Plov

Plov is the Central Asian style of pilaf, a rice dish in which the rice is not steamed but simmered in a rich stew of meat and vegetables called zirvak until the liquid is fully absorbed; it is typically made with lamb or beef browned in fat or oil and then stewed with fried onions, garlic and carrots, sometimes with coriander, barberries, red pepper, marigold, whole heads of garlic or chickpeas added. It is the national dish of both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and UNESCO inscribed it on its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2016, while neighboring Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan also treat plov as a staple dish with their own regional variations. On special occasions professional cooks known as oshpaz prepare plov for large gatherings, sometimes serving as many as a thousand people from a single cauldron at weddings or holiday celebrations.