Samarkand Cooking Class: Learn Uzbek Dishes with Locals

Roll up your sleeves and cook the dishes Samarkand families pass down through generations.

A cooking class in a local family's home in Samarkand where you prepare traditional Uzbek dishes like plov, shashlik and samsa, beginning with a bazaar visit to source ingredients and ending with lunch. The day lasts around five hours total, includes hotel pickup and an English, Russian or Korean-speaking guide, and wraps in time to explore the city afterward.

The experience

Your day starts at a local bazaar, where you walk through the stalls with the family and pick out the ingredients you'll cook with later. You see how vendors work, chat with them, and get a feel for what Samarkand eats. Then you drive to the village home where the cooking happens. The family teaches you how to roll dough for samsa, layer the filling, and fry it until it's golden. You learn the technique for plov (how the rice absorbs the broth and the meat flavors), and how to grill shashlik over charcoal the way they do it. Every step is hands-on. You're not watching a demonstration.

Between cooking, you sit with the family, share stories and maybe a game of chess, and learn about their daily routines and customs. Lunch is what you've cooked, eaten together at their table. You get bottled water throughout the day and travel in an air-conditioned vehicle. A guide who speaks English, Russian or Korean is with you the whole time, translating and filling in the details about the food and the culture. On the way back or as time allows, you can stop at the Konigil paper factory or an oil meal and pottery workshop to see how those crafts work.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and return transport in an air-conditioned vehicle.
• bazaar visit to source ingredients with the family.
• hands-on cooking instruction for plov, shashlik and samsa in the family home.
• lunch of the dishes you've prepared.
• bottled water throughout the day.
• guide in English, Russian or Korean.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (16 to 55 years) · Senior (56 and older) · Youth (11 to 15 years) · Child (3 to 10 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Korean and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Stroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Navruz

Is this one for you?Book this class if you want to learn by doing, not by watching. You're rolling dough, grilling meat and tasting the food you've made, not observing a chef at a stove. The flexible start time works if your other plans in Samarkand shift around.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Russian and Korean.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 15 years); Child (3 to 10 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What dishes do I actually cook during the class?

You prepare plov (the rice pilaf that's central to Uzbek cooking), shashlik (grilled meat skewers), and samsa (savory pastries with meat or vegetable filling). The family walks you through each one from start to finish, and you eat what you've made for lunch.

Do I need cooking experience to join this class?

No. The class is built around learning from a local family, not on prior skill. They teach you the techniques and the reasoning behind each step, so beginners and experienced cooks both get something out of it.

How does the bazaar visit work at the start?

You walk through the local market with the family, see the stalls and vendors, and help pick out the fresh ingredients you'll use to cook. It's a chance to see how the market works and what's in season, not a shopping trip on your own.

What time does the class start, and how long does it take?

The starting time is flexible. You arrange it when you book. The whole experience lasts around five hours, including the bazaar, the cooking, lunch and travel time.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. The vehicle picks you up from your hotel and brings you back after the class ends. An air-conditioned car is used for the drive to and from the village.