The Timurid dastarkhan (feast cloth) organizes the meal around a succession of shared dishes laid out on a large cloth on the floor or on low tables: first the non (breads) and fruits, then the ash (hearty soups), the palov (ceremonial rice pilaf at the center), kabobs and meats, and finally shirinlik (sweets) accompanied by sharbat (flavored drinks). The host's rank is measured by the abundance and variety of the dastarkhan.

Cumin and saffron are the two queen spices of Timurid cuisine from Samarkand. Cumin perfumes pilafs and grilled meats, while saffron, imported at great expense from Iran, colors and ennobles court dishes. Their alliance — earthy and floral — is the aromatic signature of this sophisticated cuisine.