KOREA FOUNDATION

Samarkand, the center of the Samarkand Region located in southeastern Uzbekistan, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. It used to be an important stop on the Silk Road linking ancient China and the West. The name “Samarkand”—derived from the ancient Persian language; samar meaning stone or rock and from the ancient Sogdian language; kand meaning fort or town —can also be found throughout Central Asian Street in Seoul’s central Jung District, reminding passersby of the diverse and abundant culture of the Silk Road.

Central Asian Street is situated in Gwanghui-dong, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Korea. Take Subway Line 2, 4, or 5 and get off at Dongdaemun History and Culture Park. As you walk towards Gwanghui-dong, you will see signboards in Cyrillic, the alphabet used exclusively or as one of several alphabets for over 50 languages, including Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek. You will also smell spices that are not used in Korean cuisine. The signpost at the Gwanghui-dong Intersection shows that the distance to Samarkand is 5,126 kilometers. Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, is 7,250 kilometers away from here, whereas the distance to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia is only 1,995 kilometers.

In the early 1990s, people from this faraway region began coming to Korea. In the wake of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Russia in 1990, Russian merchants rushed in to do business with clothes wholesalers at Dongdaemun Market, and they were followed by traders from Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan, who settled in the neighboring area. As the number of settlers increased, the street was divided into the Russian Street, Uzbek Street, and Mongolian Street, and the area came to be called the “Dongdaemun Silk Road” for being the base for exports of various goods to different parts of Central Asia, much like the Silk Road of the past.

Particularly appealing to both Central Asian residents and tourists are the restaurants that bear names like “Samarkand” or “Ulaanbaatar.” They serve a variety of Central Asian dishes, including bread baked in braziers; shashlik, or mutton cooked on skewers; and suutei tsai, Mongolian-style milk tea. Manti, similar to Korean mandu, are made by wrapping seasoned mutton or beef with thin sheets of dough. Boiled manti are served with yogurt, mashed garlic, and sour cream.

When countries’ indigenous cuisines spread beyond their national borders, there are usually some changes made to adapt to the different palates of people in the respective countries. However, on Central Asian Street in Seoul, you can enjoy authentic Central Asian dishes, a special treat for those, for instance, who prefer the strong spices and chewy texture of grilled mutton over Korean-style skewered meat. With air travel currently difficult due to the pandemic, a visit to this neighborhood will allow you to take a trip to Central Asia right in the heart of Seoul.

Written by Kim Moonyoung
Illustrated by EEWHA

Central_AsiaSilk_RoadFoodCulture