Azerbaijani tea culture
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Tea in Azerbaijan is served freshly brewed, hot and strong. It typically has a bright colour and is served in crystal or any other glasses or cups. Azerbaijanis often use traditional
armudu Armudu or Armudu stəkan (Armudu glass), sometimes called Boğmalı is a kind of drinking glass used for black tea in Azerbaijan. It is similar to the Turkish traditional tea glass called ''ince belli bardak'' (lit. "slim-waisted glass") (see also ...
(pear-shaped) glass. Tea is served continuously when there are guests or when there is an interesting conversation. For Azerbaijanis tea with milk is uncommon. According to a common belief, drinking tea with
lump sugar ''Lump Sugar'' (or ''Lump of Sugar''; ) is a 2006 South Korean film directed by Lee Hwan-kyung and starring actress Im Soo-jung. Plot The film revolves around Si-eun (played by Im), who dreams of becoming a famous jockey. It is the first Korean m ...
instead of sand sugar comes from the medieval period, when rulers who were afraid of being poisoned checked their tea by dunking a piece of sugar in a beverage (it was believed that the poison would react to the sugar). Traditional tea is served with lemon, cube sugar, sweets and fruit desserts (not jam). Sometimes thyme, mint or
rose water Rose water ( fa, گلاب) is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil Rose oil (rose otto, attar of rose, attar of rose ...
is added, which is believed to be good for the stomach and heart. For Azerbaijanis tea is associated with warmth, hospitalityAfrica, Asia, and Oceania: Culturegrams 2002. Page 19
Visiting relatives or friends is popular, and hospitality is part of the culture. Friends and family visit without prior notice. Guests often are invited for a meal or for tea. Tea is a friendly midafternoon affair that includes pastries, fruit deserts, fruit, candy and tea:
tradition says that one should not allow the guest to leave the house without at least one cup of tea. Tea in Azerbaijan is also served during matchmaking. After the negotiations by matchmakers are complete, the maid will bring out tea. If the tea is served without sugar, that is a sign that the chances for marriage agreement are very low; conversely, if tea is served with sugar, it means that there will be a wedding.


Chaykhana

Azerbaijani people may drink tea in traditional
tea houses A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whi ...
called chaykhana. Men sit in a chaykhana, playing backgammon (''nard''), reading newspapers and drinking tea. Historically, Azeri women did not go to public places, so chaykhana used to be a place for men.


Modern history

Historically, tea production used to be one of main industries in Azerbaijan. Although the first tea bushes were commercially grown in Azerbaijan as early as 1912, tea-growing gained commercial value in the 1930s under Soviet rule. In 1934, specialists from Moscow visited Lankaran and took samples of the soil. They analyzed the samples and found that Lankaran is one of the most fructuous areas for tea growing. Since that time, tea factories have been operating in Lankaran and neighbouring regions. From then on, Lankaran became the main area in Azerbaijan for the cultivation of rice, tea, citrus fruit and vegetables. In the 1980s, tea-production peaked up in the
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...
. Approximately, 34–38,000 tonnes of tea leaves were harvested annually in that time. However, tea production decreased as a result of the fall of the former Soviet Union. In 2007–2008, less than 500 tonnes were harvested and it was the lowest point.


Tea drinking traditions

In Azerbaijan, people drink tea from the special glass called “armudu” (literally pear-like glass) and is associated with the figure of a hostess in Azerbaijani culture. Tea is served with various delicious sweets, fruit jam and sliced lemon.


Samovar tea

In Azerbaijan, people boil water in heated metal containers known as
samovars A samovar (russian: самовар, , literally "self-brewer") is a metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water. Although originating in Russia, the samovar is well known outside of Russia and has spread through Russian culture t ...
.
Archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
Tufan Akhundov found a pottery samovar, possibly up to 3,600 years old, in Sheki a town located at the foothills of the Caucasus.


References


External links


Tea-growing in Azerbaijan: The Present and Prospects
{{teas Tea culture by country Tea in Asia Tea in Europe Azerbaijani culture