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National favourite dish of Uzbekistan is Palov (Plov or Osh), which is the main course made with rice and pieces of meat, carrots and onions flavoured with spices (the dried black pepper berries, barberries and cumin seeds), peas (nukhat), a head of garlic and raisins. Nahorga Osh or morning Plov, is served in the early morning (between 6 am and 9 am, sometimes from 12 am till 13 pm) to large gatherings of guests and relatives, usually as part of an ongoing wedding celebration or to commemorate the deceased.
There are other notable national dishes, which include:
Shurpa (Shurva or Shorva), a soup made of large pieces of fatty meat (usually mutton), and fresh vegetables;
Norin - noodle-based dish with small pieces of meat that may be served as a soup or a main course;
Lagman, a soup with homemade noodles, vegetables and thick gravy of meat but may be served as a main course;
Manti and Somsa, stuffed with chopped meat (or grated pumpkin) pockets of dough served as an appetizer or a main course;
Dimlama (a meat and fresh vegetables stew) and various Kebabs (Kabob or Shashlik), usually served as a main course.
Green tea is the national hot beverage taken throughout the day. Teahouses (Chaikhana or Choykhona) are of cultural importance. The more usual black tea is preferred in Tashkent (capital of Uzbekistan), both green and black teas are taken daily without milk or sugar. Tea always accompanies a meal, but it is also a drink of hospitality, automatically offered – green or black – to every guest.