More About Food

We’ve had several questions about food, namely:
What is your fav. AZ recipe and do you like dogva? (Lgt)
More about food! (Corey)
What food do you miss from home? If you had to go home today, what food would you miss? (Nancy)

Favorite AZ Recipe:
Emma: Aş (ah-sh) and Beef Kabobs.
Aş is this caramelized onion/chestnut/chicken mixture that tops plov/rice cooked in chicken stock. It’s eaten on holidays and pretty much rocks. Beef Kabobs here have a great flavor-I don’t know what spices they use, but they’re great (and they sort of remind me of grilling at home!)
Mathias: Grape Leaf Dolma
Dolma is ground beef or lamb spiced with cinnamon, salt / pepper and mixed with cooked rice. The mixture is then wrapped in cabbage, or grape leaves, and boiled over medium heat for about 20 minutes. The grape leaf variety is topped with fresh yogurt! Both are quite delicious.

Do you like dogva?
Dogva is a drink made from water and yogurt. People usually salt it and some drink it with pepper or dill.
Emma: I’m ashamed to admit, I’ve been too afraid to try it.
Mathias: I have tried and do not mind it. It can be consumed hot or cold. However, hot is a little better because it is easier to disguise as soup.

What do you miss from home?
Emma: Depends on the day but the list ranges from hot wings to chocolate chip cookies. More than anything what I miss is being able to choose and cook my own food. Hopefully starting in April we’ll be able to choose what we eat which means the return of stir-fried veggies, pizza and cookies!!
Mathias: I miss double bacon cheeseburgers, pork anything, green bean casserole, diet soda and general food variety. Azerbaijan has some pretty decent dishes and if you live here long enough you will get to try every single one. Unlike America where different homes have different specialties, (My family makes a great White Wine Chicken and Emma’s family makes a great London Broil) Azerbaijani families tend to cook the exact same food, in almost the exact same way. I like dolma, aş and fried potatoes but I don’t mind a little excitement here and there.

If you had to go home today, what food would you miss?
Emma: I haven’t learned how to make home-made breads, jams, or aş yet! Also, I really like the chicken here-seeing them walk around all normal and hormone-free and then get a swift decapitation makes me feel very happy (and they’re tasty too!). The locavore/organic food trends I was toying with in America are literally coming home to roost!
Mathias: I would miss the traditional manner in which guests are served. Tea and sweets are provided when you arrive. Then there is typically cabbage dolma or grape leaf dolma, followed by aş. Usually, there are tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as, freshly baked bread served with the two main courses. Everything is then followed with another round of tea and fruit. It is a very complete meal. One I have had many times, but definitely one I have come to love.