Food & Drinks

1. Bir piyola choy bering

   Bir pi-yo-la choy be-ring

   Please give me a cup of tea

   Usage

   Classic phrase for ordering tea at a chaikhana (tea house) or home. Green tea is most common.

   Grammar Note

   Verb ber- (give) + -ing (polite imperative suffix). Uzbek is SOV so the verb comes last. "Piyola" is used across Central Asia.

2. Osh bering

   Osh be-ring

   Please give me plov (rice dish)

   Usage

   Ordering plov (osh), the national dish of Uzbekistan. Essential at weddings and celebrations.

   Grammar Note

   Osh refers to plov (pilaf with lamb, carrots, and rice). Related to Persian āsh (soup). UNESCO Intangible Heritage.

3. Menyuni ko'rsating

   Men-yu-ni ko'r-sa-ting

   Please show me the menu

   Usage

   Standard phrase to request the menu at a restaurant.

   Grammar Note

   Uzbek marks grammatical cases with suffixes: -ni is the accusative. The letter o' (o + apostrophe) represents a rounded back vowel.

4. Bu necha pul?

   Bu ne-cha pul?

   How much does this cost?

   Usage

   Used at street stalls or bazaars to check the price of food.

   Grammar Note

   Necha asks about quantity/price. Pul (money) is from Persian. Uzbekistan's currency is the So'm (sum).

5. Juda mazali!

   Ju-da ma-za-li!

   Very delicious!

   Usage

   Classic compliment for food. An important expression of courtesy toward hosts.

   Grammar Note

   -li is an adjectival suffix (maza = taste + -li = having taste). Adjectives precede nouns in Uzbek.

6. Non bering

   Non be-ring

   Please give me non (flatbread)

   Usage

   Ordering non, the traditional tandoor-baked flatbread essential to Uzbek meals.

   Grammar Note

   Non is cognate with Persian nān (bread). Central to Uzbek food culture. Tashkent's nonvoy (bread bakers) are famous.

7. Shashlik bering

   Shash-lik be-ring

   Please give me shashlik (kebab)

   Usage

   Ordering shashlik, the Central Asian skewered grilled meat. Usually lamb.

   Grammar Note

   Shashlik comes from Turkic şiş (skewer), spread internationally via Russian. A signature dish of Central Asian cuisine.

8. Hisobni bering

   Hi-sob-ni be-ring

   Please bring the bill

   Usage

   Requesting the bill at a restaurant.

   Grammar Note

   Hisob derives from Arabic ḥisāb (account/calculation). -ni marks the object. Shows Uzbek agglutinative morphology.

9. Vegetarian taom bormi?

   Ve-ge-ta-ri-an ta-om bor-mi?

   Is there vegetarian food?

   Usage

   Checking for vegetarian options. Important since Uzbek cuisine is heavily meat-based.

   Grammar Note

   -mi creates yes/no questions in Uzbek. Taom is from Arabic ṭaʿām (food). Typical Turkic agglutinative question formation.

10. Suv bering

    Suv be-ring

    Please give me water

    Usage

    The most basic phrase to request water. Mineral water is "mineral suv".

    Grammar Note

    Suv (water) is a common Turkic root. Uzbekistan is a landlocked country where water resources are precious.

11. Somsa bering

    Som-sa be-ring

    Please give me samsa (baked pastry)

    Usage

    Ordering samsa, the triangular tandoor-baked pastry. Popular at markets and street stalls.

    Grammar Note

    Somsa is related to Indian samosa, from Persian samosa. Spread via the Silk Road across Central Asia.

12. Achchiq

    Spicy (hot)

    Usage

    For checking or avoiding heat in a dish; the same word also means "bitter" and figuratively "harsh", so keep it in a food context

13. Shirin

    Sweet

    Usage

    For asking about or requesting sweetness; the same word also means "cute/lovely" about people, so point at the food while showing it

14. Xom

    Raw (uncooked)

    Usage

    For pointing out or avoiding uncooked food; of fruit it also means "unripe"

15. Qaynatilgan guruch

    Cooked rice

    Usage

    For plain cooked rice; "guruch" alone means the raw grain, so keep "qaynatilgan" (boiled). Different from "palov/osh", rice cooked with meat and oil

16. Non

    Bread

    Usage

    For ordering bread; Uzbek "non" is the round tandoor-baked flatbread that comes with every meal

17. Makaron

    Noodles / pasta

    Usage

    The word for packaged noodles and pasta; hand-pulled noodles are "ugra" and the noodle dish itself is "lag'mon"

18. Sho'rva

    Soup

    Usage

    Both the general word for soup and the name of the classic mutton-and-vegetable stew; on a menu it will be the dish

19. Meva

    Fruit

    Usage

    The umbrella word when asking for fruit; Uzbekistan is famous for its melons ("qovun") and apricots ("o'rik")

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