Azerbaijan’s hospitality shines brightly in the traditional tea ceremony, where hot tea, served in a pear-shaped armudu glass, is paired with a variety of jams. Making jam can be traced back to the 9th-12th centuries.
In Azerbaijan, the tea ceremony is an expression of warmth and hospitality, and the selection of offered jams serve as an emblem of this tradition. Azerbaijanis have diligently preserved and handed down an array of jam recipes, among which white cherry and walnut jams stand out.
White cherry jam is savoured not only during tea ceremonies, but also served with sweet cabbage rolls. Walnut jam is known for its intricate preparation process, based on carefully selected non-bitter walnuts.
Below are the ingredients and recipe to prepare this delicious walnut jam:
- Processed walnuts - 1 kg
- Sugar - 1.5 kg
- Pickled lemon - 3 g
- Clove or cardamom - 3 g
To make the jam, walnuts are taken that are no less than 24 mm in diameter and whose shell has not yet hardened to wood. The shells of the walnuts are delicately peeled, and they are placed in water, changing it 2-3 times a day for 3 days. Then the walnuts are placed in pickling lime water (to prepare this, 500 g of dry pickling lime is dissolved in 3 litres of water, kept for 3-4 hours, and the transparent solution on top of the settled pickling lime is filtered out). The walnuts are kept in this liquid for 2-3 days, stirring it 4-5 times a day. The walnuts are then taken out, pricked in several places and kept in water for 3 days, changing it 2-3 times a day. The processed walnuts are boiled in water for 20-25 minutes. Syrup is added and left for 4-6 hours, then boiled 2-3 times. Finally, pickled lemon and clove or cardamom is added. In this way, walnut jam takes 20 days to prepare.
Allergens
Walnut, clove, cardamom.
Below are the ingredients and recipe to prepare this delicious white cherry jam:
- Pitted white cherries - 1 kg
- Sugar - 1.2 kg
- Pickled lemon - 2 g
- Cardamom - 3 g
Add sugar to the pitted cherries and let it sit for 3-5 hours. Cook over a low heat, each time boiling for 6-8 minutes, then let it rest for 5-6 hours. This process should be repeated three times. Near the end of the cooking process, add cardamom and pickled lemon.
Allergen
White cherries.
