The II International Gastronomic Festival titled 'National Dishes of the Khorezm Khans' took place at the 'Arda Khiva' tourist complex on September 19 and 20. Over two days, the city of Khiva used the venue not only to showcase its architecture and museum exhibits but also to tell the region's history through cuisine.
More than twenty different traditional dishes of Khorezm were presented at the event. These included items such as tukhum barak, kok barak, qovoq barak, shivit oshi, gumma, ijjon, as well as various soups, meat products, and local types of bread.
Special attention was paid to dishes characteristic of traditional Khorezm cuisine. The program featured goshtli qovurma, goshtli dimlama, qazon kabob, jigar kabob, tuncha shorva, Khorezm mastava, as well as various types of patir—meat patir, durvadik patir, and bog'irsog.
Some of these dishes are available today in ordinary Khorezm homes and establishments, while others require significant time and special culinary skills. This made the festival not just a display of ready-to-eat food; visitors had the opportunity to observe the cooking process and learn about the traditions behind the well-known names.
In addition to local cuisine, participants in the festival presented culinary masterpieces from various countries around the world. The international section featured beshbarmak from Kazakhstan, kurutob from Tajikistan, kebab from Turkey, and dolma from Azerbaijan. The program also included dishes from Georgia, India, China, South Korea, and Italy, including khachapuri, biryani, bulgogi, and lasagna.
More than 19 restaurants, chefs, and representatives of the gastronomic tourism sector from various regions of Uzbekistan participated in the festival. Tastings, gastronomic exhibitions, and practical master classes were organized for guests, allowing them not only to taste the dishes but also to see them prepared within the complex.
The event was also accompanied by a cultural program featuring national melodies and songs, as well as various entertainment and thematic events. Attendees included both local residents of the region and tourists who arrived in Khiva.
A separate element of the festival was the gastronomic competition, whose winners were awarded a prize fund of 120 million soms: 60 million for first place, 40 million for second, and 20 million for third.
Khorezm cuisine is inextricably linked to the region's history, as it includes dishes unique to this land, such as green shivit oshi, various types of barak, ijjon, and Khorezm patirs. Each of these dishes has its own unique preparation method, set of ingredients, and is often associated with family memories.
Thus, the gastronomic festival in Khiva went beyond a simple cooking competition. Through food, participants were able to show a part of Khorezm's everyday history—the part rarely found in textbooks but preserved in recipes and in the hands of those who continue to cook using ancient methods.
Over the two days, the 'Arda Khiva' complex managed to unite Khorezm's national cuisine with dishes from other countries, transforming gastronomy into a new way of illuminating the history, culture, and modern tourism potential of Khiva.