The types of bread which are baked in various regions, towns and villages in Uzbekistan in a Tandir (clay oven) differ in their size, weight and in particular in their taste. There is good reason for this: Each baker works individually and tries to make his own bread better than that of other bakers, so it sells more easily in the bazaar.Amongst the types of bread baked in a clay oven, the Samarkand bread called «Osiyo» («Asia») has become very well known in the Oriental world thanks to its fine taste, its elegant form and its heavy weight. Tourists who come to Samarkand admire it and call it one of the seven culinary wonders of the world. Indeed, the Samarkand bread Osiyo was always famous and popular along the Great Silk Road. According to an old custom, tradespeople from Samarkand always took a bite of Smarkand flatbread and then hung the rest on the wall before they embarked on a long journey to a far-off country. This action meant: I want to eat the rest myself, thus I hope to return home. When they returned after a long time, they ate the rest of the bread. Samarkand bread does not go moldy and does not lose its taste even after a long while. If one dips the dry bread in cold water, it immediately becomes soft and edible again.