Sumalak is a type of food from Uzbekistan. Sumalak is really sweet. Sumalak, a sweet dish, is cooked exclusively for the spring festival of Navruz. It is an important festival for us so it is a national holiday in Uzbekistan. My mom does not forget this holiday even after coming to America. She celebrates the holiday by inviting people over.  She celebrates just a few holidays and this is one of them. Sumalak is a dessert.  It is a sweet dish.  People in Uzbekistan enjoy tasting this dish after their regular meal. One way Sumalak is different is that people eat it in the morning after eating their morning food.  According to research, this dish also increases people’s energy and strength. The tradition in Uzbekistan is that winter is harsh, cold and long. During the cold months people lose a lot of strength and this dish eaten during the month of March is considered very important to restore people's energy.My Mom cooks Sumalak once a year which is on March 21st. This holiday is actually celebrated for several days in Uzbekistan, and March 21 being the main day. People in my country have been cooking this dish for centuries and the recipes can vary from one region to another. . In Uzbekistan Sumalak is eaten by everyone and in America our family and friends continue with the same tradition.A few Uzbeks believe the name Sumalak means “30 angels” after a legend of how the dish came to be when angels helped create a tasty porridge from nothing but wheat, flour, water and seven stones. And some believe, the name may have come from the old Turkish word Suma, meaning “swollen wheat.”

– JA

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