Uzbek tableware: lagan, piala, kosa, choynak and Rishtan ceramics

The explanatory dictionary of the Uzbek language defines a lagan as a large, flat dish for thick food, as opposed to soups. Russian borrowed the word as lyagan, and Russian speakers also write it lagan; Russian dictionaries describe it as a large dish for plov or for fruit. Our catalogue uses the spelling lyagan.

Plov is cooked in a cast-iron kazan and then turned out onto a large lagan, traditionally one shared dish for the whole table. The order on the dish depends on the region. For Bukhara-style plov the rice goes on first, then onion and carrot fried in oil, and the meat last. People eat it with their hands or with a spoon. Which rice to cook it with is covered in our guide to rice for plov.

In 2016 UNESCO inscribed palov culture and tradition on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The entry presents palov as a sign of hospitality and a dish for weddings, New Year and other special occasions, and quotes a saying that guests may leave their host's house only after palov has been offered.

A piala (Uzbek piyola) is a bowl without a handle that widens towards the rim and stands on a low foot. In Uzbekistan it is above all a tea bowl. Russian dictionaries describe it as a shallow cup without a handle used in Central Asia, and trace the word to Persian.

A kosa is a larger bowl. The Uzbek explanatory dictionary describes it as bigger than a piala and used mainly for liquids and various other food, while the piala is defined as smaller than a kosa. The two are told apart by size and by what goes into them.

A choynak is a teapot with a spout and a handle, used both to brew tea and to pour it. Tea customs vary from family to family, and only a few are widely shared.

One of them is qaytarish, which means returning. Whoever pours fills a piala and tips it back into the choynak, usually three times, so the tea brews more fully; that warmed piala stays with them. The first bowl goes to the head of the family, the others follow by seniority, and the one pouring serves themselves last.

A piala is filled only partly, from under half to about two-thirds, so the tea cools enough to drink. In many families a partial pour is also a sign of respect. The host refills often, and Ohio State University's Uzbek language site notes that the more honoured the guest, the less tea goes into the cup.

Rishtan (Uzbek Rishton) is a town in the Fergana Region of eastern Uzbekistan, between Kokand and Fergana. It is one of the oldest towns of the Fergana Valley and has long been regarded as the largest centre of glazed pottery in Central Asia. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London holds a 19th-century dish labelled as coming from Rishtan in the province of Fergana.

The craft starts with local clay, which is easy to shape and stands up to heat. A thin white layer of crushed quartz under the painting keeps the colours bright. The glaze, ishkor (Uzbek ishqor), is made from local plants: they are cut green and burned in heaps, and the fused salts are melted in a kiln at about 1,200 °C into a glassy mass. The glazed piece is then fired a second time at about 1,050 °C. Ishkor production was revived in the 1970s, and masters now also use imported copper, cobalt and manganese oxides alongside it.

The palette is cool: deep blue, light blue and turquoise on white, with green, brown, yellow and black from metal oxides. Red is hardly used. The typical pattern is islimi, flowing plant ornament, and some motifs carry a meaning. The pomegranate stands for family peace and plenty, chorgul (four flowers) for the four directions, parizoh shows a bird's feather, and the chilli pepper also appears. The lagan has kept its place as the leading Rishtan form, and since the 1990s some masters have painted calligraphy and architecture on large platters.

No. Rishtan ware is clay pottery under a glaze, with a white quartz layer to give the colours a light ground. Porcelain is another material: Britannica describes it as vitrified pottery with a white, fine-grained body that is usually translucent.

The porcelain and serveware that SLB LATVIA sells is porcelain, hand-glazed and made in Uzbekistan for the Uzbek table: lyagan platters, pialas, teapots and plates. The range does not include Rishtan clay pottery.

Start from the menu. The table below matches the main uses to the pieces in our range.

Traditionally plov comes to the table on one shared lagan. The catalogue lists the lyagan in a large and a small size without dimensions, so ask for the measurements in your enquiry and match them to your portions and tables. For tea, pair the porcelain piala with the classic porcelain teapot or the small fluted porcelain teapot, both sold as a choynak. The way tea is poured calls for one piala per guest and one teapot per table.

Under EU Directive 84/500/EEC, ceramic articles meant for contact with food must come with a written declaration of compliance at every marketing stage up to and including retail, so ask for it with your order. Our catalogue does not say whether the pieces are dishwasher-safe or microwave-safe, so check this before they go into daily service. The catalogue gives dry storage for the whole range.

SLB LATVIA supplies hotels, restaurants and cafés as well as retail and wholesale buyers, and the goods are cleared through customs in Rīga. The large lyagan and the small lyagan come in individual gift boxes, six to a case and 48 cases to a pallet. The piala and both teapots are packed in individual boxes with protective foam, also six to a case and 48 cases to a pallet.

Send the enquiry form with the pieces and quantities you need. Wholesale prices, minimum order quantities and lead times are shared after a short due-diligence exchange, and the team replies within two working days. Delivery is EXW Rīga, CIP or DAP.

• 

  Lyagan serving platter, large

  Packaging

  Individual gift box

  Origin

  Uzbekistan

  Units per case

  6

  Cases per pallet

  48

• 

  Lyagan serving platter, small

  Packaging

  Individual gift box

  Origin

  Uzbekistan

  Units per case

  6

  Cases per pallet

  48

• 

  Piala (porcelain tea bowl)

  Packaging

  Individual box with protective foam

  Origin

  Uzbekistan

  Units per case

  6

  Cases per pallet

  48

• 

  Classic porcelain teapot (choynak)

  Packaging

  Individual box with protective foam

  Origin

  Uzbekistan

  Units per case

  6

  Cases per pallet

  48

• 

  Small fluted porcelain teapot (choynak)

  Packaging

  Individual box with protective foam

  Origin

  Uzbekistan

  Units per case

  6

  Cases per pallet

  48