365 Days of Sun: A Taste of Uzbekistan

Discover the vibrant flavors of Uzbek cuisine from every corner of the country.

Words by: Aziza Pulatova

The book ‘365 Days of Sun’ covers the masterpieces of Uzbek cuisine from all regions of the country and is a true gastronomic guide for guests to the Republic. It includes more than 200 pictures of over fifty dishes. The book also presents the oldest legends and stories of Uzbek cuisine, and acquaintances with real heroes who dedicated their life to cooking.

The presentation of the book took place on May 17th 2017 within the line up of the cultural programme of the international exhibition ‘Global Oil Uzbekistan’. The book was prepared by the creative team of the publishing house Dinara & Co, with the support of NHC ‘Uzbekneftegaz’ and the international exhibition company ITE. ‘365 Days of Sun’ was presented in Russian and English; the Uzbek version is now ready for printing, while translation into other languages is currently in process.

The author of the book, brand-chef Bakhriddin Chustiy and food photographer Andrey Arakelyan, spent six months traveling around the country in pursuit of unique national recipes in order to reveal the full potential of gastronomic tourism in Uzbekistan. Not without reason, Bakhriddin Chustiy is called the ‘Uzbek Jamie Oliver’ – he has visited every part of Uzbekistan and revived dozens of recipes. He has worked in premium restaurants in Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Estonia. Bakhriddin Chustiy is also incredibly ambitious – he intends to break the Guinness record by making the biggest plov in the history of mankind. 

‘We tried to present something that is totally different from everything that has already been said and showed by various authors. Perhaps, something can seem not so noticeable at first sight, but if you look closely, you fall in love forever,’ says Bakhriddin Chustiy.

The book is so impressive that you could work up an appetite for it! And the presentation’s organisers took this into account. While the audience was observing the first copies of the book with curiosity, several cooks led by Bakhriddin Chustiy were already preparing a celebratory dinner in honour of the books’ presentation.

The brand-chef and his team cooked 25 different dishes. The show was called ‘Miracle from Tandyr’. All those who were near the ‘UzbekExpoCentre’ came running to try the dishes. For hours, they had been able to smell numerous delicious flavours coming from the building.

It is important to note that the photos in the book are distinguished by their high conceptuality and non-standard approach, by the unexpected foreshortenings of food and nature, by people and traditions, atmosphere and details. All these were able to be achieved through the efforts of the well-known photographer, Andrey Arakelyan. He has experience in working with the country’s most famous brands, including the largest national producer of equipment and gadgets, Artel, as well as luxury-restaurants Multimafe, Mona, 1991 and ‘Pashtet’.