Low water level in the Toktogul dam of Kyrgyzstan may have a bad impact on Uzbek agriculture, for Toktogul is the main water reservoir in Fergana Valley, and Uzbekistan is already having problems with irrigation of cotton fields in its Fergana valley part. The abnormal weather – very cold winter that already changed to […]

The Washington Post carries a snappy review of a Central Asian restaurant in NYC that specialises in kosher food. Taam-Tov is based in the Diamond District and focuses on the cuisine of Bukhara, which has a long-established Jewish community. The reviewer writes:
‘11:54 a.m. I’m on my way to the Diamond District, where young men […]

“Times of Central Asian” reports that cotton fiber production in Uzbekistan dropped 1,1 % to 728 300 tons in January to February. This information was released by State Statistics Committee, regime closed governmental organization which can only report such common things and no true information on social issues.
Production of cotton yarn at textile companies […]

As I am from Berlin (which is, to my knowledge, still without a proper Uzbek restaurant) and have lived some years in London (where there is at least Shish, a Central Asian eatery), news like this is very relevant: It demonstrates how Eastern Europe is slowly overtaking the West in terms of culinary variety.
The […]

The prohibition on alcohol selling that the Uzbek government has recently passed is bringing its first results. Kamron wrote in his post about the possible results of prohibition. The one that was about the prosperity of the underground manufacturing and selling of alcohol beverages has already come out.
According to the information I got from […]

There is a rumor that the government of Uzbekistan has passed a resolution to decrease the planting of rice throughout the country. It is said that it is done because of the water deficit that is going to be this year in the whole country. What results may it bring to the state and […]

This is a translation of the post by Girl of the Sands, that originally appeared on the russian version of neweurasia.
Mahalla is a very Uzbek phenomenon. No, I would say that it is more likely Eastern. The community in the east is a society. The concept of “mahalla” is a very multilayered notion.
First, its concept […]

Vseyusnyi Blog has an interesting post about closed supermarkets in Tashkent. Apparently, a tax audit is going on at the moment, which made stores like MIR, TURKUAS and ARDOS close for the time being.
One wants to feel sorry for the foreigners… for whom there were only 2, 3 shops in the whole town. I […]

It’s hungry work being a renowned expert (ok - in my household, at least … ) on Uzbekistan. Breaking news to follow, posts to write (ahem!), comments to rebut, books to read … pretty soon my tummy starts rumbling and thoughts of dinnner leap to the forefront of my mind. However, my thoughts were […]