My Life in Azerbaijan - Things I will miss in Azerbaijan

November 30, 2010
When I leave next year, the two things I will miss the most in Azerbaijan are the fresh local breads and fruits. Bread is the main diet in this part of the world.

Everyday, every household either bakes its own bread or buys it from the store. The most popular kind which the local eat is the round white bread. In term of nutrition, it has very little, but it is cheap, 0.2 azn or $0.25 a piece. Azerbaijani has bread for breakfast, for lunch and for dinner. It is the most important item on an Azeri family’s table. Once in a while, I purchase the Tudor bread from a Russian lady. She bakes her breads in a round stony oven. The bread is still hot when I bring it home. With melted cheese or peanut butter on top, I once ate an entire piece to indulge myself and regretted it later. Now, I am addicted to it but refrain myself from eating no more than ¼ pieces at a time.

Fresh fruits are abundance in this country and they are cheap in summer/autumn. Early summer; you can see all kinds of mulberry in the bazaar; black, white, red and the strawberry. I love the jam that the local makes with the berries. They are absolutely delicious. Soon after, it is the melon, big juicy sweet water melon and honey dew. Thinking of them makes my mouth watering. In peak summer, you can buy a big 3-4 kilos melon for only 1 azn, or $1.25. This past summer, after running, I devoured myself with melon. It was like a glass of cold beer, so refreshing and energizing. Around July, the grapes arrive; some of them are small but unbelievably sweet, like honey mixed with sugar. In August, it is the yellow and black fig. They are plentiful inside the park by the Caspian Sea. I just love to pick them during my daily walk. It was a delightful experience to pick and eat them right from the tree. I never knew that fig can make jam. I learnt to make fig jam this summer and saved a few jars to share with my friends back home.

Autumn comes, apples, pomegranate, persimmon, tangerine and all kinds of local fruits that I don’t even know saturated the bazaar. Farmers came to the city with their rundown Russian vehicles, filling the entire car and trunk with fruits. They opened the trunk with a smile, let you duck in and pick any fruits you want. You go home with 5-kilo bag of apple and it costs you less than 2 azn ($2.5).

I have developed an appetite for apple salad. For lunch, I cut an apple and a cucumber; add a pin of salt and pepper, dash of lemon juice with sesame oil, mixed with a few nuts and raisin. It is the healthiest and tastiest salad I ever ate.

I think I am becoming a fruitarian and a vegetarian, thanks to Azerbaijan.