The Melting Pot: A look at the evolution of food in
Southwestern Pa. Part 5 - 3 Eastern Europeans: Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia
In this column I would like to talk about the cuisines of three
countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) because of their proximity, their
nomadic infusion and their worldly cuisines.
Before 1899, immigrants were not
classified by ethnicity, but rather by country of birth, obscuring the ethnic
origins of these immigrants. All of the immigrants came from
unstable countries like Turkey, Iran, Persia, Lebanon, the Russian empire,
etc. We do have the best numbers on the Armenian-Americans: Estimates range from 800,000 to 1.5 million with large pockets in NY, MI, MA, PA,
and CA.
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Armenian cuisine: Based on
Arabic, Turkish and Greek cuisines.
Appetizers include humus, baba ganoush (vegetarian
dip/spread of roasted eggplants, tahini and garlic), tabouleh (salad of bulgur,
tomatoes, parsley, mint, onion, olive oil, and lemon juice) and madzoon (yogurt).
Main courses
like pilaf (rice), imam bayildi (eggplant
casserole), foule (beans), felafel (vegetable
fritters), shish kebab (meat cut into cubes) and kufta (meatballs)
are popular.
Popular bakery and
desserts are pita bread, baklawa (layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts, syrup or
honey), halawi (date tarte), halvah (pastry) and mamoul (cookies filled
with an orange nutty paste), lokhoom (pastry with lemon, pistachios and
powdered sugar). Beverages are espresso or oghi (raisin brandy).
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There
are several Azerbaijani newspapers,
organizations, etc. across North
America.
Azerbaijani Cuisine: Based on Iranian, Persian, Turkish, Soviet
Union and Russian cuisines.
They use an
abundance of fresh vegetables and greens.
Fresh herbs including mint, coriander, dill, basil, parsley, tarragon,
leeks, chives, thyme, marjoram, green onions and watercress often accompany main
dishes. Fish include sturgeon, salmon, sardines, grey mullet and caviar found
in the Caspian Sea.
The second course included kebabs and shashlik made with
beef or lamb or chicken or fish. Narsharab is a shashlik served with a tart
pomegranate sauce. Dried fruits and
walnuts are used in many dishes. Traditional condiments are salt, black pepper, sumac
(spice made from berries with a lemon accent and often mixed with thyme and
sesame seeds as tabletop condiment) and saffron. Black
tea is the
national beverage.
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Immigration
from Soviet Georgia was virtually
nonexistent until the collapse of the Soviet
Union in
1991, following which an estimated one-fifth of the
country's
population left the country.
Georgian
cuisine: Based on Georgian, mid-eastern, western Asian
and European cuisines.
The use of
various herbs and spices is prevalent. Meat and vegetarian dishes are popular. A
Georgian cultural feast (supra) is best observed with a huge assortment of
dishes is prepared, always accompanied by large amounts of wine, and that can
last for hours. In a Georgian feast, the role of the (toastmaster) is an
important and honored position.
A supra
might have bread such as Lobiani (boiled bean bread), barbecued meat such as kartuli (chicken),
Ojakhuri (pork), salads, Imeretian cheese (curd cheese made from cows’
milk with a slightly sour, salty taste), Lobio (kidney bean dish served
with marinated vegetables) lots of fresh cooked vegetables, Tarragon and Rice
Flaky Pastry, Churchkhela (sausage shaped candy), lots of wine, etc.
Georgia
exports wine to 48 countries.
LINKS AND PHOTOS and VIDEOS BELOW PHOTOS
LINKS BELOW
Armenian
and Azerbaijani and Georgian links
ARMENIA
AZERBAIJAN
GEORGIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megrelian a Georgian area
http://georgianrecipes.net/2013/08/18/megrelian-ajika/ good pictures
http://georgiaabout.com/2012/08/20/about-food-make-your-own-supra-georgian-feast-with-our-step-by-step-georgian-recipes/
GREAT LINK with photo preparation
VIDEO
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