Manti are Uzbekistan's signature dumpling — much larger than Chinese jiaozi or Korean mandu (each one is 5–8 cm across) and steamed in a tiered metal steamer called a mantikash or mantovarka.
Filling: - Classic: lamb mince + diced onion + cumin + salt + black pepper. - Fat: a cube of lamb tail fat in each one for juice. - Variants: pumpkin (seasonal), potato, beef.
Dough: wheat flour + water + salt. Rolled thin, stretched by hand into circles, folded around the filling with a distinctive pleated closure.
Serving: - 3–5 manti per portion. - Topped with smetana (sour cream) or suzma (strained yoghurt). - Some serve with a red chilli-vinegar sauce. - Sprinkled with fresh dill or dried mint.
Manti vs other dumplings: - Manti — steamed, large, open top. - Chuchvara — tiny boiled dumplings (like pelmeni), served in soup. - Tushbera — very similar to chuchvara but specific to Bukhara.
Where to eat: - Any chaikhana or restaurant. - Specialist manti houses exist in Tashkent (look for "mantixona" signs). - Home-made is always the best — if invited to an Uzbek home, request manti.
Price: 30,000–50,000 UZS per portion ($2.50–4).
Uzbekistan in photos
A short visual companion to this entry — photographs from our Uzbekistan travel archive.
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