Cooking of the caucasus - special ingredients 1

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Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Cooking From the Caucasus
by Sonia Uvezian
ISBN 0-15-622594-8

Directions

Abgora

The juice of sour or unripe grapes.

Albukhara

A type of plum found in the Caucasus, light yellow in color, with a firm flesh and sweet-sour taste. Excellent in sauces, relishes, jams, compotes, and for drying. Aromatic Peppercorns These peppercorns, sometimes called "English pepper" are dark brown in color and have a spicy aroma that suggests a blend of carnation and cinnamon. Used in soups, stews, and in pickling.

Barbaris (Barberis, Barberry)

A very common shrub that grows in both a wild and cultivated state. When ripe, the barbaris berries are bright red and contain a great deal of malic and citric acid. Fresh berries are used to make jams, jellies, and syrups. Dried and powdered berries are used as a seasoning or condiment for a number of Caucasian specialties such as shashlik and lyulya kebab. Marinated berries make a pleasantly piquant accompaniment to roast meats, game, and fowl.

Basturma

(1) Dried beef seasoned with fenugreek, hot peppers, cumin, garlic, and other spices. Very popular in Armenia both as a cold cut served as an appetizer or cooked with eggs.

(2) Caucasian grilled marinated meat. Bulgur Cooked, dried, and cracked wheat. It comes in three sizes: fine (#1), medium (#2), and coarse (#3). Chick-Peas Also known as ceci beans in Italian and garbanzo beans in Spanish.

Coriander

An herb resembling flat-leaf parsley but having a distinctive aroma and flavor. It is also known as cilantro and Chinese parsley. Filo (Phyllo) Paper-thin sheets of dough used in making the many-layered Caucasian pastries such as pakhlava. Also known as strudel dough.

Gora

Sour or unripe grapes. Grapevine Leaves Use freshly picked or preserved leaves.

Kizil (Cornelain Cherry)

A shrub or small tree that grows wild in many areas or the Caucasus and is occasionally cultivated in gardens as well.

the fruit of the kizik is bright red, oval in shape, tart in flavor, and has a large kernel. used extensively in the preparation of jams, compotes, juices, syrups, fruit paste, soups, and fish and poultry dishes.

Kyurdyuk

Lamb fat taken from under the tail of a certain species of sheep bred in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Kyurdyuk is a basic ingredient in Caucasian, particularly Azerbaidzhani, cuisine, where it is minced or ground and added to soups and stuffings, cubed and alternated with lean meat on shashlik skewers, and melted and used like butter for cooking. In areas where kyurdyuk is unavailable, clarified or ordinary butter is substitutes; however, the taste is not the same.

Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 03-22-95

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