Saturday, January 30, 2016

Azerbaijani Food - Khash Soup

I've now had the pleasure of eating cow foot.  Khash is a traditional soup made from boiled cow feet, eaten in Azerbaijan and neighboring countries.  It is rumored to have medicinal properties, and some claim it cures hangovers.  Although not part of the daily diet, Azerbaijanis will eat it for breakfast when they are feeling under the weather (if they believe in the medicinal properties), after a big night out (if trying to cure a hangover), or as an excuse for a feast (because who doesn't get a hankering for cow foot every now and then?). 

Erica biting into some cow foot

Khash is prepared by boiling the cow feet for many, many hours until the broth becomes thick and gelatinous.  It is served with salt, garlic, vinegar, and croutons which diners add to their own liking.  The soup itself consists of only the broth and chucks of cow foot, from which you suck off all the fat until you clean the bone.

My bowl of khash

Thankfully a khash meal also comes with side dishes, including bread, cheese, herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, and pickles - food items common to any typical Azerbaijani meal.  A "true" khash feast also involves lots of vodka and toasts - a real man's meal, literally, because it's often only men who partake in Azerbaijani khash gatherings.

Yummy bread, salty cheese, and other side dishes

While I am glad to have had a khash experience, I must say it will be my first and last.  I had a tough time with the fatty, oily taste and the thick, slimy texture.  I made an effort, but only ate about one-third of my soup and was "chasing" the last few bites immediately with bread or whatever else I could eat quickly.  Jeremy fared better and may return for a men-only, vodka-soaked throw-down!

Saturday, January 16, 2016

New Years in Georgia

Jeremy and I traveled to Georgia to celebrate New Years.  No, not Atlanta, Georgia!  For my U.S.-focused, international-geography challenged friends, the country of Georgia shares a border with Azerbaijan.

We reached the ski resort of Gudauri on New Years Eve and rang in the New Year outside in the snow.  We drank some champagne (straight out of the bottle-very classy!), lit some sparklers, and set off "fireworks" which in reality were just large sparklers.  But luckily for us, there were real fireworks nearby to lend an authentic celebratory air to the evening.

New Years Eve sparklers in the snow

But the majority of the holiday was focused on skiing.  Having been deprived of skiing for several years now, Jeremy was psyched to have a full weekend dedicated to the slopes.  The conditions were quite good...it snowed every night leaving a fresh layer of powder on the slopes...and the afternoons brought blue, sunny skies.  The resort had plenty of runs to keep both average skiers like me and expert skiers like Jeremy happy.  Plus the snow-capped mountain landscape was absolutely stunning!  It was a fun start to 2016.

Everyone's ready for skiing!

Jeremy on the slopes

Erica's ready for après ski drinks

Beautiful view from our condo