Hi everyone! Time for the next installment of my editorial blogs. I’ve decided to go a bit of a different route this time, delaying my bazaar expose for a few months to let the local fruits and veggies reappear. So, you might be asking yourself what this one is about. Brace yourself, because here comes:
“Azeri Cuisine”
or better known as
“Uhm, I’m Not So Sure About This…”
Azerbaijani cuisine has a long history and the people here are very proud of their foods. As Peace Corps volunteers we were amazed and intrigued at the strange and interesting food that we encountered during our service. Then the second week began and the wonder began to wear off.
Due mostly to the constant repetition of eating with a host family, many volunteers have found the food situation in Azerbaijan to be a bit tiresome. True, there is some variety lacking in the diet and true, the nutrition of the meals leaves a lot to be desired, however there are some real treasures in this country. The country has an amazing talent for the food they make and if you are lucky, you can have some truly exquisite meals here.
So here we go, on our culinary “Tour de Force.”
Dolma
Now, I’ve had dolma in the States before, but nothing like the dolma that exists here. Dolma is essentially a meat and rice meatball wrapped in a vegetable. There are many kinds of dolma, mostly differentiated by what the meatball is wrapped in. There are of course grape leaf and cabbage, the most common. Then there are the slightly more exotic kinds that tend to be seasonal, like tomato, pepper and eggplant. And lastly there are the specialty kinds that I’ve only heard rumors about, so far I’ve only heard of potato. With Carolyn not eating meat here, we’ve discovered that meatless dolma is referred to as “liar dolma,” which makes me smile every time I hear it. Liar dolma is normally made with rice, carrots, cabbage and pomegranate seeds inside. I find dolma especially delicious on the first night and following day. The next two days of leftover dolma are not quite as good.
Kebab
Everyone here thinks that Azerbaijan is where kebab originated. Whether this is true or not, kebab seems to be very prevalent in this part of the world. There are two main types of kebab: lule and tika. Lule is ground meat (usually mutton) mixed with herbs and salt that is formed into…well, I don’t know how to describe the shape better than saying “turd-like”… lengths about 8 inches long. Tika is chunks of meat (again mutton) and each piece has some sort of bone in it. Where these bones come from on the animal is a mystery to everyone except the butcher I’d imagine. Now, don’t go thinking there’s a lack of variety here for kebabs. Oh no, they will kebab anything: fish, chicken, pork (if you can find it). I’ve even spoken to a volunteer whose host family kebabed a turkey for her “Jesus Holiday.”
Ash/Plov
If you ask any Azerbaijani what their national dish is, chances are this will be the first thing out of their mouth. Plov is another staple of Azeri cuisine. Although you really only see it at big family gatherings or weddings or funerals, you can always count on someone having a big steaming plate of plov. Plov is a rice dish that is made with dried fruit, chestnuts, chicken and saffron. At wedding ceremonies there is always a special time of the night when a plate of plov is brought out and presented to the bride and groom (usually near the end). This is no ordinary plate of plov, however, partly because it roughly the size of a small village and partly because it is covered in sparklers that are threatening to burn the whole place down. Needless to say it is very exciting for a number of reasons.
Dovga
This soup is rather infamous with the Peace Corps crowd. From what I have found, we may be some of the only volunteers who enjoy it. This soup is made from sour milk (like a thin yogurt) and is cooked for about an hour or two over low heat. Greens are mixed in (what exactly these greens are, I have no idea), but they are mostly flavorless and provide the soup with some substance. Dovga is normally served cold in a cup or small bowl and one can drink it, although I like stuffing it full of bread and letting it soak in. Our host mother makes an awesome Dovga, and that may account for our liking it so much.
Piti/Bozbash
These are two dishes that are extremely common in the day-to-day life of an Azeri. I am not exactly sure how it is made, but I will give it a shot. First they fill a pot with water then throw in a half kilo of the fattiest mutton you can find. Add quartered potatoes and boil all day to extract all the fat from the meat to soak into the potatoes. Now here comes the variation: Garbanzo Beans! In Piti, you add beans to the mix, while in Bozbash you just leave it be. I have eaten by far more Bozbash in my time here than Piti, in fact I have eaten so much bozbash in my time here that since we’ve moved out on our own and started cooking our own food, that I’ve actually come to miss it. At least for a minute or two.
Borsch
This is another soup, which is normally made in the winter. It’s a great hearty soup that is perfect for warming you up on those cold winter days. From what I can tell its base is beets and cabbage. Along with the beets and cabbage are onions, carrots, potatoes and mysterious seasonings. I think most people are fond of this soup, even our site mate Cindy is learning how to cook it!
Levenge
This dish I’ve heard all about, but never had the chance to experience it. This is because it primarily comes from a region in the south of Azerbaijan, around Lankaran. Essentially it is a whole chicken that is stuffed with nuts and other things then baked in a wood oven. I’ve heard it is especially delicious and I look forward to trying it soon.
Kete/Qutab
Kete and Qutab are made the same way, just with different things inside. First you must make a lavash round (kind of like a tortilla). This is done usually on a dome-shaped piece of metal balanced over a fire. You then fill the tortilla with filling, depending on what you are making. For Qutab it’s meat and for Kete it’s the mystery greens. The greens look like spinach, but are a bit more acidic. There also might be some parsley, coriander or green onions. After filling the lavash, fold it in half, cover it in butter or oil and throw it back on the grill to warm everything up. I suppose it’s kind of like an Azeri Quesadilla without the cheese. While they are pretty good, it’s hard to eat more than one due to the amount of grease.
During Novruz, the spring celebration holiday that was this past week, there was a city-wide celebration in the center of town. During the celebration every school in the city set up a little area and commenced cooking copious amounts of Kete. Of course since we are the main attraction wherever we go, we were bombarded with offers of free Kete. We managed to get away with only a few handfuls (and a couple pocketfuls) of Kete, sweets and fruit.
Hash
BOM BOM BOMMMM!! (Ominous music booms). This is the most “unique” dish in Azerbaijan. The one you see on the Travel Channel and immediately say to your spouse “Hey I heard there was a fascinating special on Sub-Particle Quantum Physics on PBS today, let’s watch that instead!” Yes friends and family, this is the cow-head stew. First you must buy an entire cow head. Horns and all. Then, you take a blowtorch to it and burn off all the hair. Next, put the head into a pot and boil overnight. The next morning, get up early and nush! Traditionally this is served with vodka, I can only presume to get the taste out of your mouth after eating it. I have only had the leg-and-hoof variety of Hash, but our site mate Nate has eaten head Hash and said that the taste most closely resembled what cows smell like. You know, when you are driving past a dairy farm and you smell that smell? That’s how it tastes. What a way to start your morning!!
Tendir Bread
Now, if you haven’t realized already, bread is an all-important part of any meal here in Azerbaijan. It should be at every meal and make sure to have plenty of it! We recently hosted a meal for some Azeri friends of ours and made biscuits, which we considered to be a bread substitute. Oh how we were wrong. They sent their son out to run to the store to fetch a loaf for the table. What egg on our face! However, not all bread is the same here. There are many different kinds, but by far the best is Tendir. This is made in a wood oven and from what I know they make the dough then slap it onto the side of a dome-shaped oven to cook. It is absolutely delicious, especially when it’s hot and fresh. So if you ever find yourself in an Azeri restaurant, be sure to request the Tendir bread.
“Nush Olsen”
This actually isn’t a food, but a saying. It translates into English as “Bon Appetit.” I find it funny that a word, when translated into English can only be approximated by a French word. Anyhow, this is said whenever food is presented or whenever a person enters a room where people are eating. I love this saying. In fact it is one of the things I think will be permanently replaced in my vocabulary. I’m not sure what it is about it, but there’s something particularly satisfying when you set a plate down in front of someone and exclaim “NUSH BABY!!!”
Pictures: 1. Cabbage and grape leaf Dolma, made by our host mother. 2. Lule Kebab at a local restaurant. 3. Ash made by our host mother. 4. Dovga made by our host mother. Not the best picture, but you get the idea. 5. Dushbara soup at a local restaurant. Not really piti or bozbash, but greasy enough to be honorary bozbash. 6. Borsch, not our picture. 7. This is actually our Thanksgiving turkey that we cooked up, since we have never actually had this dish. 8. Kete that was made by a friend of ours. The picture after that is Mike at the Novruz celebration with his share of the loot! 9. Hash (before picture) Again, not our picture. 10. So if you look closely, Bonnie is putting a candle on my Tendir bread for my birthday :) 11. Nush Baby!
