The PA Melting Pot: word press

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

THE PA MELTING POT: 5 - 3 SOUTHERN EUROPEANS : Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia

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.

------------------------------------------------------------

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).

-------------------------------

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.

For the main course there are over 30 kinds of soups and 40 different plov (rice) dishes.

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.

----------------------------------------------------------

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Armenia

http://www.everyculture.com/multi/A-Br/Armenian-Americans.html#ixzz30IsQ7PRh

AZERBAIJAN

http://azerbaijan.travel/en/cusine-main/116-National-cuisine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijani_cuisine

Shashlik http://thedomesticman.com/2012/06/19/shashlik-russian-shish-kebabs/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijani_cuisine

GEORGIA

http://www.intrepidtravel.com/us/georgia/azerbaijan-georgia-armenia-74271

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_cuisine

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

http://georgianrecipes.net/tag/georgian-desserts/

VIDEO

BOURMA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOWmXXf8_D4

The PA Melting Pot

Friday, August 14, 2020

The PA Melting Pot: THE PA MELTING POT: 5 - 3: SOUTHERN EUROPEANS : Ar...

Friday, December 2, 2016

THE PA MELTING POT: A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY COLUMN - PART 2 - Italy

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

THE PA MELTING POT: 5 - 3 SOUTHERN EUROPEANS : Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia