Sumalak is the Uzbek Nowruz dish made from sprouted wheat.
Sumalak is a thick, sweet paste prepared mainly from wheat sprouts and flour. It is strongly associated with Navruz celebrations in Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia. Preparing it is traditionally a communal activity, with women and families gathering around a large kazan, or cooking pot, and stirring the mixture for many hours.
The dish is usually prepared from wheat that has been soaked and allowed to germinate. The sprouts are then processed and cooked slowly. The long preparation gives sumalak an important social role as well as a culinary one: its making can involve songs, conversation, and shared work before the spring festival.
Sumalak is not the same as plov, Uzbekistan’s famous rice dish, or sumalak-like wheat preparations elsewhere. Spellings vary in English transliteration, but “sumalak” is the standard name used for the Uzbek preparation. Its connection with sprouted wheat also fits Nowruz themes of spring growth and renewal.