Piti is a soup in the cuisines of the South Caucasus, its bordering nations, and Central Asia, and is prepared in the oven in individual crocks with a glazed interior (called piti in Turkic languages). It is made with mutton and vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, chickpeas), infused with saffron water to add flavour and colour, all covered by a lump of fat, and cooked in a sealed crock. Piti is served in the crock, usually accompanied by an additional plate for "disassembling" the meat and the liquid part with vegetables, which may be eaten separately as the first (soup with veg.) and second (meat) course meal.
 Piti soup | |
| Type | Soup |
|---|---|
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Mutton, vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, chickpeas) |
Piti is a variety of abgoosht, particularly popular in Iran.[1] In Armenia it is called putuk (Armenian: պուտուկ), the Armenian word for crock.
Ingredients
editThe main ingredients of piti are mutton, tail fat, chickpeas, potato, onions, dried alycha or other kinds of cherry plum and saffron. Meat is gradually simmered with already soaked chickpeas in piti-pots. Potatoes, onions, alycha and saffron infusion are added 30 minutes before the meal is ready. Sumac powder is also served separately.[2][3][4]
In Armenia, putuk (Armenian word for crock[5]) is traditionally served directly in the clay pot in which it was cooked. The soup is often accompanied by an Armenian leavened bread called matnakash, which can be dipped into the broth. In some regions, the soup is consumed in two steps. Firstly, the broth is served with the bread, and secondly the meat gets added to the broth and the side dish gets served. The main ingredients include lamb meat, mutton, tail fat chickpeas, potatoes, onions, dried alycha and saffron.[6][7]
In Azerbaijan, piti is eaten in two steps. Firstly, bread is crumpled on a plate and then spiced. After that, the broth is poured over it. Secondly, more crumpled bread is added to the plate and the remainder of the Piti (mutton fat, meat and vegetables) are poured over, mixed together, and eaten.[8][9][10][11]
Shaki piti
editShaki piti uses boiled chestnuts.[2] It is cooked in an pot.[12] Firstly, chickpeas, mutton and tail fat are put in the pots. After that water is added and the dish gets cooked.[9][11]
See also
editSources
edit- V.V. Pokhlebkin, National Cuisines of the Peoples of the Soviet Union, Tsentrpoligraf Publ. House, 1978 (in Russian); English edition: V.V. Pokhlebkin, Russian Delight: A Cookbook of the Soviet People, London: Pan Books, 1978
References
edit- ^ "غذاعای محلی آذربایجان". Buyqoosh.
- ^ a b Ahmedov, Ahmed-Jabir (1986). Azərbaycan kulinariyası, Азербайджанская кулинария, Azerbaijan Cookery - cookbook, in Azeri, Russian & English. Baku: Ishig. pp. 34, 36.
- ^ "Main dishes". www.azerbaijans.com. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ "What a pity not to taste Piti". AzerNews.az. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ "պուտուկ". Wiktionary.
- ^ Petrosian, I.; Underwood, D. (2006). Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore. Armenian Research Center collection. Yerkir Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-4116-9865-9. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ "Putuk aka soup with mutton and chickpeas".
- ^ Noble, John; Kohn, Michael; Systermans, Danielle (2012). Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan (Travel guide). Lonely Planet. p. 242. ISBN 978-1741794038.
- ^ a b "A tasty journey through Azerbaijan: Sheki and Ganja cuisine". Azerbaijan State News Agency. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ "8.3 Meat Stew - Piti". Azerbaijan International Magazine. Autumn 2000. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ a b "Piti, a rich taste of Azerbaijan". euronews. 2018-08-27. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ "Magic Pot of Piti". Visions of Azerbaijan Magazine. Retrieved 2018-12-03.