Stumbling on a chance to try one of the most popular street foods of Azerbaijan, a long ‘pie’ called koka, at a weekend market in Canberra is a most unexpected joy. Add the delicate beauty of an intricately patterned sweet pastry called shekerbura to the order and you have a true taste of a cuisine that’s not widely known in Australia.
Khayala Subhanverdi is the woman behind the Laziz market stall that has gathered a keen following, with visitors enjoying traditional rice dishes, delicate sweets, meat or vegetable-filled koka, Turkish-style coffee and more.
“I started this business in March last year with the idea of introducing traditional Azerbaijani cuisine in Canberra after visiting the Haig Park Markets. It is a small family business. I run it with some support of my husband,” explains Subhanverdi, who was born in Quba, a district in the northern part of Azerbaijan.
“In the beginning, we had hesitation as we did not know what people’s reactions would be. It was a challenge to introduce a new taste from a place that is not that famous in Australia. We started serving traditional Azerbaijani plov with lamb, chicken and vegan toppings. However, from the first day, we received positive feedback from the people who tasted our food, and we extended our menu by adding shekerbur, pakhlava [the Azerbaijan version of baklava] and koka.”
Khayala Subhanverdi and her daughter at the Laziz stall. Source: Khayala Subhanverdi
Azerbaijan sits where Eastern Europe and Southwestern Asia meet, sharing borders with Armenia and Turkey to the west, Iran to the south and Russia and Georgia to the north, with the Caspian Sea running along the nation’s eastern edge. The cuisine shares some similarities with those neighbours, as Subhanverdi explains.
“Each region of Azerbaijan is popular with its own food depending on their locations. For example, the southern regions are popular with their stuffed fish or chicken – the name of the dish is lavangi – as they are located on the shores of the Caspian Sea and Kura and Araz rivers. But in the north people prefer meat and pastry-heavy dishes.
“The popularity of the dish also depends on the seasons. If it is winter time people cook varieties of soups with meat (piti, bozbash, buglama) and pastry dishes (dushbara – tiny dumplings, xangal, gurza – dumplings). In warmer seasons we have dovga, three-sisters dolma (eggplant, tomato and capsicum stuffed with minced meat), cabbage and vine leaves dolmas, varieties of charcoal kebabs, sachqovurma, qutabs and vegetable dishes/salads. We also have refreshing drinks like ayran and dogramach, both made from a mixture of plain yoghurt and water.
“There are must-have dishes for special occasions or hosting guests in Azerbaijan. These are mainly plov – traditionally steamed basmati rice with a topping of fried diced lamb, onion, chestnut, dried apricot, dried yellow plum, prune, and sultanas – and dolma.
“In general bread and meat are an essential part of our food. Most of the meals we consume are with bread. And I must mention that we do not have hot spicy food. Saffron, turmeric and black pepper are the main spices we use in our meals.”
Plov is popular at Azerbaijani gatherings. Source: Khayala Subhanverdi
The Laziz stall, which operates at the Little Burley Market on Saturdays and Haig Park Village Markets on Sundays, often sees the whole family on the deck, including Subhanverdi’s husband and three children.
While seasonal specials appear at different times of the year, the plov, koka and several sweets are staples on the menu.
The koka are long, filled buns, Azerbaijan’s version of the piroshki popular in many Eastern European countries. “Kökə is a very traditional name for it. It is referred to as piroshki, too,” Subhanverdi explains. “Even though koka is one of the famous street foods in Azerbaijan, people also cook it home. The original filling of koka is fried onion and mashed potato. We also prepare it with minced beef filling. On the streets, koka is served with specially made tomato sauce.”
Two kinds of koka, bottom, and sweets including shekerbura, top. Source: Kylie Walker
The eye-catching shekerbura are another stand-out at the stall, a half-moon shaped pastry with a pretty pattern across the top and neatly twisted edges, filled with ground nuts and sugar.
“This is one of the most traditional sweets in Azerbaijan. We make it to celebrate the arrival of spring, especially for the Nowruz holiday which is on the 21st of March of each year in the Northern Hemisphere. Traditionally, mostly women of close circles gather to make this sweet and we make the decoration first starting by preparing the edges with twisting dough by fingers and then we decorate it with ‘maggash’ by pinching the top. I have to say that it takes time to learn to make this decoration and it needs patience and experience. We also make this sweet on engagements, weddings and on other celebrations together with Azerbaijani pakhlava.”
Carefully shaped shekerbura Source: Khayala Subhanverdi
Luckily for folk in Canberra, there’s no need to wait for a celebration day to sample shekerbura, plov, pakhlava and koka.
The Laziz stall currently operates at The Little Burley Market on Saturday mornings and the Haig Park Village Markets on Sunday mornings. Follow Laziz to keep up with what’s on offer.
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