Inside London's 2024 Uzbek Culture and Food Festival
In a backyard behind a fence, four men were sat down on a package of kitchen rolls cutting cucumbers and tomatoes. Nothing would be too rare about this setup for a Sunday noon - except that it happened right next to the London City Hall.
Photo: Laura Zilincanova
Photo: Laura Zilincanova
The group was patiently preparing Uzbekistan's national meal, plov. Soon, 1,000 kg of the rice dish was about to be sold to the visitors of the Uzbek Culture and Food Festival.
For the second year in a row, the festival took place at Potters Fields Park near Tower Bridge. Over the weekend on June 8-9, it showcased Uzbekistan's traditional food, music, fashion and dance, with a vibe rarely experienced outside Uzbek borders.
The festival's founder and owner of the London-based Central Asian restaurant OshPaz Muzaffar Sadykov first had the idea to organise the event in 2020.
Coming from a family of chefs, he envisioned a platform sharing Uzbek culture with a global audience.
Through partnerships with several organisations including the Uzbek Embassy in London, Sadykov launched the first event last year.
The attendance rose from approximately 35,000 in 2023 to 40,000 this year, according to estimates from the festival organisers.
Step one: Get yourself some plov
Photo: Laura Zilincanova
Photo: Laura Zilincanova
Right after the gates opened at noon, a long queue formed behind traditional cast iron pots - kazans - full of steaming rice.
Most people were waiting for the festival's signature portion of plov, prepared by OshPaz chefs from early morning hours.
The restaurant team members brand themselves as cultural ambassadors dedicated to uniting people through the joy of Uzbek cuisine.
Uzbek plov differs from region to region, but its main ingredients include rice, beef or lamb, carrots, onions, oil and cumin.
Legend has it that the meal was originally created for Alexander the Great, who needed to sustain his troops during their Central Asian campaigns. Although popular in the wider Silk Road region, plov is mainly associated with Uzbekistan.
Plov is typically shared with many people at social gatherings, including weddings, births or funerals.
The cooking process, which involves heavy lifting and long hours of standing by the fire, has traditionally been considered a male task.
The only female chef
But at the festival, Guzal Said broke the stereotype as the only female in the kitchen.
The Latvia-based chef and entrepreneur from Uzbekistan represented women in the traditionally male-dominated tradition.
Guzal runs her own business as a creative caterer and food artist, aiming to transform dining into an art form.
But her main goal is to make the experience about “fun rather than fine dining.”
“We never serve food individually, everything is placed in the middle of the table so people can talk, eat, and drink tea together. I aim to bring the Uzbek spirit to every dinner I make.”
When asked about plov's most important ingredient, she said: “I think you need a very good intuition and feel for the space and the food itself. Plov is something that involves every cooking technique: steaming, frying, boiling. It’s not easy to make. Knowing the technique well and enjoying the cooking process is crucial.”
Doppis and chapans
At one of the stands selling traditional Uzbek clothes, Amir, a London-based student from the Bukhara Region, explained the different myths behind the Uzbek doppi hats.
A classic headwear in Central Asia, the skullcaps are typically made from cotton or silk, with patterns and colours varying by region.
Historically, doppi hats have served as a symbol of identity and social status. While some men wear black and white doppis every day, women go with colourful ones on special occasions such as weddings.
Another common fashion feature worn by many visitors was the flowing open robe - chapan.
The robes are often dyed using the ikat technique, which creates intricate, blurred designs when woven into fabric.
The word chapan, Amir explained, comes from cho'pon, which means shepherd in Uzbek. The robes were often worn by Uzbek shepherds and nomads to protect themselves against the cold weather.
Today, the material is thinner and shorter, making it a fashionable item adapted by independent designers, many of which exhibited at the festival.
Uzbek man wearing a chapan and a doppi hat. Photo: Eleonora K.
Uzbek man wearing a chapan and a doppi hat. Photo: Eleonora K.
Connecting the community
Despite attracting many visitors, some spoke little to no English, travelling to London from Uzbekistan only for a visit. In the UK, the Uzbek community is relatively small. The most recent 2021 census showed there were 3,836 Uzbek residents in England and Wales. Events such as this one are therefore widely welcomed by those who settled in the UK, trying to reconnect with home. However, some visitors said more initiatives are needed to cultivate a vibrant community.
Musharraf, who comes from Uzbekistan and has lived in London for three years, said the Uzbek community in London is “quite dispersed”. She usually sees Uzbeks gathering at larger events like this one, often including people from neighbouring countries and Turkey. “This event gives me the feeling that I am a little bit back home, especially when I am a bit homesick, missing my family, missing how people speak in my own language. This is a good chance to fulfil this need.”
Eleonora moved to London when she was 15. She grew up in Russia but her father is Uzbek and her mother comes from Kyrgyzstan. She perceives the Uzbek culture as very traditional, male-led and family oriented, with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. “It [the festival] felt exciting, at some weird level, even though I don't speak Uzbek, I felt this connection. Looking around and seeing people that are similar to you in the way they look also felt kind of cool.”
Apart from those who wish to stay in London long-term, there are initiatives for students to return to Uzbekistan and make a change at home.
Some of them could be found at a stand called the Corner of Uzbek students in the UK, spreading the word about the non-profit El-Yurt Umidi Foundation.
Every year, the organisation gives several hundreds of students scholarships to study abroad, requiring them to return to Uzbekistan after they finish their degrees.
One of them is Khadicha Suyarova, who studies International Education at the University of Edinburgh and hopes to work for the Uzbek government on youth community projects.
She said: “This is a both way stream for the UK and Uzbekistan. People are coming here to get internationally recognised degrees, education quality is high in the UK and we are willing to go back and share the knowledge.”
Photo: Laura Zilincanova
Photo: Laura Zilincanova
Not too far away, the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan showcased tours for those interested in visiting the country.
Sherzod Sultanov, Chief Specialist at the committee's Marketing Department, said the its main goal was to attract as many tourists as possible.
He said: “People need more information about Uzbekistan.
“We now have a direct flight from London to Tashkent, so we are awaiting more UK tourists to fly Uzbekistan, and this event helps us with promotion.”
The number of international arrivals to Uzbekistan rose from nearly 2.7 million tourists in 2017 to 6.7 million in 2019, according to the World Bank Group.
The sharp spike in tourism ties to the change of leadership in 2016, when president Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power and aimed to overcome Uzbekistan's political isolation.
Although the government still maintains tight control over political opposition, media, and civil society, Mirziyoyev managed to liberalise the country and removed barriers to investment.
Currently, citizens from 93 countries, including all EU member states and the UK, can travel to Uzbekistan visa-free.
The event ended in a burst of energy brought to life through traditional dance and music - certainly a one-of-a-kind experience both for Uzbeks reconnecting with home and for those who had never been to Uzbekistan before.
Photo: Eleonora K.
Photo: Eleonora K.
Photo: Laura Zilincanova
Photo: Laura Zilincanova
Photo: Eleanora K.
Photo: Eleanora K.
Photo: Eleanora K.
Photo: Eleanora K.
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