Uzbek bread

For the Uzbek people, bread has long been sacred. There is a tradition according to which when someone leaves home for a long time, he must bite off a small piece of cake. The rest of the cake is kept in the house until the person who left is back and will not eat it.

Bread from Uzbeks is called "non", which means flat cake. Uzbek cakes are baked in tandoor - a special kiln made of clay, due to which they turn out to be crispy and ruddy.

Pancakes are of two main types: obi-non (usual) and patyr (festive). And there are a lot of varieties of them. Puff and rich, which differ in taste and appearance by region, there are Bukhara, Samarkand flat cakes and others.

It should be noted that each region of Uzbekistan has its own special bread, which is produced in this region. And each of these regions uses its own special sourdough for bread and the original cooking technology. Therefore, the bread baked in various regions of Uzbekistan is significantly different in taste and appearance.

Fergana Valley, for example, was glorified by the most delicious puff pastry Uzbek, called katlama non. When preparing such a flat cake, each layer is lubricated with either butter or sour cream. Also baked flat cakes with cracklings, called zhizali-non, flat cakes on the infusion of herbs (kuk patyr), from corn flour (zogora-non) and many other varieties. Pancakes with onions or meat baked in the dough are also often prepared.

As a rule, tortillas are not cut with a knife, they break with their hands. At the same time, according to Uzbek table-cloth etiquette, broken pieces are strictly forbidden to be placed face down. Since this is regarded as a disrespectful attitude to bread.

Especially popular are flat cakes on kefir, the recipe of which is quite simple in cooking.

Ingredients that you need: certainly kefir (300 ml), flour (about 3 cups) and 1 glass for sprinkling. Also 1 teaspoon of soda, sugar and salt. If desired, you can add egg and spices (red pepper, basil, cumin), or cook without them.

So, Uzbek cakes, or rather their preparation, begin with mixing all the dry ingredients, which are then poured into kefir. Mix first with a spoon, then with a hand. The dough should turn out thick, soft, slightly sticking to the hands.

Twist the strip and divide it into parts, each of which roll very thinly with the help of a rocking chair, giving it any shape. Pour in the flour. On a dry hot frying pan, bake for a short time on both sides over medium heat.

If desired, grease the hot cakes with a soft butter. This will make them softer, tasty and will allow you to stay fresh longer.

You keep Uzbek flat cake, cover it with a towel, or in a special form with a tight lid.

If you want to cook more original and unusual cakes, then bake them with onions. To do this, you need warm water (400 ml), fresh yeast (20 grams), vegetable oil (3 tablespoons), flour (about 650 grams), liquid honey (1 tablespoon) and salt. For the filling - onion (4-5 pieces), pork fat (60 grams), salt and ground black pepper.

First mix with honey and yeast 250 ml of warm water. Leave to ferment for 10 minutes. After pour in the rest of the water, add the oil, salt and stir well.

Gradually pour a little flour, mix a fairly soft dough. Roll it into a bowl, cover with a towel and leave for an hour. Make a hysteresis and cover with a towel again.

Divide the dough into six equal parts and roll them out. Fry the onions and put them on each part. Wrap the roll and make a curl, which is firmly pressed from above with your hand.

Put the tortillas on a baking sheet and cover with a towel for another 20 minutes. In the oven, bake at a temperature of about 200 degrees 20 minutes.

Your flat cakes with onions are ready. Bon Appetit!