Samarkand, named after a city in Uzbekistan, is a restaurant that is home away from home for Central Asians in Aarhus, Denmark.
The restaurant offers a mix of Central Asian and Eastern European cuisine. And the man behind it, Djanik, triples as the owner, chef and server of this one-of-a-kind restaurant.
Flavours of home
Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Djanik’s desire to open an Uzbek restaurant came from wanting to introduce flavors of his home country to the people of Denmark.
I was living in Denmark for 13 years and I thought of bringing the cuisine of my home country here. – Djanik
He believes that Aarhus lacks variety when it comes to cuisines which makes Uzbek food unique in the city. “We use a lot of dough, lamb and rice which is why our dishes are different and people come to try them,” says Djanik.
One of Samarkand’s standout dishes is plov. The lamb dish is a staple of Uzbek culture which is served during celebrations such as birthday parties and weddings. Djanik says it is the restaurant’s bestseller and a dish that people come specifically to eat. To cater to the Danes, he initially used beef to make plov because he was told that they do not prefer lamb. However, over time, he noticed that this is not entirely true and started using a mix of both meats in the dish.
Samarkand also serves dishes from Eastern European cuisine such as pelmeni and varenyky, as well as Georgian drinks. The reason behind including these foods Djanik explains, is that there is a considerable number of people from Post-Soviet Union countries living in Denmark who miss their native dishes.
My friend brought everything (decor, utensils and trinkets) from Uzbekistan in one container. – Djanik
But the restaurant provides more than just food for a full cultural experience; the restaurant is decorated with traditional items of Uzbek culture, many of which adorn the walls. He shares how each time was shipped from his native country: “We have everything [from Uzbekistan], starting from spoons, tea candles, tea pots, plates, and traditional clothes. A lot of people like that.”
Hit or a miss?
The Uzbek restaurant has gathered a fan base among Danes, a sign that Samarkand’s unique Central Asian food is a popular choice among locals.
“Nowadays, 80% of our customers are Danish,” says Djanik. He reasons that since Samarkand is away from the main street, people who come to the restaurant come with the intention of trying out the cuisine. It is not a restaurant they happen to chance by while walking on the streets.
We are in Denmark, of course I am trying to introduce food to Danes! – Djanik
When he started his business, the customer base was primarily from Post-Soviet Union countries like Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus, Russia, and Central Asian nations. “In fact, Samarkand had customers from all Post-Soviet Union republics.”
Building a community
In Aarhus, people from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Russia and other Post-Soviet countries share the same language: Russian and are connected through social media and platforms and places like Samarkand. The restaurant brings together people from the Post-Soviet community and gathers them to celebrate birthdays, holidays, weddings and other festive occasions.
“There is a big community of Russian-speaking, Post-Soviet union countries. Hopefully all of them know about my restaurant… most of them have been here. I have lived in Denmark for years, and I have been a part of that community and I told them about Samarkand. If someone has a birthday, they call me to ask if the restaurant is available that day.”
For example, Djanik mentions that Russians and Ukrainians often can sit at the restaurant next to each other and drink together without any problems. Often these are the immigrants who left their home countries 20-30 years ago and choose not to be invested in the current political situation.
Here, we have a lot of fun and usually we don’t talk about politics… Russian and Ukranian… are drinking together – no worries, no problems. – Djanik
The restaurant also promotes individuals from Central Asian countries. In November 2022, the restaurant organised a stand-up for comedian Ulug Bek, an Uzbeki who lives in Copenhagen. His act was in English and attracted many Danes to come to Samarkand for the show. It was a great day for the restaurant, he says with a proud smile.
An uphill battle
Djanik had no experience in opening restaurants before, and says that that was the easy part, however, creating a company bank account was the only road block he faced; it took him nearly half a year to make one. “The bank application process raised many irrelevant questions, such as the ratio of cash to card payments. As a first-time restaurant owner, I used the percentages found on Google”
While walking through the streets of Aarhus, one can observe that many restaurants are currently up for sale. – Djanik
But the challenges have since evolved. Djanik’s main concern now is the financial situation and keeping the restaurant afloat through difficult times. A number of restaurants with a long history couldn’t survive the challenges of the pandemic. Post-COVID era also brought inflation and Djanik and his restaurant owning colleagues are facing the challenge of being unable to raise the prices of services, since people are not ready to pay more.
Djanik says that this year and in 2024 many small businesses and restaurants will close their doors because of an unsustainable model of functioning. Unfortunately, he adds, his restaurant may face a similar fate.
Nonetheless, there is hope for the future and circumstances may change. Despite being listed for sale, Samarkand is currently open for business, welcoming people from all parts of Denmark to try Djanik’s most popular dish, Plov all while fostering a wider community of Central Asians (and others) over a cup of chay.
Read what others have to say about Samarkand here.
Media presented in the piece is by the authors and sourced from Samarkand’s social media page.
Presented by group 1C – Damjan, Mashal, Malika, Munnazzah
