Rice dishes

Rice in any of its forms, sweet or savoury, is always popular with me.  Unfortunately I am the only member of the family who has this weakness, so when I saw this picture of a market stall selling something looking delicious, I started feeling hungry.

The card comes from Uzbekistan and the text on the front says "Culture and traditions", so there was no clue there as to what I might be eating.  The message on the back did give a clue. "Plov is ready", but I was still mystified.

When I eventually found the meaning of "plov" I wondered why I hadn't guessed.  In other countries it's known as pilaf or pilau, both of which I do know, though I hadn't put them down as the same thing.  It seems there are as many different recipes for plov in Uzbekistan as there are families, but the big thing is that it's a dish cooked by the men, a little like the barbecue, and it is the national dish.

According to this fascinating article, "The national character of the Uzbek people can be best perceived through tasting Uzbek plov."