Bozbash ( az, bozbaş; fa, آبگوشت بزباش; Tat: ''guşto buzbaş'') is an Iranian dish consisting of meat stew (also described as a soup) popular in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

History and etymology

Bozbash is a word of

Azeri Turkish Azerbaijani () or Azeri (), also referred to as Azeri Turkic or Azeri Turkish, is a Turkic language from the Oghuz sub-branch spoken primarily by the Azerbaijani people, who live mainly in the Republic of Azerbaijan where the North Azerbaijan ...

origin. It may be derived from Azeri Turkish ''boz'' ("light gray") and ''bash'' ("head"), which in turn may point to the light color of the dish when its cooked. However, Mohammad R. Ghanoonparvar notes that "no scientific etymology" has been offered to this effect by

Gerhard Doerfer Gerhard Doerfer (8 March 1920 – 27 December 2003) was a German Turkologist, Altaicist, and philologist best known for his studies of the Turkic languages, especially Khalaj. Biography Doerfer was born on March 8, 1920 in Königsberg (presen ...

. Bozbash is the Azeri Turkish name of the Iranian dish ''

abgoosht Abgoosht ( ''Âbgušt'', ; literally "meat broth") is an Iranian cuisine, Iranian stew. It is also called Dizi (, ), which refers to the traditional stoneware crocks it is served in. Some describe it as a "hearty mutton Persian soup thickened wi ...

-e sabzi''. Ghanoonparvar notes that bozbash was introduced "relatively late" into

Iranian cuisine Iranian cuisine () refers to the culinary practices of Iran. Due to the historically common usage of the term "Persia" to refer to Iran in the Western world,Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 ( ...

; Mirza Ali-Akbar Khan, the chef of

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدین‌شاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Malek ...

(1848–1896), was reportedly the first to mention it. He classified it as part of a group of meat stews and soups, often eaten cold.

Ingredients and preparation

Ghanoonparvar notes in relation to bozbash: In Armenian cuisine, there is a special kind of bozbash not commonly seen, ''Shoushin bozbash'', made from lamb,

quince The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family (biology), family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard ...

, apple, and mint. This variation of bozbash is "practically unknown outside the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

References

Sources

* * * Lamb dishes Armenian soups Azerbaijani soups Iranian soups Azerbaijani stews Iranian stews {{Iran-cuisine-stub