Oval Useful news from Azerbaijan and Caucasus

Aubergines (eggplants) grow in abundance in Azerbaijan in summer and are served in a variety of guises. This dish of aubergines, tomatoes and garlic, served cold, can be eaten for breakfast or as a salad or appetiser. News.Az is grateful to Gullu Cahangir for allowing us to use her photograph …

Suzme is a tangy, creamy cheese made by straining the water out of plain yoghurt. The name suzme comes from the verb süzmək, meaning to filter. For shuyudlu suzme (şüyüdlü süzmə), the yoghurt cheese is mixed with dill and garlic. Shuyudlu suzme is usually served as one of several appetisers, …

Kalla-pacha soyutma (kəllə-paça soyutma) is one of two traditional Azerbaijani soups made from offal. The sheep’s head is the distinctive ingredient in this soup, while the even more popular khash (xaş) is made from sheep or cow trotters. Both sheep’s head soup and khash are traditionally prepared by men. They …

Quince preserve (heyva mürəbbəsi) is popular across Azerbaijan. Don’t be put off by the fruit’s misshapen appearance, it makes a fragrant jam. Azerbaijanis love to eat jam and fruit preserves with tea. Jam is usually eaten on its own by the spoonful, rather than spread on bread, but that doesn’t …

Juicy, sweet, yellow figs from the Absheron Peninsula are sold by the bucketful in Baku during high summer. So many figs ripen in a relatively short period that they are ideal candidates for preserving. Fig preserve (əncir mürəbbəsi) is very popular in Baku. The figs should be preserved whole and …

Small white seedless grapes, another fruit that grows in abundance in Azerbaijan, are best for grape preserve (üzüm mürəbbəsi). Take care that the grapes are only just ripe or slightly under-ripe. Discard any grapes that are starting to brown. News.Az is grateful to Gullu Cahangir for allowing us to use …

Cornelian cherries, or cornels, are widespread across the Caucasus and southern Russia. They make a deep red preserve with a tangy flavour. The Cornelian cherry has a high vitamin C content, making cornelian cherry preserve (zoğal mürəbbəsi) a popular winter remedy for colds and flu. The fruit is rich in …