MARGILAN, Fergana Valley: As he pulls freshly baked flatbreads from a massive, scorching hot tandoor, Marufxon Nematov prepares to repeat the same process dozens of times throughout the day, until the last customers arrive at the bakery to buy bread for dinner.
Some round, some flower-shaped with stamped centers and decorative patterns, the loaves are placed in a huge basket. From there, Nematov’s friend arranges them neatly on display, joining the rows of breads from other bakeries along Burhoniddin Marginaniy Street, a busy thoroughfare in Margilan, one of the main cities in Fergana Valley, eastern Uzbekistan.
Every day, they bake 2,000 loaves of non — a circular flatbread with a thin, decorated center and puffy edges — following a routine Nematov has kept for the past 55 years.
“I started working as a baker when I was 10 years old. I’ve learnt the whole process from making the dough to the form and baking,” he said.
“I’ve been doing this since a very young age, and thanks to it I’ve been able to feed my family. This work means a lot to me.”
