Strijova and Ansary enjoy cultural foods

Recipe: Plov- two onions are roasted until dark at which point meat and salt are added during frying. After two to three minutes of cooking, carrots are added to be fried for another ten minutes. One liter of water is then added and allowed to boil in order to cook a half a kilogram of rice in the mixture. The water can then be boiled until it has all evaporated. Spices including cumin seeds, basil, and salt are mixed in and allowed to sit for ten minutes before eating.

Plov is known across the Middle East and very popular in Russia and Central Asia. Plov is somewhat difficult to prepare and requires a good deal of time due to the necessity of boiling off a liter of water. The result however, is a colorful and very flavorful dish.

Junior Kate Strijova, originally from Kyrgystan, enjoys the dish. “We eat plov often. I love the taste and for holidays we have it,” however because of the difficulty of the dish, “everyone has to help,” she explains.

Although plov is very similar to foods found here and in other countries, many dishes in and around Kyrgystan would be considered unusual to the American palette.

“Some families eat cow tongue,” remarks sophomore Sophia Ansary, whose family is originally from neighboring Pakistan. In fact, plov does not have to be made of more American meats like beef or pork, but can be made with tongue.