which has now fully accepted visitors after a year of operating in technical mode. The founders, representing the holding 'Caravan Group Restaurants,' stated that the project was implemented according to the original concept and are open to constructive criticism.
Over the past year, 'Plov Museum' has established itself as a significant element of Tashkent's gastronomic scene. Here, eighteen varieties of plov are prepared, sourced from different regions of Uzbekistan, including Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Fergana regions, utilizing the skills of renowned chefs-oshpazes. The complex serves about a thousand guests daily, among whom are often foreign delegations and city officials for whom a visit is part of an educational program. Furthermore, to support and promote national culinary traditions, master classes and cultural events dedicated to plov preparation are regularly held at the complex.
On the occasion of the anniversary and full launch of the complex, a solemn ceremony was held during which new initiatives were presented. One of the key events was the technical launch of the Wine Museum, located on the territory of the 'Plov Museum.' This new facility will allow visitors to study exhibits related to the history of winemaking in Uzbekistan and to taste products from modern vintners.
Timur Musin, Senior Managing Partner of 'Caravan Group' and main founder of 'Plov Museum,' noted that wine culture in Uzbekistan is still underdeveloped due to low public awareness and previous restrictions on alcoholic beverages. In his opinion, the opening of the Wine Museum will help popularize wine culture among the residents of Uzbekistan, draw attention to local brands, and create conditions for healthy competition in this sector.
Numerous Uzbek wineries participated in the launch of the new project. Among them is the 'MSA Family Winery,' which produces premium wines and holds international awards. Anastasia Pogrebnyak, a sommelier with thirteen years of experience and brand ambassador for 'MSA Family Winery,' emphasized that the winemaking history of Uzbekistan is very ancient, as shards of pitchers with wine traces dating back two to two and a half thousand years have been found in the country. Despite long stagnation, winemaking is currently reviving in various regions of the country.
Anastasia added that she considers the current moment a new stage of development and spoke about their winery's work: they strive to combine technologies, importing French corks, yeast, and equipment from Europe, to unlock the potential of the Uzbek terroir in their beverages.
Parallel to the launch of the Wine Museum, 'Caravan Group' decided to resume the production of its own sparkling wine brand named 'Affresco.' This wine was first created fifteen years ago from six grape varieties, and according to Timur Musin, there are now grounds to bring it to the market so that it can be aged in cellars for decades.
Another important area of 'Plov Museum's' activity is expanding the range of 'I Love Palov'—products for preparing plov, available directly at the complex. A new addition to this line is the sale of amukhta from leading oshpazes, which is a mixture of vegetable oils used in plov cooking. Timur Musin explained that each master-oshpaz prepares their unique amukhta by mixing up to ten different oils, reflecting their individual culinary style. He noted that this signature product could interest the public and support interest in the tradition of plov preparation.
Musin also reported that 'Plov Museum' will store oil from approximately eight oshpazes, with plans to increase this number, which he said is an unprecedented step in the history of plov, as amukhta was previously prepared at home but never formalized as an author's product from a renowned master.
The most ambitious project presented at the event was the plan to build an ethnographic kishlak. This complex, which will combine functions of a hotel, sports and wellness center, and entertainment venue, is envisioned by 'Caravan Group' as a place where guests can not only relax but also deeply immerse themselves in the national culture and traditions of Uzbekistan, including culinary ones. The kishlak is planned to be located in the Bostanlyk district of the Tashkent region on a fifteen-hectare plot. According to Timur Musin's estimates, the project will require another three to four years and hundreds of millions of dollars, but he considers this significant investment promising for domestic and international tourism.
Tashkent's 'Plov Museum' is preparing to celebrate its first anniversary. Over the past year, this unique project, which combines the functions of a museum and a restaurant, has transformed from a simple gastronomic venue into a large-scale initiative aimed at preserving and promoting the country's culinary and gastronomic heritage.
There are many museums worldwide dedicated to various food products and culinary traditions—from cheese and chocolate to wine and spices. However, the value of such a gastronomic museum lies not only in displaying the product itself. It must explain the origin of the dish, the reasons for the formation of a particular tradition, as well as the natural and agricultural factors that made it possible, and also tell about the people who preserve this knowledge and how it is passed on to future generations.
This is precisely why the Tashkent 'Plov Museum' is of particular interest, as it showcases diverse regional methods of preparing plov. It is important to understand that regional plov is not just a variation of one dish; it represents specific places, products, preparation methods, and people.
The oshpazes who prepare different types of plov are closely linked to the regions from which their recipes originate. Many of these masters are themselves custodians of the relevant tradition and cook plov for local residents. Consequently, behind every dish in the museum is not just a recipe, but a living human story.
The regional identity of plov is determined not only by the cooking technique but also by the choice of ingredients, including rice, oil, and spices. Among such traditional products are zigir oil and gurub. The main feature of the project is the desire to preserve authenticity not only at the level of the recipe but also at the level of the origin of the dish and its components.
The museum uses a special form of presenting this tradition: there is a kind of 'schedule' of oshpazes' work, which allows guests to find out in advance which master and which regional variant of plov will be presented on a given day. Thus, an interesting fusion is created between museum exhibition, living gastronomic tradition, and tourist experience, which aligns with the concept of the 'experience economy'. The visitor receives not just a serving of plov, but also learns about who cooks it, finds out the history of the dish, studies the region's features, and connects taste with a specific culture and territory.
As part of the joint venture between the 'Plov Museum' and the 'Tasty Uzbekistan' project, gastronomic tastings have been organized, dedicated to combining various regional types of plov with Uzbek drinks and local delicacies. A concept of 'Plov Pairing' has been developed, involving the tasting of several regional plovs with selected gastronomic pairings. Furthermore, a significant part of these events involves telling the story of the dish, its regional characteristics, preparation traditions, and ingredients used.
The idea goes beyond simple tasting: traditional Uzbek products, such as gurub, shinni, or various types of vinegar, can serve as independent objects of cultural narrative, including specialties from grapes. Thus, food becomes a means of describing the territory. This is likely the main value of modern gastronomic museums—their ability to preserve not only artifacts and recipes but also the memory of people, places, production methods, and traditions.
For Uzbekistan, this is particularly important because national cuisine was formed not in an abstract space, but in specific oases, valleys, kishlaks, and cities where unique varieties of rice, vegetables, and fruits existed, as well as specific recipes and dietary habits. Therefore, the 'Plov Museum' should be seen not just as a museum of one dish, but as a space revealing the broader panorama of Uzbekistan's national gastronomic heritage.
It is planned that the next project, 'Ethnographic Kishlak,' which will be announced during the Museum's anniversary celebration in mid-August of this year, will be able to take the presentation to a new level—from the exhibition of one dish to a comprehensive depiction of the lifestyle, culture, and traditions of the region. In this case, the museum will cease to be merely a place to talk about the past; it will become a space where heritage can be perceived through sight, hearing, understanding, and taste.
