The Silk Road, Reimagined in New York City

Most people know Indian food.
A lot have tried Afghan food.
But Uzbek food? Many people haven’t — and some couldn’t even point Uzbekistan out on a map.

That’s what makes this visit so interesting.

I’m inside Tashkent Supermarket, one of New York City’s go-to destinations for Uzbek and Central Asian food. With locations across NYC — including Manhattan and Brooklyn — Tashkent has quietly become a hub for Silk Road flavors in the middle of one of the most diverse food cities on Earth.

Uzbek cuisine sits at the crossroads of history. India, Persia, Afghanistan, and Central Asia all intersected along the Silk Road, and you can taste that legacy here — from smoky lamb kebabs and tandoori-style lamb chops to plov, Uzbekistan’s national dish built on rice, meat, carrots, and time.

What stands out about Tashkent isn’t just the food — it’s how unfiltered it is. Whole-animal cooking. Old-school techniques. Dishes that weren’t designed for trends, but for feeding families.

New York has always been a place where global cultures don’t disappear — they concentrate. What the Silk Road once connected across continents, NYC compresses into neighborhoods.

And as New York’s leadership and public life increasingly reflect the city’s global makeup — with figures like Zohran Mamdani representing a more international, South-Asian-connected generation — it feels like the right moment to actually learn the foods and cultures that shape the city beyond the usual headlines.

This isn’t fusion.
This is preservation.

📍 Tashkent Supermarket — NYC
🍽️ Uzbek • Central Asian • Halal
🌍 Silk Road flavors, Manhattan & beyond