Shivit oshi – a specialty of Khiva, Uzbekistan

I visited Uzbekistan in the spring of 2019 after not being able to make it there in 2016 during a bigger trip to Central Asia. Uzbekistan had eased restrictions on entering the country, and no longer was it necessary to have a visa or letter of invitation which were previously required for Canadians. The city of Khiva in western Uzbekistan lies quite far from Uzbekistan’s other famed Silk Road cities of Bukhara and Samarkand, and it’s only here that you’ll find this peculiar dish.

Shivit oshi, a uniquely Khivan dish that’s only available in this city, consists of noodles that have been coloured green with dill and topped with a savoury stew of beef, potatoes and carrots. It’s served with yogurt on the side to cut the richness.

I really enjoyed this plate for its dramatic colour and uniqueness. Throughout Uzbekistan you’ll typically the find the same assortment of shashlik, plov, lagman, and manti, which are delicious enough in their own right, but it’s nice to have some variety once in a while!

Countdown to Zero: Day 31

A month from now, I will be flying from Bucharest to Istanbul to Boston to Toronto. It’s a simultaneously frightening and comforting thought that almost a year and a half of travel around the world is coming to an end.

To commemorate, I would like to share with you each day something from these tales of travels, these trials and tribulations that went on somewhere in the world in that time span (really, just my misadventures). This will be in addition to my daily travel posts and updates. Each day, I would like to reflect on a memorable experience I had during the last year and a half of travel – something I did for the first time, something I learned from, something humbling, something that made me feel accomplished, something that made me feel a way I’ll never forget, something that impacted me and left me with an impassioned inspiration – anything, really, that manages to make me smile when I look back upon it with the filter of time which only manages to facilitate the nostalgia I feel.

Today’s throwback: let’s not begin with anything too profound. Instead, here’s something from my time in Georgia from August/September 2013 – the food and drink! Khinkali, khachapuri, ostri, roasted eggplant topped with a walnut/garlic paste, Khevsuruli beer, homemade wine in used plastic bottles – these were my staples, and though sometimes repetitive, were always filling 🙂 By the way, I absolutely loved my time in Georgia and it’s easily one of my favourite countries I’ve ever visited. This won’t be my only post about Georgia in the next month…

Khinkali

Khinkali

khachapuri

khachapuri

Ostri

Ostri

eggplant with walnut garlic paste

eggplant with walnut garlic paste

Khevsuruli beer

Khevsuruli beer

Homemade wine

Homemade wine