Lately, I have been very into this area that I realized is pretty much the old Silk Road. I have always loved Tibet and old Persia and Arabia. And I have always loved the strong flavors of this Central Asia area. So I decided to map out the Silk Road, and do a food journey along it.

It was not my best food tour. The possibility exists that I really was not cooking these dishes properly, but to my surprise, I found them to be extremely bland!

Also, because I am a single person following a recipe I cobble together, I ended up with huge portions. Many leftovers ended up requiring, though grossly inaccurate, flavor mending. (For instance, the soup got a healthy portion of coconut milk and chilli to make it more enjoyable..)

But, here it is:

Xian – Central China

Xian Cumin Lamb

(The only truly flavor packed meal)

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Kashgar – Western China

Kyrgystan Apple Cake

(A weird mistake. I am not sure how my wires got crossed during research, but this recipe does not actually come from Kashgar…)

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Pamirs – Tajikistan

Lagman, Uzbek Beef Soup

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Merv – Turkmenistan

Turkmen Chicken Plov, Pilaf

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Baghdad – Iraq

Baghdad Eggs

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Damascus – Syria

Fatet Djaj, Chicken Platter

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Tyre – Lebanon

Mujadara, Lentils and Rice

(I like to try and go out at one point of my culinary tours, eat a meal someone else has cooked, probably better than me. But due to our current state of affairs, I settled for going out and buying from the store. I added some Yogurt, Mint, and Fried Onions, and it was pretty yummy.)

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I also paid a little homage to Marco Polo. (I tried so hard to read his book, but just didn’t find it an enjoyable read 😞)

A version of a Pasta I ate at a restaurant called Bella Italia.

Penne with Dark Meat Chicken and Scallion, in Plum Sauce.

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And a recipe by Julia Child called Spaghetti Marco Polo.

Spaghetti, Chopped Olives, Roasted Red Peppers, Toasted Walnuts, Parsley, and Basil.

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I don’t honestly know a lot about the Silk Road. I just have found myself drawn to the cultures that it travels through. So the possibility if my inaccuracy is high. But I thought I’d share the tour anyway.