Quick answer
Uzbekistan is challenging for vegetarians, since plov, samsa, lagman and shashlik usually contain mutton or beef. You can still eat well with tandir-baked non bread, tomato salads, pumpkin samsa and pumpkin manti, strained yoghurt, and superb fruit and dried fruit. Tashkent and Samarkand have several Indian restaurants; Bukhara has a few and Khiva almost none.
How easy is it to eat well?
Vegetarian & Jain friendliness
5 = easy everywhere, 1 = plan every meal
Indian food availability
5 = Indian restaurants everywhere, 1 = rare
What to order (and what to ask about)
Plov (osh)
The national dish: rice with carrots, chickpeas and mutton, cooked in large kazans; almost never vegetarian.
Non
Round tandir-baked bread, stamped with patterns; Samarkand's is famous across the country.
Achichuk
Thinly sliced tomato and onion salad with herbs, served alongside plov.
Pumpkin samsa
Tandir-baked pastry filled with pumpkin and onion; most common in autumn and winter.
Samsa (meat)
The standard version is filled with mutton and onion; check before ordering.
Pumpkin manti
Steamed dumplings with pumpkin filling; ask for 'kovoq manti'.
Lagman
Hand-pulled noodles with meat and vegetable sauce; some cafés make a meat-free version on request.
Shivit oshi
Khiva's bright green dill noodles, usually topped with a meat stew.
Suzma and qatiq
Thick strained yoghurt and a drinking yoghurt, served with bread and herbs.
Dried fruit and nuts
Apricots, raisins, almonds and walnuts piled high in every bazaar; taste before buying.
Navat and halva
Crystallised sugar and nut halva, served with green tea after meals.
Phrases that help
| Say | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Men vegetarianman | I am vegetarian |
| Go'shtsiz | Without meat |
| Tuxumsiz | Without egg |
| Go'sht bormi? | Is there meat in it? |
| Bez myasa | Without meat (Russian, widely understood) |
Is Uzbekistan easy for vegetarians?
It is one of the harder destinations for vegetarians, and it is better to know that before you go. Uzbek cooking is built around mutton and beef: plov, samsa, lagman, manti and shashlik all usually contain meat, and vegetable dishes are often cooked in meat stock or lamb fat. Plov in particular is almost never vegetarian.
That said, nobody goes hungry. Non, the round tandir bread, is superb. Salads such as achichuk, strained yoghurt, pumpkin samsa and pumpkin manti, eggs, and some of the best fruit and dried fruit in Asia fill a vegetarian day. Bazaars are full of apricots, melons, grapes, pomegranates and nuts depending on the season.
How to order
Uzbek and Russian are both widely used. "Go'shtsiz" (Uzbek) or "bez myasa" (Russian) means without meat. In family-run hotels, tell the owners on arrival; many will cook vegetable soup, rice or pumpkin dishes for dinner if asked in the morning.
Can you find Indian food in Uzbekistan?
Yes, in the main cities. Tashkent and Samarkand have several Indian restaurants serving North Indian vegetarian dishes, and Bukhara has a few. Khiva has almost none. Many guides speak a little Hindi, and Bollywood songs play in taxis, so you will feel welcome.
Tips for Jain and strict vegetarians
- Carry ready-to-eat meals and dry snacks for train days and Khiva.
- Ask Indian restaurants to prepare Jain food a day in advance.
- Fresh fruit, non bread, yoghurt and dried fruit are the safest local staples.
If you want to see plov made, visit the Central Asian Plov Centre in Tashkent at midday, even if you only watch and eat the salads and bread.
Plan the rest with the Uzbekistan trip cost, things to do in Uzbekistan, best time to visit Uzbekistan and the Uzbekistan visa guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Uzbekistan good for vegetarian Indian travellers?
Is food in Uzbekistan halal?
Can Jain travellers manage in Uzbekistan?
How we checked this page
Last reviewed
Written and fact-checked by the Elitech Travels editorial desk in New Delhi, drawing on our consultants' day-to-day booking work and the official sources below. Rules, fares and fees change — always confirm anything critical with the issuing authority before you travel. Our editorial policy.
