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What to Eat in Bukhara: A Food Guide

Bukhara is the most "museum-like" of Uzbekistan's cities, and the cuisine here is to match: carefully preserved, with old recipes found in no other region. If Samarkand wins you over with light layered plov, Bukhara does it with a sweet plov of dried fruit and the unique heritage of the Bukharian Jews.

A Kvazar guide · Updated 2026 · ~7 min read

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Bukhara is the most "museum-like" of Uzbekistan's cities, and its cuisine is to match: carefully preserved, with old recipes you won't find in other regions. If Samarkand takes you with light layered plov, Bukhara takes you with a sweet plov of dried fruit and the unique heritage of the Bukharian Jews. Here's what's worth trying right here.

In short: in Bukhara, try "oshi sofi" — the local "real plov" of a special technique; the sweet Bukhara plov with dried fruit (raisins, dried apricots), where the ingredients are boiled separately and assembled in layers; bakhsh — the green plov of the Bukharian Jews, made with herbs; Bukhara samsa; and the soups, often served here in little pots. The city's cuisine is noticeably "sweeter" and more archaic than its neighbors'.
In this guide Bukhara plov and "oshi sofi" Bakhsh — green plov Bukhara samsa Soups and other dishes FAQ

What is Bukhara plov famous for?

Bukhara plov is often made slightly sweet — with the addition of dried fruit, raisins and dried apricots. The technique is special: the ingredients are frequently boiled separately until half-done, then assembled in the cauldron in layers and finished together. The city's pride and calling card is "oshi sofi," which from Persian means "real plov"; it's marked by its own cooking method.

So Bukhara gives a third taste of the same dish: where Ferghana plov is dark and fatty and Samarkand plov is light and layered, the Bukhara one leans toward sweetness and separate cooking. It's the best illustration of why "Uzbek plov" is not one recipe but a whole map. A full breakdown of the versions is in the piece on plov; the city itself is in the Bukhara guide.

Ferghana cooks plov dark, Samarkand layered, Bukhara sweet. Three cities — three readings of one national dish.

What is bakhsh?

Bakhsh is the "green plov" of the Bukharian Jews, an ancient community of Bukhara. It differs from ordinary plov above all in color and flavor: a large amount of herbs (chiefly cilantro) is added, turning the rice green, along with liver. It's a rare dish tied specifically to Bukharian-Jewish cuisine, and the best place to try it is precisely in Bukhara.

Bakhsh is an example of how cuisine keeps the memory of the peoples who lived in a city for centuries. Bukhara was one of the centers of Bukharian-Jewish culture, and its culinary trace survives in dishes like this. For a traveler it's not just "another plov" but a chance to taste the flavor of a specific historical community.

How is Bukhara samsa different?

Bukhara samsa is a local pride alongside plov and shashlik. As everywhere, it's baked in a tandyr with a filling of chopped meat and onion, but in each region the samsa is a little its own — in dough, size and filling nuances. In Bukhara it's often served as part of a "full" gastronomic set together with plov, shashlik and soups.

The general logic of the dish — why samsa isn't a pie and how it's made properly — we cover in the piece on samsa. In Bukhara it's worth simply comparing the local version with the Samarkand one: the difference is in the details, but it's there.

What else to try in Bukhara?

Besides plov and samsa, in Bukhara it's worth trying various shashliks and soups — the latter often served here in little pots. The cuisine of the Bukhara region is rich in meat dishes overall; you'll also find kaish and other local specialties. The meal ends, as always in Uzbekistan, with tea, sweets and dried fruit.

Bukhara is a good place to try the "full" Uzbek table in one city: plov, samsa, shashlik, soups and tea with something sweet. More on the soups is in the pieces on shurpa and lagman, and on the table tea in the piece on the chaikhana.

Bukhara's culinary signature: a leaning toward sweetness in savory dishes. Dried fruit in the plov, separate cooking of the ingredients, and the heritage of the Bukharian Jews (bakhsh) make the local cuisine recognizably "Bukharan."

Frequently asked questions about food in Bukhara

What should you definitely try in Bukhara?

Bukhara plov (often sweet, with dried fruit) and "oshi sofi"; bakhsh — the green plov of the Bukharian Jews; Bukhara samsa; shashliks and soups (often in little pots); and for dessert, tea with sweets.

Why is Bukhara plov sweet?

Dried fruit — raisins and dried apricots — is added, giving a slightly sweet taste. Besides, the ingredients are often boiled separately and assembled in layers. This sets Bukhara plov apart from the dark Ferghana and light Samarkand versions.

What is bakhsh?

Bakhsh is the "green plov" of the Bukharian Jews: lots of herbs (especially cilantro) and liver are added, turning the rice green. It's a rare dish of Bukharian-Jewish cuisine, and the best place to try it is precisely in Bukhara.

How does Bukhara's cuisine differ from Samarkand's?

Bukhara's cuisine leans toward sweetness (dried fruit in plov) and old, separate cooking techniques, plus it keeps the heritage of the Bukharian Jews (bakhsh). Samarkand's is known for light layered plov on linseed oil and the dense patyr flatbread.

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