Where in Uzbekistan is it cheapest to cook pilaf

The National Statistics Committee has published data on the average cost of cooking 1 kilogram of pilaf in the regions of Uzbekistan for August this year.

Pilaf is a national dish in many countries of Central Asia, as well as neighbouring regions, including Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Uzbek pilaf, incidentally, has even been included in UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. Each region of Uzbekistan has its own unique variations of the recipe and cooking techniques, which are passed down from generation to generation.

A standard set of ingredients was used for the calculations: sunflower oil — 0.3 litres; onions — 300 grams; beef — 700 grams; carrots — 1 kilogram; rice — 1 kilogram; peas — 100 grams; zira — 10 grams; salt — 20 grams.

The statistics committee explained that the figures do not reflect the price per kilogram of the finished dish in cafes, restaurants or markets; only the cost of food, preparation and related services are included in the calculation.

The most expensive place to cook pilaf was Tashkent — 822.27 KGS (117,400 sum) per kilogram, while in the Tashkent region, cooking this dish would cost 795.65 KGS (113,600 sum). In the Bukhara region, pilaf costs 759.23 KGS (108,400 sum).

The cheapest place to cook pilaf was Karakalpakstan — 690.59 KGS (98,600 sum).
On average, the cost in Uzbekistan is about 770.44-791.45KGS (110-113 thousand soums).