The Central Asian dastarkhan (tablecloth) organizes the meal around dishes placed simultaneously on a cloth spread on the floor or low table. It begins with non (flatbread) and choy (tea), followed by shorba (soup) or palov (pilaf), with shirinlik (sweets, dried fruits) as a constant accompaniment. There is no starter-main-dessert sequence: everything is shared and accessible, reflecting Central Asian hospitality.

Black cumin (zira) from the Zeravshan Valley has been the signature spice of Samarkand pilaf for centuries. More aromatic and less bitter than common cumin, it perfumes the rice at the precise moment when the mutton fat begins to smoke in the kazan. Khoja Ahrar, master of vast agricultural estates around Samarkand, knew intimately the products of this land.