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| Diana Cohen Altman, me, Adil Baguirov from The Karabakh Foundation |
A few years ago one of my friends from The Culinary Historians of Washington suggested that The Karabakh Foundation contact me about doing a "cultural" cookbook. I was really excited about the project because it gave me free range to include as much cultural information as I wanted. This was a real treat for me, because, as a cookbook author, a lot of the anthropological information that I include in my books gets edited down due to space issues.
I headed to downtown DC to meet Diana Cohen Altman, and eventually Adil Baguirov, the Executive Director and founder of the Karabakh Foundation. I quickly realized that I had my work cut out for me.
As with my previous three books, there wasn't a lot of information written on Azerbaijan itself in English, let alone about it's Karabakh region. I immediately set out to immerse myself in the culture as much as possible. I listened to Mugham music, attended photography and art exhibits, musical concerts and dance performances. I read tons of books on the textiles from Karabakh, it's poetry, and literature. That year, there was no time to waste. By the time I started researching recipes, I had to test multiple versions a day. Working on a tight deadline, that meant that my family had to eat the recipes I was writing. There was no time for anything else. So even Thanksgiving of the year 2010 had a Central Asian twist!
It was easy to fall in love with such a rich culture that gave birth to numerous female poets and artisans, the composer of the world's first Muslim opera, beautiful architecture, and rugs prized by the whole world over.
What was difficult was finding recipes. First of all, like most countries in the world, recipes were handed down from one generation to the next. It never occurred to people to write them down. Nowadays, however, the region of Karabakh is occupied by Armenians, and the people who were originally from there are considered Internationally Displaced Persons by the UN. Not able to return to their homeland since 1994, cooking traditional dishes is the easiest way for the diaspora to connect to their roots.
For this reason, it was extremely important for me to do a thorough job of research, and of portraying this culture in the upcoming Cuisine of Karabakh: Recipes, Memories, and Dining Traditions from Azerbaijan's Cradle of Culture. I imagine parents handing it down to their children, and that my work will help to keep a community in tact.
Since there were no written recipes to be had, I was put in touch with friends of the Karabakh Foundation who graciously shared with me recipes, memories, and dining traditions from their lives and the lives of their ancestors. From historical research I learned that Azerbaijan was inhabited 300,000 years ago and that they were raising livestock and making wine and weaving rugs since The Bronze Age. They also butchered cattle in a manner very similar to the way we do it today. It's beautiful land is home to hundreds of fresh herbs and many varieties of fruits which exist no where else on earth. There are still over 20 kinds of pomegranates grown there!
The reason that most of never heard of Azerbaijan's (and Karabakh's) culinary gifts to the world have gone unnoticed until now, is that Azerbaijan was often part of other empires throughout history. Sultan Murad II, for example, an Ottoman leader, hired an Azerbaijani gourmand, named Sirvani, to work for him in Constantinople. When Sirvani invented 77 recipes - they went down in the books as the most "interesting and innovative" of Ottoman (Turkish) recipes. Later, Suleiman I brought artisans from Karabakh to build the capitol of the Ottoman empire.
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| Azerbaijan is home to more than 200 rice pilaf recipes! |
Persians often benefited from Azerbaijani craftsmanship as well. The —Safavid Emperor Shah Abbas the Great, the Safavid
ruler, ordered tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis, including from Karabakh, to
relocate to Isfahan and
Mazanderan in
the Iranian Empire. He asked them to
create a complex emblem to be known as “the
flower of Shah Abbas” which was used on buildings, metalwork, rugs, and ceramics.
If you're interested in exploring a new culinary frontier, look no further than Karabakh. —This is the cuisine which has inspired
not only colorful carpets, but lyrical poetry, peaceful collaboration with
neighboring lands, and world re-known music. The following is one of fifty recipes in my soon to be released book. Enjoy!
Sweet Bread, Karabakh Style/ Garabagh Ketesi
(Qarabağ Kətəsi)
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Butter -filled breads that blurr the lines between bread and pastry are
common in many Middle Eastern cultures. Making this soft, supple dough is as
much a treat as eating it is. A
wonderful addition to breakfast, brunch, or a tea and coffee break – this recipe
generally elicits rave reviews. Since it
yields two large loaves, you can freeze the second cooled loaf by wrapping it
in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. To serve, just defrost at room temperature
and reheat in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven until warm (about 5 minutes). Vanilla
powder can be purchased at specialty stores and gourmet markets. Vanilla
extract can be substituted.
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Makes 2 breads:
For the Dough:
1 package (1/4 ounce / 2
¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
5 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil, plus 1 teaspoon for greasing bowl
For the Filling:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
into chunks, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 2/3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon water, to glaze
Prepare the dough. In a small bowl,
dissolve the yeast in water and set aside.
In the meantime, in another bowl,
combine the eggs and sugar and beat until well blended, about 1 minute.
Put the flour in a large mixing
bowl. Add the vanilla powder and salt, and stir to mix. Add the yeast mixture,
egg mixture, and the oil to the flour.
Stir in with your hand to mix, then
knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic.
Transfer dough to a large bowl
coated with oil and turn to coat. Cover
with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot to rise, until
doubled in bulk, for about 1 ½ hours.
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Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Using a mixer, beat the butter until light colored and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until creamy, about 2 minutes
Add the vanilla powder, and with mixer running on the lowest speed, gradually add
the flour and beat until fully incorporated. You should obtain a soft and
sticky dough-like mixture.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 2 parts, shaping each into
a ball.
Using a rolling pin, roll out each
ball into a 9-inch circle, ¼-inch thick.
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Put half of the filling in the
center of each circle, pressing to spread evenly, leaving a 2-inch border
around the edges.
Bring the edges together over the
filling and seal to close the circle.
You will obtain a bundle. Now, roll
out the bundle into a 9-inch circle, ¼-inch thick.
Arrange the breads on the prepared
baking sheet. Brush with the egg yolk mixture, and press decorative cross-hatching
lines with the back of a fork over the entire surface of the breads.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned
on top. Remove from the oven. Cool completely before cutting into slices. Cooling the pastry is very important,
since the filling needs to set and to harden somewhat.
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