Uzbek cuisine in Latin America. Who would have thought it was even possible?
Some would say, “Uzbeks are everywhere.” Others would shrug, “Who needs it there?”
I’ve always been on the side of the first. But to my surprise, Uzbek cuisine had been almost absent across the entire American continent, home to nearly 700 million people.
Until recently.
Everything changed when Dmitry Kaplin opened the first Uzbek chaikhana in Buenos Aires in 2025.
Of course, during my spring tour, I couldn’t miss the chance to visit it. And not just visit, but truly experience it. Plov, manti, samsa, achichuk…
That moment when taste becomes memory.
It’s hard to describe the feeling. You are more than 15,000 kilometers away from Jizzakh, yet suddenly everything feels close. Familiar. Real. Almost like home.
What Dmitry has done is not just a restaurant. It’s a cultural bridge. Being a pioneer is never easy, and that’s exactly why it deserves respect, admiration, and support from Uzbekistan and from everyone who cares about the culinary heritage of the Silk Road.
At Hertfordshire Press, we also contribute to this journey in our own way. Through articles in OCA Magazine and through our culinary guide The Taste of Central Asia Cookbook, which has become one of our bestsellers.
During our meeting, we discussed the possibility of publishing a Spanish edition of the book. It aligns naturally with Dmitry’s plans to expand, open new locations, and introduce Central Asian cuisine to a wider audience across Argentina.
And this is how it begins. Not with big projects, but with one place. One table. One plate of plov that quietly changes perception.
We’ve already agreed that during my next visit in July, we will host a presentation of our projects in this remarkable place.
Sometimes culture travels faster through taste than through words.
Marat Akhmedjanov, the founder of the British publishing house Hertfordshire Press
