Taste it first, then we weigh it
A family dried-fruit shop in Bukhara. This season: apricots, raisins, melon, almonds, pistachios and walnuts.
Dried fruit this season
Apricots · my uncle's orchard outside Bukhara Whole, with the stone out. Sweet first, then a little sharp. Golden raisins · a vineyard near Samarkand Plump and soft, and they taste of honey. Dark raisins · the same vineyard Smaller and firmer, and not as sweet. Dried melon · a grower near Bukhara Long chewy strips, sweet as the melon was.
Nuts this season
Almonds · my aunt's trees near Samarkand Sweet and crisp, with the skin on. Pistachios · a grower we have known for years In the shell, lightly salted. Walnuts · my uncle's orchard outside Bukhara Shelled by hand at home. Mild, never bitter. A mixed bag · weighed together A handful of anything on the trays, in one bag.
Taste before you buy
Take a piece from any tray before we weigh it. Prices are on the board by the counter each day, in sum. We don't send parcels abroad.
Nafosat Zuhurova
Third generation at the counter
My grandfather opened Qoqixona with one brass scale. My mother kept it, and now my brother and I weigh on the same scale.
When we're open
Novvot Lane, Bukhara
Look for the lamp over the trays and the brass scale.
Before you come
How do I choose good dried apricots?
Ask to taste one. We look for fruit that bends without cracking and tastes of apricot before sugar.
How long will it keep?
At home we keep dried fruit in closed jars, away from the stove, and finish it within a few months. Nuts go in the fridge.
Can I take it on a plane?
Please check the rules of the country you are flying to.
Ask what came in this week before you make the trip.