Non: bread at the centre of the table
In Uzbek, non simply means bread. At an Uzbek meal it is the first thing on the table and the last thing cleared away. The host breaks it, and it goes with nearly every dish, from plov and soups to grilled meat and tea.
Most Uzbek bread is baked in a tandoor, a clay oven heated from inside. The baker presses the shaped dough against the hot inner wall, where it bakes quickly in fierce, dry heat. That is what gives non its particular crust and aroma, and why a home oven can only come close.
Obi non: the everyday round bread
Obi non is the bread most people picture: a round loaf with a thick, soft rim and a thin, flat centre. The centre is stamped with a chekich, a tool set with rows of pins or nails that pricks a pattern into the dough. The stamping stops the middle from puffing up in the oven, and the patterns vary from baker to baker.
The result is two textures in one bread: a crisp, thin centre and a soft, chewy rim. Many loaves are scattered with sesame or nigella seeds before baking.
In Riga, Uzbek non for the Arkan Bazar counter is baked fresh every morning by partner bakers.
Patyr (patir): the rich, festive bread
Patyr, also spelt patir, is non's richer relative. The dough is made with fat, which can be butter, kaymak (a thick clotted cream) or tail fat from fat-tailed sheep, and it is often rolled and folded into layers. The crumb is denser and more filling, and the crust crisp and shiny.
Patyr is associated with the Fergana Valley and with celebrations: weddings, holidays and the arrival of guests. The fat also helps it keep longer than plain non. You can bake it at home with our patyr recipe, which uses butter if you have no tail fat.
Samarkand non
Samarkand non carries the name of the old Silk Road city. It is denser and heavier than everyday obi non, with a glossy crust, and it is famous for keeping for a long time.
Other Uzbek breads worth knowing
- Katlama: a layered flatbread, made by spreading thin dough with fat and folding it so it bakes into flaky layers.
- Gijda: the bread of Khorezm, in the north-west of Uzbekistan, with its own regional shape and stamp.
- Kulcha: small round breads, much smaller than a standard non.
- Shirmoy non: one of the many regional round breads you may see named at an Uzbek bakery.
Names and shapes change from region to region, and sometimes from town to town. If you see a bread you do not recognise, ask what it is called and where it comes from.
Bread etiquette at an Uzbek table
Uzbeks treat bread with respect, and a few simple rules follow from that.
- Never place bread face down. The stamped side always faces up.
- Tear it by hand. Non is broken, never cut with a knife.
- Let the host break it. At the start of the meal the host breaks the bread and shares it around the table.
- Never throw it away. Leftover bread is dried, reheated or eaten later, but it does not go in the bin.
If you are a guest, wait for the host to break the bread before you start eating, and take the pieces you are offered.
How to keep and reheat Uzbek bread
Non is at its best on the day it is baked. To keep it soft, wrap it in a clean cotton or linen cloth rather than a plastic bag.
On the second day, sprinkle it with a little water and warm it in a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp the crust again. For longer storage, freeze non on the day you buy it and reheat it straight from the freezer in the oven.
Patyr keeps for several days wrapped in a cloth, thanks to the fat in the dough, and Samarkand non is known for keeping well. Bread that has gone hard is not wasted: dry the pieces to eat with tea, or tear them into a bowl of lamb shurpa.
How to bake Uzbek bread without a tandoor
A home oven cannot reach tandoor heat, but you can get close. Heat the oven as high as it goes with a pizza stone or a cast-iron pan inside, and put a tray of hot water on the bottom shelf for steam.
Shape each round with a thick rim and a thin centre, then stamp the middle. A fork works if you have no chekich; the pattern does not change the taste. Brush with egg, scatter with sesame or nigella and bake until deep golden. Our non recipe for a home oven gives the quantities and timings.
For patyr, the extra step is the fat. Spread the rolled-out dough with softened butter or tail fat, roll it up, cut it into pieces and shape each one, so the layers form inside the bread. Keep the rim thick: it stays soft while the centre crisps.
How to serve Uzbek bread
Serve non whole and break it at the table, so everyone gets a piece of the soft rim and a piece of the crisp centre. Put it out before the food arrives and leave it there until the end of the meal.
- With plov: non sits beside the shared dish, to eat between mouthfuls.
- With soups: tear it into shurpa, lagman or mastava, or use it to mop the bowl.
- With grilled meat: shashlik comes to the table with sliced onion, fresh herbs and non.
- With tea: alongside dried apricots, raisins and nuts, or for breakfast with butter and honey or kaymak.
How to choose a good loaf
Good non has an even, golden-brown crust, a rim that springs back when you press it, and a centre that is crisp and dry rather than pale and doughy. It should smell of baked bread and sesame; a sour or stale smell means it is past its best. Buy it on the day you plan to eat it; if it is still warm, leave the bag open so the crust does not go soft.
Where to find Uzbek bread in Riga
Arkan Bazar, the Uzbek bazaar at Riga Central Market, sells round Uzbek non baked by partner bakers in Riga and brought to the counter in the morning. Come earlier in the day for the freshest bread; the bazaar's page has the location and current hours.
Non goes with almost everything on an Uzbek table: plov, soups, shashlik and a pot of kok-chai, served the Uzbek way.
If you are heading to the market anyway, our Riga Central Market guide covers the pavilions and what else to buy.
At an Uzbek table, bread is broken by hand, kept face up and never thrown away.