Каталог статей из сборников научных конференций и научных журналов- The gastronomic tourism in Uzbekistan: past and present

B. Jumayev

e-mail: jumayev.buron@bk.ru.

PhD student, Center of Uzbekistan`s Contemporary history under Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

The rapid development of the gastronomic tourism sector is an important factor in economic growth, as not all types of tourism are directly related to other types of gastronomic tourism.

We will have to divide tourists into two types in terms of gastronomy:

– in the first type, tourists organize a direct gastronomic tour; Gastronomic tourism is when a person or a group travels from one region to another to taste, enjoy or heal the national food and drink, and to learn about the methods of production, culinary secrets, cooking technologies, the peculiarities of food and its history. means visiting a second region or from one state to another.

– in the second type, the purpose of the visitor may be different, for example: sports competitions, visits to holy places, trade cooperation and others, but the guest does not bypass gastronomic tourism directly due to the need for daily meals. It is no secret that eating at all times is not only a means of nourishing the body, but also an important tool that affects the health of the body, mood and worldview of a person, and even gradually changes his appearance. Therefore, the focus on gastronomic tourism creates the basis for the development of other types of tourism.

"Food tourism is developing in the world for two main reasons: first, the desire of people to know where their food came from, and second, the desire to discover new foods and cooking" [1, p. 3].

The term gastronomic tourism was first used in 1998 by scientists at Bowling Green University (USA), and although the term has not gone back a long way, we can find a lot of information about food and beverages in our country in historical works. This creates a unique history of gastronomic tourism. There are many local and foreign sources describing the travels in the territory of Uzbekistan. Our ancient ancestors migrated to different lands as nomads during their social life. They enjoy the natural pleasures of grazing, living in pastures, drinking clear water, consuming milk, yogurt, meat and fruits, as well as seeking nutrients and herbs that are not in the same area due to the need for medical treatment. had to travel. According to historical legends, even Alexander the Great came to Central Asia in search of "magical water" that would prolong life and rejuvenate man [2, p. 7]. At this point, the Great Silk Road, as the main trade route connecting east and west, carried food along with various goods, which means that it played an important role in gastronomic tourism of that period. For example, rice was brought to Central Asia from China, and from there grapes, nuts, pomegranates and other agricultural products were exported to China.

Since the main occupations of the first medieval states in our country: Sogdiana, Fergana, Takharistan, Eftallar, Kidariy were agriculture and animal husbandry, their food consisted of various fruits and vegetables, dairy products and meat products [3]. This situation did not change much during the later Turkish empire and Arab rule, but after the Mongol invasion in our country there were great changes in the food of the settled population. This was due to the existence of differences in the specific eating customs and rules of the Mongols. As the Mongols were a nomadic people, their main food consisted of meat and dairy products. Kurut would replace food for them during a quick move. But where conditions were right, they could boil meat in their small cauldrons and drink the blood of horses in the absence of dried or other food, so that they could be fed in this way for ten days” [4].

Genghis Khan insisted on maintaining the honor of the guest in the desert, and had enshrined in law that if a man was eating, he must invite the man next to him to be his partner. Everyone would partner with the person eating without being invited. During the Mongols, he held the position of "Yurtchi". As they marched through desert and arid lands, they had to determine how much food and water the army needed, and generally know where there was drinking water and fodder along the way [5, p. 31]. Accordingly, they stockpiled spare food. The Mongols also had a nomadic-style way of eating.

The nutrition of the Mongols and the supply of food to the army were greatly improved later in the Timurid period. “Along with Amir Temur's army, butchers, bakuls, traders of roasted and cooked meat, sellers of barley and fruit, and bakers also moved. Gathering food for the army was important. This task was entrusted to commanders such as Allahdod and White Temur Bahadir” [6, p. 93]. They provided the army with the necessary food before the battle.

From the above information, it can be concluded that Amir Temur used food as a form of punishment for the army, as well as used it as an incentive. "After the victory in the battle against the ceasefire, Amir Temur, in accordance with his tradition, rewarded those who showed courage, entertained the warriors with various delicacies and rewarded them with koumiss in expensive vessels" [7, p. 151]. We know that any guest is first greeted with a beautiful table setting, a situation that is typical of all times. Each country tries to treat the guest with its own national dishes, meat products and fruits and vegetables have always been the main dish for the Turkic peoples. In the state of Amir Temur, the food that was not eaten at the banquet was taken home by the servants of the guests. Not eating was considered disrespectful. The Spanish ambassador, Kilavijo, reports in his “Memoirs” that a single state banquet took away enough food to feed the entire embassy staff for six months.

“Bread was plentiful everywhere, and rice could be bought in large quantities for cheap. Roasted or stewed meat was sold in open shops all over the city, and roasted chickens, geese, and wild birds in general could be purchased. These delicacies and foods were sold with taste and cleanliness, and the trade continued throughout the day and even at night” [8, p. 177].

Zakhriddin Muhammad Babur also describes in his work "Boburnoma" the various delicacies, fruits and melons of our country, noting that their taste is not found in other countries. During the Timurid period, dining and hospitality continued in Bukhara, Khiva and Kokand empires. Information about the cuisine of this period can be found in the works and memoirs of many foreign tourists. Alikhan Gafur, an Iranian ambassador who met the khan of Khiva in 1842, described in his diary: Wherever they love horses or yabu, their stubbornness and lust belong to him. No one has the right to eat it, it is collected only for the khan. The khan cleans, grinds and cooks them with his own hands. This is his best and most delicious dish” [9].

Although food and beverages were almost the same in every empire, the exchange of food with each other continued on a regular basis. “In the Khiva empire, food was more expensive than in the neighboring Bukhara emirate, and the population had less money. In winter, Turkmens traveled around Khiva, buying bread in exchange for meat. The local farmers, the Sarts, grew wheat, barley, and horticultural crops” [10].

During the war years, the state was supplied with surplus foodstuffs such as vegetables, rhizomes, fruits, meat, and grain. In particular, 82 million pounds of grain, 1.1 million tons of rice, 57.5 thousand tons of fruits and grapes, 159.3 thousand tons of meat and other products. -400 grams of bread were given [11, p. 93].

Even in the post-war years, the pursuit of increasing cotton yields by the policies of the dictatorial Soviet government limited the republic's ability to solve its food problems” [12].

Since August 31, 1991, when Uzbekistan gained its independence, positive changes have begun in all spheres in our country, the living standards of the population have improved, freedom of food and freedom of grain have been achieved. Bilateral and multilateral cooperation with foreign countries is being established in every field.

In fact, in the villages located in the provinces, there are only national dishes that are unique to this place, and its taste and composition are not repeated in the villages of other provinces. It is in this sense that such dishes are delicious for both foreign tourists and locals. Our country has all the dishes and beverages that correspond to the four seasons, have a unique ancient history, as well as necessary for human life, for example, radish snack with sour cream in the spring, soup soup, sumalak, halim, blue chuchvara, blue somsa, kovatok rice (vine), roasted cauliflower, mint. In summer, tomato kebab, cabbage stuffing, dumbil soup, pepper stuffing, lagmon, yoghurt soup, sour cream snack, chalop, chicken soup, steamed kebab, meat stew, vegetable stew, ayran, yak tea, fruit compotes and so on are welcome. In autumn, fried fish, laqqa kebab, barra meat, head soup, quail kebab, behili pilaf, potato manti, honey quince, cut lagmon, pumpkin somsa, etc. are on the table. On frosty days, kazi-karta, pustdumba, mutton pilaf, kart dumba pilaf, qazili pilaf, barra kebab, radish salad, fried soup, moshkichiri, winter fruits, their jams, compotes, peels, vinegar and pickles are consumed [13, p. 257]. Uzbekistan is one of the top five countries in the CIS and CIS countries in the field of gastronomic tourism. We know that it has always been interesting for tourists to get acquainted with the process of preparation of national dishes in the homeland of those dishes.

In 2016 Uzbek palov (pilaf) culture and tradition has been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO. It is proposed to additionally add to this list such pearls of the national intangible cultural heritage of the national dishes sumalak and halim. [14, p. 43]. 

Therefore, the role of public organizations, in particular, the Association of Chefs of Uzbekistan, established in 2008, plays a special role in promoting the brand "Uzbek cuisine" in the world. In order to promote Uzbek national cuisine to the world, to increase the flow of tourists to our country, the Chefs Association of Uzbekistan became a member of the World Association of Chefs in 2010 and the World Association of Chefs in 2017. As a result, many foreign festivals, summits and competitions share experience and achieve high results. In particular, in 2018, Uzbekistan took first place in the category "Gastronomic Tourism" at the award "National Geographis Traveler" held by the magazine "National Geographis". At the 33rd International Mengen Festival in Turkey in August 2019, the national cuisine “Uzbekistan” was presented to 13 countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Ukraine, Egypt, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saudi Arabia and others. stand was set up and won 3rd place in the competition.

On April 7, 2021 in the Republic of Dagestan of the Russian Federation began propaganda work in the direction of "Journey to the Land of Imams."In particular, the delegation consisting of representatives of the State Committee for Tourism Development, the International Islamic Academy, the Association of Chefs visited the city of Makhachkala in Dagestan with the support of the Embassy of Russia in the Russian Federation and the Consulate General in Rostov-on-Don. Skilled chefs of the Association of Chefs of Uzbekistan prepared pilaf, our national dish, and Dagestanis appreciated the taste of pilaf [15]. Of course, such initiatives have not stopped, we can cite many more such examples, but at the same time we would like to make our suggestions and recommendations on what needs to be done in this area. I think that the suggestions and recommendations we are going to make will also serve to improve the gastronomic tourism activity, as we have mentioned above examples that our country has long been preparing medicinal and nutritious food, and this process naturally attracts the attention of tourists. In order to further develop this area:

-  To increase the number of fast food outlets, taking into account the fact that, unlike organized tourists, self-organized tourists prefer to eat on the road, use the services of nearby cafes and bars in attractions;

-  In this regard, training of specialists, certification, organization of special zones, high level of safety of gastronomic tourism, service staff of restaurants included in the kitchen tour project must know foreign languages  and the necessary information about the dishes, drinks and products they prepare. Waiters have to play the additional role of kitchen guides almost completely. Tourists should also be familiar with gastronomic monuments and places where they can buy products that are popular in the area;

-  The direct participation of tourists in the process of cooking national dishes and eating them on the spot is of great interest to foreigners. In this regard, it is necessary to organize annual "harvest festivals" in the city and district centers and rural areas, melon, pumpkin and bread festivals in the form of competitions, in the gastronomic tourism of the city can visit many restaurants, confectionery factories;

-  Our staff serving in our kitchens must have full knowledge of each meal. To do this, we need to increase the number of educational programs and commercials. If we take out our medicinal foods in TV commercials today, we have fruits, drinking water, meat and dairy products, various greens and many other foods that cure many diseases in our country. This area is worth actively promoting promotional activities. Currently, the number of channels engaged in the advertising of the tourism industry is limited, it is necessary to expand the dependence of information supply;

-  Organization of master classes in the traditions of national cuisine or in the hotel restaurant chef.

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