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Home , Armenian cuisine, Azerbaijani cuisine, Khash (dish)

Karabakh

Tahir Amiraslanov Doctor and Professor Karabakh

The literature, culture and arts of are so rich that the other side is trying to appropriate our national heritage. This is true not only of literature or works of Nizami. Our music is being shamelessly stolen by the . They appropriate the works of the genius composer Uzeyir bey. Our cuisine is be- ing stolen by the Armenians as well. They are trying different ways to present it as , al- though the names of their national dishes are Azerbaijani words. If you ask an Armenian what the word means, he will not be able to find an answer. This is the case with the word Karabakh, for them it is just a word, and they do not understand it, because it is not an Armenian word. Therefore, this behavior is very depressing for us, of . We need to protect our national and cultural heritage.

Ilham Aliyev President of the Republic of Azerbaijan From a speech at the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, April 26, 2011

arabakh cuisine is an integral ences due to climatic, geographical part of traditional Azerbaijani and traditional conditions. Karabakh Knational culinary culture. It is far from the sea, so Karabakh cui- has learned a lot from other regions, sine does not use sea fish. Fish dish- influencing them at the same time. es are borrowed. Karabakh cuisine The culinary traditions, terminology, used only freshwater fish, mostly folklore, dishes, utensils, in boiled and fried forms. Karabakh technology, festive rituals and cer- people themselves consider fish emonial of Karabakh are all dishes “self-indulgence” and not identical with the of other very serious . regions of Azerbaijan. At the same In some areas of Karabakh, near time, there are obvious local differ- lakes and rivers, there are complex

26 www.irs-az.com Shusha, 1990, taken by the author

fish dishes, but there are very few For the “gurgut”, the fish is stuffed of them. These include dishes from with minced akhta zogal (dried pit- freshwater fish, “lavangi”, “gurgut” ted Cornelian ), and fine-cut and “fish buglama” (stewed fish). In , lavashana, hot and sweet contrast to other regions, and peppers are added. The stuffed fish are added to the Karabakh “la- is salted, a little water and is vangi” (stuffed fish). In addition to added, and then it is cooked on low these products, the includes heat for 30-40 minutes. tomatoes, peppers, celery, green on- The fish buglama (stewed) is ions and sour cherry lavasha- cooked in different ways. The fish is na. In contrast to other regions, the stewed with different fruits and veg- Karabakh lavangi is steamed. etables. These fish dishes in various Motal www.irs-az.com 27 Karabakh

Tandir in Karabakh

forms are made throughout Azer- baijan. The fact that fish from the River, which flows near Barda, was brought to Karabakh, particularly to Barda, was recorded by the 10th century Arab travelers, al-Muqadda- si (10th century) and al-Istahri (10th century). They mentioned fishes like “kasbuvin”, “tirrikh”, “surmakhi”, “zaro- gan” and “ishubat”. Sheep-herding has been devel- oped in Karabakh for centuries. Lo- cal agriculture was diversified, set- tled and cultured. A great place was occupied by grain-growing, melon and gourd growing and gardening. Karabakh cuisine uses nearly all types of traditional Azerbaijani open and closed hearths: tandir (oven made of clay in a hole in the earth), chala (pit), ojag (bonfire), saj (iron disk for baking ), char- Finished kata with greens grill, bukhari (fire-place) and kura

28 www.irs-az.com (furnace), which, taking into ac- count local features, make it pos- sible to highlight certain nuances in local cuisine. Islam had an enormous im- pact on Karabakh cuisine. In par- ticular, it does not use , and pigs have never been bred and sold at local markets in Karabakh. Archaeological and historical studies show that over the millen- nia, the culinary culture of Karabakh has maintained its traditional look. Excavations in the settlement of Chalagantapa indicate that materi- als from different layers (horizons) do not differ from each other. From Stuffing kata with greens in Karabakh the time it was founded (6th-5th mil- lennia B.C.), the ancient population of Chalagantapa was familiar with the culture of farming, cattle-breed- ing, mining and stone and bone processing techniques. Sources note the high agricul- tural culture of Karabakh residents. On irrigated land, they cultivated , rice, cotton and mulberry. Mirza Jamal Javanshir (1773-1855) recorded in his book “The History of Karabakh” that one-fourth of seeded wheat provides 20 quarters of the harvest there. An especially rich harvest is yielded by rice and (over 50 quarters for one quarter). In addition, he points to large herds of cattle and sheep and . The population of Karabakh ate Finished kata with greens various wild grasses and cultivated greens. The vizier of Ibrahim Khan only in the cuisine of Lachin District. bakh khan - poetess Khurshudbanu of Karabakh – the outstanding Azer- Karabakh cuisine also widely Natavan, were put on display. Hav- baijani poet, thinker and statesman, used , and it was served ing visited Azerbaijan, Alexander Molla Panah Vagif, says in his poems: as a dessert. It was used to make Dumas (father) and the painter “Guard your and khoshab (compote) and was added Monet met with her, and Dumas fields of greens - , and to the , , and other described this meeting in his book fresh watercress very well, and take dishes. At the All-Russian Exhibition “Journey to the Caucasus”. care of them!”. in Moscow in 1882, Karabakh fruits Lavashana was borrowed by Slav- In his book, Doctor of History Pro- - Cornelian , mulberry and ic cuisine from : it fessor Ziyadkhan Nabibayli names cherry plum lavashana (sour candy), is mentioned in “The Domostroy” un- 245 wild plants which were used made by the daughter of the Kara- der the name of “levashinki.” www.irs-az.com 29 Karabakh

Funeral halvah with

The Arab author Ibn Haukal (9th century) recorded that Barda chest- nuts were larger and more productive than Syrian ones. This is confirmed by Hamdallah Qazvini, who writes about Barda in his essay “Nuzhan al-Qulub” (“Delight of Hearts”) (14th century): “There are a lot of fruits here, es- pecially nuts and , which are better than anywhere else.” His words are confirmed by other Arab travelers. The Arab traveler Al-Istahri (10th century) recorded in his “Kitab Masalik al-Mamalik”: “If we talk about Barda, it is a place with a healthy climate, fertile, arable land and multiple fruits, and less than one farsakh from Barda, in the town of Andarab, there is a wide network of gardens and plan- tations where they grow melons Finished lavash (yukha) and all kinds of fruit. The local ha- zelnut is better that those from Sa-

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markand, while chestnuts are better like the fruit called ‘zukol’. They have The 17th century traveler Evliya than those from Sham. Another fruit, figs and chestnuts of extremely Chelebi records: “Karabaglar… a gar- called “ruchal” (zugal, zogal - Corne- good quality.” dener named Yazdon–gulu brought lian cherry - T.A.), grows here. Ibn Haukal (10th century) also us 26 varieties of juicy pears. Trying “The is half the size wrote about Barda. “In Bardaa ... the ‘malanja’, ‘abbasi’ and ‘ordubadi’ of the black and tastes like there are nuts and shihaballut pears, you feel the taste of a candy persimmon and . Figs are (chestnut – T.A.), which stand above in your mouth. There are ​​pomegran- brought to Barda from Lasub. This is the Syrian shihiballut in size, charm, ates like a ruby. The chefs are clean the best fig. There are many owner- taste and abundance of fruits. They and all Muslims.” In another place, less mulberry trees here.” grow ‘zukal’ (), which is the he says: “Karabakh includes sepa- The Arab traveler Al-Muqaddasi size of ‘gubeyra’. It has a date seed rate sultanates in the possessions writes about Barda in the 10th centu- and tastes sweet when it is ripe. In of . Food and drinks deserve ry: “Berda’a is a nice and beautiful city Berda, figs are imported from Lasub, commendation. There are 10 sorts rich in fruits. It is a nice city with beau- their mulberry trees are available to of juicy, ruby-colored ; cherry tiful pastures and two rivers running the public, and they do not have , soft drinks; 18 kinds of deli- through it: the faces of its inhabitants owners and are not sold or bought.” cious juicy . The local are like a pearl and coral, and they are Nizami Ganjavi added in the 12th quince the size of the human head also generous and merciful. century: “How wonderful and glo- is famous.” “In Berda’a, there is a Sunday mar- rious Barda is. And flowers bloom In his book “Yelizavetopol Prov- ket called ‘Kurkiyu’... There is nothing here in winter and summer.” ince, Impressions and Memories,” www.irs-az.com 31 Karabakh the Russian scientist I. L. Segal de- excavations at Uzarliktapa (Agdam tandir. The lavash was mostly scribes the Agdam bazaar in 1902 in District). They belong to the 4th mil- cooked in Gubadli, Jabrayil, Zangi- the following way: lennium B.C. Stone and clay sajs lan and Fizuli districts of Karabakh. “Vans and carts were filled with were found during archaeological “Komba” of puff was made in bags and chuvals of grain bread, excavations in the entire territory of a tandir and under a saj, or on ashes. baskets of fruits and motals (cheese Azerbaijan. Now iron sajs are used. Such products as “sudlu in wineskin – T.A.). The Agdam mar- Sajs are good not just for bak- churak” ( bread), “fasali”, “bishi”, ket has existed since 1867. Garden- ing bread and yukha (a kind of flat “yagli koka”, “eyirdek”, “keppeche” and ing, mainly mulberry-growing, is bread), they are also used to bake “sakkizlik” are common in Karabakh. one of the most important sectors jad (corn cakes), kata and gutabs We would like to dwell separately of the economy in Agdam.” (thin pieces of stuffed with on the “kata” (flat pie with greens). Under Article 6 of the Treaty of meat and other fillings), national Kata is made on a saj. To this end, Kurakchay signed on May 14, 1805 pastry products such as fasali, kata chopped greens and various fill- between Ibrahim Khan of Karabakh and various dishes - sajichi, gov- ings (with cheese, cottage cheese, and the (signed by P. urma and jiz-biz. An inverted saj is potatoes, etc.) are spread on half of D. Tsitsianov), Ibrahim Khan agrees used as a kind of (pan). a thinly rolled yukha. The other half to sell the Russian army wheat and covers the staffing. The edges of the oatmeal. dough are stuck and baked on both One of the main components sides on a saj. When it is served, a of the of every Azerbaijani piece of butter is placed inside and is bread. Various types of bread gatig () is served alongside. were baked in Karabakh - kullama, Another type of kata is gutab. It is bozlamaj, tandir, churak, kozlama, smaller in size. Gutabs are cooked komba (ash-cake), lavash, kham- with , meat, pumpkin, etc. rali, yukha, fatir, galincha, maldili, They look like Azerbaijani chebureks chapartma, jad and ajitma. (chiy borak, borak with raw meat), In both summer and winter, the but unlike chebureks, they are not favorite kind of bread was yukha, fried, but baked without oil. Such which was thin as paper. It could be products are common to all Turkic stored for years. People took a saj peoples. In , they are called with them when traveling in order to “ay (lunar - T. A.) borek”, in Borchali bake yukha. Baked yukha was dried - “taycharig” and in Bashkortostan and stacked in a pile. Before use, and Tatarstan - “kystybyy”. water was sprinkled on it to make it Khamrali Armenians have also learned to “fresh”. For messengers, it was milled cook this dish in Karabakh and only into flour, and they could eat it on Unlike other regions, the saj in recent years. The Armenians pres- the go without dismounting from was used in Karabakh to bake “layli ent this dish under the name of “zh- the horse or quickly prepare it like yukha” – yukha made of layers: in ingalov hats”. the Russian “tyuri” by adding water this case, one side of yukha was For example, in this connection, and dried minced meat. prepared on the previous one. This we read on the website analitika. Yukha is used to make the tra- bread could not be stored for a long at.ua: “On April 21 at 2000, the open- ditional sandwiches “durmak” or time, but it was more aromatic and ing of the festival ‘Zhingalov Hats’ “burmak”. To do this, yukha is stuffed tasty than the usual yukha. will be held on the stairs of the City with cheese, cottage cheese, herbs If the dough was kneaded with Cafe (in Moscow – T. A.). ‘Zhingalov or butter, jam or meat, rolled up as milk adding or , “kh- Hats’ is an originally Karabakh dish, a tube, folding the bottom so that irt-khirt yukha” (crispy yukha) was which is not found in the cuisine of the stuffing does not fall or spill out. made. It was made on holidays and all other regions of .” But this The oldest sajs – made of clay sometimes without the sweet filling. dish is cooked in all areas of Azerbai- – were found in Karabakh during “Lavaş” was made on a saj and jan and almost by all the Turkic peo-

32 www.irs-az.com ples “in general”. So neither the saj nor kata have anything to do with Armenian cuisine, whatever they call it, and consequently, this Kara- bakh dish and Karabakh itself have no relation to the Armenians. Hats in Armenian (ats, khats) de- rives from the Turkic word has (khas, as, , ash) and means bread or food. Zhingal derives from the word khingal or khangal – a Turkic dish made of thinly rolled dough.

References:

1. A. Sumbatzadeh. “Azerbaijani Agriculture in the 19th Century”, , 1958, p. 230 and p. 268 Sliced vegetables and 2. Gamarshah Javadov. “In the Footsteps of Our Farming Cul- ture”, Baku, Azerbaijan State ber and the development of ar- 15. M. A. Karaulov. “Reports of Arab Publishing House, 1960, p. 168 chaeological and ethnographic Geographers in the 9th and 10th 3. The Domostroy, M. Fiction, 1991, science in Azerbaijan, Institute Centuries. Chronicles of the Cau- p. 320 of History (archaeology and casus. Armenia and Azerbaijan”. 4. Mirza Jamal Javanshir. “The His- ethnography sector)), 28-29 De- Tbilisi, the printing house of the tory of Karabakh”, Baku, Azer- cember 1987, p. 114-116 office of His Imperial Excellency’s baijan State Publishing House, 10. A detailed description of the governor in the Caucasus, p. 129 1959, p. 180 journey of the Holstein embassy 16. Sources on Azerbaijani History. 5. Kh. D. Khalilov. “The Elat World of to Moskovia and Persia in 1633, Baku, Azerbaijan University Pub- Karabakh”. Baku, Azerbaijan State 1636 and 1939, compiled by the lishing House, 1989. p. 326 Publishing House, 1992, p. 118 secretary of the embassy, Adam 17. N. G. Narimanov. M. S. Azimov, N. 6. Ziyadkhan Nabibayli. “The Gold- Oleary, translated from German G. Aliyev. “The Works of the First en Crown of Zangazur – Lachin”. by Pavel Barsov. Published by the Detachment of the Mil-Karabakh Baku, Uniprint, 2008, p. 270 Imperial Society of Russian His- Expedition in 1985. In the collec- 7. Solmaz Maharramova. “The Ma- tory and Antiquities at the Uni- tion “Archaeological and Ethno- terial Culture and Economy of versity of Moscow in 1870. Uni- graphic Research in Azerbaijan”. the Southeastern Part of the versity printing house, p. 1038, p. 1985, Baku, Elm, 1986, p. 8-10 Lesser Caucasus in the 19th and +31. Index 18. Molla Panah Vagif. “Works”, Baku, early 20th Centuries”. Baki, Elm 11. Evliya Chelebi. “Travel Book”, edi- Yazichi, 1988, p. 192 Publishing House, 2007, p. 208 tion No 3, M., Nauka, 1983, p 376 19. Nizami Ganjavi. “Isgandarnameh”, 8. Tahir Amiraslanov. “Pearls of 12. Hamdallah Qazvini. “Nuzhat al- Baku, the Azerbaijan publishing Karabakh Cuisine”. IRS magazine, Qulub”, Baku, Nauka publishing house, 1941, p. 256 № 2-3 (14-15) 2005, p. 82-85 house, 1983, p. 53 20. Yasar Kalafat. “Iranian-Turkic Peo- 9. S. M. Agamaliyeva. «On the Food 13. Alexander Dumas. “Journey to ple’s Cuisine”. In the collection of the Population of Agdam Dis- the Caucasus”. Baku, Yazichi, “Cookbook: History-Folklore- trict (Based on materials from 1985, p. 93 Literature”, Istanbul, Publishing the villages of Abdal and Gula- 14. I. L. Segal in the book “Yelizavet- House 203, p. 848-860 bli in the theses and reports of pol Province, Impressions and the conference on Great Octo- Memories”, Tbilisi, 1902, p. 104 To be continued www.irs-az.com 33