Piti (food)
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Piti is a soup in the cuisines of the
South Caucasus The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...
, its bordering nations, and
Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
, and is prepared in the oven in individual crocks with a glazed interior (called ''piti'' in
Turkic languages The Turkic languages are a language family of more than 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and West Asia. The Turkic langua ...
). It is made with
mutton Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat) is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries'', and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in thei ...
and
vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...
s (
tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...
es,
potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
es,
chickpea The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual plant, annual legume of the family (biology), family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, cultivated for its edible seeds. Its different types are variously known as gram," Bengal gram, ga ...
s), infused with
saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...
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 is a variety of ''
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 ...
'', particularly popular in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. In
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
, it is called ''putuk'' (
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
: պուտուկ), the Armenian word for crock.


Ingredients

The main ingredients of piti are
mutton Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat) is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries'', and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in thei ...
, tail fat,
chickpea The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual plant, annual legume of the family (biology), family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, cultivated for its edible seeds. Its different types are variously known as gram," Bengal gram, ga ...
s, potato, onions, dried alycha or other kinds of cherry plum and
saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...
. Meat is gradually simmered with already soaked
chickpea The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual plant, annual legume of the family (biology), family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, cultivated for its edible seeds. Its different types are variously known as gram," Bengal gram, ga ...
s in piti-pots. Potatoes, onions, alycha and
saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...
infusion are added 30 minutes before the meal is ready.
Sumac Sumac or sumach ( , )—not to be confused with poison sumac—is any of the roughly 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' (and related genera) of the cashew and mango tree family, Anacardiaceae. However, it is '' Rhus coriaria ...
powder is also served separately. In
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
, putuk (
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
word for crock) 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 Matnakash () is a leavened traditional Armenian bread. The word ''matnakash'' means "finger draw" or "finger pull", referring to the way the bread is prepared. It is made of wheat flour with yeast or sourdough starter. It is shaped into oval or ro ...
, 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 The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, cultivated for its edible seeds. Its different types are variously known as gram," Bengal gram, garbanzo, garbanzo bean, or Egypt ...
, potatoes, onions, dried alycha and
saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...
. In
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, 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.


Shaki piti

Shaki piti uses boiled
chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...
s. It is cooked in an pot. Firstly, chickpeas, mutton and tail fat are put in the pots. After that water is added and the dish gets cooked.


See also

*
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 ...
*
Bozbash Bozbash ( ; ; ) is a traditional meat stew (also described as a soup) that is popular in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. In Azerbaijan, there are varieties of bozbash, such as ''küftə'' (medium- to large-sized meatball) and ''tikə'' (medium t ...
*
Chanakhi Chanakhi ( ka, ჩანახი) is a traditional GeorgianDarra Goldstein, ''The Georgian Feast: The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of Georgia,'' p. 86V.V. Pokhlebkin, ''National Cuisines of the Peoples of the Soviet Union''Chanakhi, Tsentrp ...
* Đuveč *
List of soups This is a list of notable soups. Soups have been made since ancient times. Some soups are served with large chunks of meat or vegetables left in the liquid, while others are served as a broth. A broth is a flavored liquid usually derived from ...


Sources


V.V. Pokhlebkin, ''National Cuisines of the Peoples of the Soviet Union''
Tsentrpoligraf Publ. House, 1978 ; English edition: V.V. Pokhlebkin, ''Russian Delight: A Cookbook of the Soviet People'', London: Pan Books, 1978


References

{{Cuisine of Iran Azerbaijani soups Armenian soups Iranian soups Turkish soups Georgian soups Tajik cuisine