Linguistic and Cultural Characteristics of Food Terms in English and Uzbek

Abstract. This article provides a comprehensive linguistic and cultural analysis of food-related terms in English and Uzbek. It explores how language and culture are interwoven, and how food vocabulary reflects the worldview, social values, historical experiences, and religious beliefs of different societies. The study investigates lexical-semantic categories, metaphorical expressions, idiomatic uses, gendered and class-based connotations, as well as the historical and moral dimensions of food terms. Drawing on real-life examples and corpus-based data, the article reveals typological similarities and differences between the two languages. Special attention is given to the cultural symbolism of food, its role in shaping national identity, and its function in intercultural communication.