appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Kevin McSpadden

Imagine it is the height of the Tang dynasty (618–690, 705–907), and the imperial court awaits a gift of pure opulence.
The exotic luxury would not have been a golden statue or precious gem; those were easy enough for high royalty to procure. Rather, it was a humble peach, specifically, the “golden peach of Samarkand,” which symbolised the allure and mystery of a faraway land.
Originating in what is modern-day Uzbekistan, the luscious peach shows how food spread along the Silk Road and how Central Asia often served as a centre for cultural blending, particularly in spreading ingredients both East and West.
“In many ways, Central Asia is a forgotten land, and few people in East Asia or Europe are familiar with the many names of prominent empires that rose and fell in this vast region,” said Dr Robert N. Spengler III, the director of the Paleoethnobotany Laboratories at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany.

He pointed out that Central Asia sat at the crossroads of the Silk Road, and that foods like rice, chicken, and melons came from China, while items like wheat, lentils, cattle, and fava beans spread from Southwest Asia. All of them travelled through Central Asia.
“However, few people acknowledge that domesticated plants originated in Central Asia, including the apple, walnut, pistachio, and quince,” said Spengler, whose team found in 2022 that pistachios were cultivated in Central Asia at least 2,000 years ago before spreading westward.
As these ingredients spread, people would have used them to experiment with foods already in their diet.
Dr Peter Frankopan, a Professor of Global History at Oxford University and author of the book Silk Roads and its follow-up, The New Silk Roads, said Central Asian plov is “a glorious example of how cooking seasons rice with meat.”
“Fruit and spices spread not only across this region but into India and South Asia, where it is called biryani,” he said. “There are also samosas, pastries stuffed with minced meat, nuts, and other savoury ingredients, which again spread across vast distances. And of course, noodles and pasta are the signatures of the Silk Roads.”

But did these ingredients explode onto the scene like any food fad? Or were the changes gradual, slowly integrating into people’s daily lived experience?
Spengler said he tends to believe culinary changes were gradual.
“But it is hard to parse them out in the archaeological record. Elite commodities, such as spices, likely only spread into the culinary tradition of commoners long after they were established in the broader economy.”
Spengler told the SCMP that, 2000 years ago, rice was a luxury commodity in Central Asia, an idea that would be anathema today.
Part of what made Central Asia such a melting pot was that merchants almost never travelled the entire length of the Silk Road, and goods were typically relayed across Asia as they made their way to the final destination. Frankopan pointed out that, for most people, the trade hubs were the point:
“The Silk Roads were studded with marketplaces, towns, and cities. If you could match supply and demand, you could make serious money – not just from silks, textiles, ceramics, and technology, but from food too,” he said.

Clara Wang, a food journalist who wrote about how the Silk Road created Asia’s first food diaspora, wrote that the “forces of global history blew certain foods across the desert.”
She pointed to the huge varieties of dumplings that have developed across Asia. Chinese jiaozi are cousins of Korean mandu, which are vaguely similar to the Nepalese momo, reminiscent of a mantuun buzz in Mongolia. And so on, and so forth.
The point is, as Frankopan, Spengler, and Wang all described, the Silk Road was far more than a trade route for imports and exports; it was a vibrant centre for cultural blending that laid the foundation for the food we still eat today.
And, as any fan of food would know, our modern world’s constant cultural exchange and food experimentation are surely building the bedrock for future cuisines we cannot yet comprehend.
“The evolution of food is constant, and food is a dynamic thing. Even the most traditional dishes – like spaghetti and meatballs, or risotto, or dumplings, or La Bian – something that seems sacrilegious to change in a culture, is in fact the product of constant dynamic friction between cultures,” said Wang.


Korean dating show featuring AI and human contestants sparks fascination in China

Chinese live-streamer reportedly held for US$90,000 ransom in Myanmar

Artworks reveal Chinese rulers and Cixi loved role-playing long before modern cosplay

Chinese son’s video of mum’s final 14 days before sudden leukaemia death moves hearts online

Trending in China

How Silk Road as East-West melting pot turns Central Asia into culinary destination

The Silk Road served as an East-West melting pot, transforming Central Asia into a fascinating food destination. Photo: Shutterstock

Small Uzbek nectarines, renowned for their exceptional sweetness and enticing aroma, are in high demand not only throughout Central Asia but also in rapidly growing export markets worldwide. Photo: Shutterstock

One delightful example of this exchange is the Uzbek samsa, a savoury pastry baked fresh at bustling street market bazaars in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Photo: Shutterstock

A camel caravan sculpture stands in silhouette at sunset near the Unesco-listed Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi  within the Azret Sultan Museum-Reserve, honouring the region’s rich Silk Road heritage. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese sisters’ 86-page expose accuses PhD supervisor of affair with dad, academic misconduct

Two sisters published an extensive 86-page document online, alleging that a female PhD supervisor at Wuhan University had an affair with their father, who is a former professor at the university. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu

The document alleges that Fu consistently responded to Zeng’s requests attentively, even during family holidays, raising concerns about professional boundaries. Photo: ahyouth.com

On September 3, Wuhan University officially announced they had received whistle-blower information on August 19 and would begin a thorough investigation into the allegations. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese woman sues son for US$54,000 in childcare fees after 15 years, sparking debate

A woman in eastern China sued her son, seeking over 360,000 yuan (US$54,000) in compensation for her longstanding role in caring for his daughter. Photo: Shutterstock

In her legal complaint, Xu accused her son of lacking a “sense of family responsibility” and failing to fulfil his obligations as a father. Photo: Shutterstock

Traditionally, Chinese families have upheld the value of multigenerational support, with Confucian principles emphasising mutual obligations across generations. Photo: Getty Images

Ancient roots: China pioneering sex therapist warns of rise of ‘relationship blind’ phenomenon

A trailblazing Chinese therapist confronts misunderstandings and stigma as she addresses the deep-rooted sexual education gaps in a culture where discussing such topics remains delicate. Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote/Facebook@Tong Songzhen

Tong navigates her clients’ most intimate challenges, including instances where individuals lacked basic sexual knowledge, mistakenly believing that sharing a bed could lead to pregnancy. Photo: QQ.com

The “Love Poems” album, shown above, is a renowned masterpiece from the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644), created by the artist Wang Sheng. Esteemed by art historians, it is regarded as the oldest surviving instance of Chinese erotic art, showcasing the era’s cultural richness. Photo: Sotheby’s

Tong shared that her profession has historically battled misconceptions and stigma, with critics often misinterpreting her work as merely “another form of sex work.” Photo: QQ.com

Evidence of earliest silkworm farming outside China found, upending Silk Road timeline

Archaeological discoveries reveal the earliest evidence of silkworm cultivation outside China, challenging long-held beliefs that silkworms were solely disseminated via the Silk Road. Photo: SCMP composite/archaeology.org/Shutterstock

A comparative analysis of ancient silkworm cocoons discovered at the Sapalli Tepe site, a significant Bronze Age archaeological location in southern Uzbekistan. Photo: X. Zhou/IVPP, CAS

A map indicating the locations of sites associated with pre-Han silk findings in the Old World. Photo: X. Zhou/IVPP, CAS

The silkworm, the larval stage of the domestic silk moth (Bombyx mori), plays a crucial economic role as a primary silk producer, particularly in Thailand. Photo: Shutterstock

The silkworm, the caterpillar of the domestic silk moth (Bombyx mori), is a vital economic contributor, recognised as a major silk producer. Photo: Shutterstock 

Despite extreme climate, China’s 2,000-year-old rock art owes survival to post-partum blood

China's ancient rock art, dating back 2,000 years, has endured the test of time thanks to the protective properties of post-partum blood, surviving extreme heat and powerful typhoons. Photo: Wikipedia

In Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, most rock art is found in the form of petroglyphs — intricate carvings etched into stone — though rare examples of painted works using lime and white pigments have also been documented. Photo: Bradshaw Foundation

The Jinsha River rock art is a breathtaking collection of prehistoric red pigment paintings, revealed along the rugged gorges of the Jinsha River valley in Yunnan province, China, offering a glimpse into ancient artistry. Photo: YNKGS

Explore a close-up of the stunning 2,000-year-old Luoyue cliff paintings, which vividly depict ritual figures at the renowned Zuojiang Huashan rock art site in Guangxi, China. Photo: Shutterstock

News

People & Culture

Far more than a simple trade route, ancient network was a vibrant hub of cultural exchange that shaped modern culinary landscape, say scholars


Far more than a simple trade route, ancient network was a vibrant hub of cultural exchange that shaped modern culinary landscape, say scholars.


Asian Cuisine

Chinese cuisine

Oxford University

How Silk Road as East-West melting pot turns Central Asia into culinary destination

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Far more than a simple trade route, ancient network was a vibrant hub of cultural exchange that shaped modern culinary landscape, say scholars

Far more than a simple trade route, ancient network was a vibrant hub of cultural exchange that shaped modern culinary landscape, say scholars