A blog inspired to teach my children about other countries and cultures through their food. It also includes music, arts, and literature from those countries as well.
I think the country of Azerbaijan rounds out my Top 5
Countries That Are Fun To Pronounce (also includes Djibouti, Côte d’Ivoire,
Mozambique, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines). But the sad thing is that when I was telling people that I
was doing Azerbaijan this week, people looked at me, and asked, “Uh, Azer, uh,
what?” So, I suppose this’ll be an introductory course in the culture and food
of Azerbaijan for many.
Azerbaijan is located in the northern part of the Middle
East and was part of the former Soviet Union for much of the 20th
century, along with neighboring Armenia that we did about a month or so
ago. The name itself roughly means
“Guardians of Fire,” which is stemmed from Zoroastrianism (which was based in
and around Iran, and given Azerbaijan’s proximity to Iran, it makes sense). It’s
bordered by Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, and the Caspian Sea. It lies in the heart of the Caucuses
Mountains area.
Like Angola that we did earlier, Azerbaijan also has exclaves,
an area that is separated from the main part of a country by another country
entirely. In this case, the Naxcivan Autonomous Region and the Nagorno-Karabakh
regions belong to Azerbaijan but are separated from them by Armenia.
The language spoken in Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani, closely
related to Turkish. It’s also
spoken in areas of northern Iran as well. Through the years, it first used an Arabic script, then Latin, then Cyrillic, but finally they decided to go with Latin script
for their language (similar to how Turkish does).
About a quarter of the population live in the capital, Baku.
According to Lonely Planet, Baku makes the Top 10 for urban nightlife. One of
the most popular and famous parts of the city is called Fountains Square, which
immediately caught my attention because I live near the neighborhood of
Fountain Square in Indianapolis. It’s like we’re connected or something. And it
was also host to the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest too. It’s located on the
Absheron Peninsuala that juts out into the Caspian sea and has been considered
by scientists and environmentalists to be an ecological disaster area because
of the amounts of air, soil, and water pollution.
The vast majority of Azerbaijanis identify themselves as
Muslims, but the country itself does not officially have a national religion.
It is considered the most secular of all the Muslim countries.
Azerbaijan actually touts – and I was quite surprised in a
good way – that it has a 1% unemployment rate, making it 6th in the
world! A lot of their economic growth is attributed to oil exports, but they
are also making strides in construction, banking, and real estate.
Azerbaijan is a fascinating country with an intricate
history. I’m so excited to go through its culture this week and especially its
cuisine. They use a lot of fruits and vegetables with fresh herbs and spices. And hopefully others will finally know where Azerbaijan is and realize
just what it has to offer.
I was so excited to get to make Austrian food. I’m of German
heritage on my mother’s side, so some of the fare seemed somewhat reminiscent
of food that my mother made for me when I was growing up.
The bread I chose was an Austrian pumpernickel. Now, I’ve
been a fan of rye and pumpernickel since I was a kid. My husband, not so much.
But I do give him credit in the fact that he even tried it. I should count my
blessings as they come. The bread is dark, it’s hardy, it’s a meal in and of
itself. It was a lot drier dough to work with. I had to add more water and
another tablespoon of oil to it just to make it wet enough to form. It never
did rise very much, which probably adds to its density. The recipe didn’t call
for it to be scored, but I did anyway to add decoration. It turned out to be a
very good bread. When I took the first bite while it was still warm, I could
discern the molasses, the cocoa, and the caraway seeds. The crust was hard
while the inside was soft and almost cake-like in places. I truly enjoyed it.
Pumpernickel: a funny name for an awesome bread.
I decided there may be nothing more Austrian than wiener
schnitzel. I mean, it’s even in the name, sort of. (The word for Vienna in
German in Wien.) True wiener schnitzel is made of veal, and there is a German
meats and sausage place that I pass every day, so what better place to find it,
right? Well, I did find it there: they have it in a pre-wrapped frozen package,
ranging from one to 1 ½ pounds. So, I had him go get me two packages since my
recipe called for two pounds. He came back and said that it was $63 and
change!! I quickly decided that I should go for wiener schnitzel vom schwein,
which is German for “veal is way too expensive, pork is cheaper.” Using the
thin-cut pork cutlets, breading them and frying them turned out really good
regardless of whether it's true wiener schnitzel or not.
In looking for a side dish, I came across kasnocken. You
make spaetzel by making the dough and dripping it through a colander or sieve
into simmering water.
Making spaetzel though a colander. It was so fun!
Then you top it with carmelized onions and sprinkle with
cheese. The recipe called for gruyère cheese, but I just couldn’t find it. How
come I see it all the time until I actually want to buy it? So, I had to
research some substitutions that basically said that gruyère is a type of Swiss
cheese, so that’s what I used instead. I thought it was really good and was
blown away when my kids shied away from it. I mean, it’s basically mac and
cheese, for crying out loud! Malfunctioning taste buds are obviously a slow
genetic drip from their father’s side.
The onions were the best part. Next time, I'll go with a cheese blend perhaps.
And simply because there were no green vegetables on the
menu, I quickly grabbed some fresh green beans and added some bacon and sea
salt for flavor. You really can't go wrong, and you have to work really hard at messing it up.
The final meal: wiener schnitzel, kasnocken, green bean, and pumpernickel bread.
After we ate the meal, I got started on the apple
strudel. I made my own dough and
had to let it rest. Then I spread toasted bread crumbs on it and topped with a
mixture of apples (I chose my favorites, Galas), lemon juice, lemon zest,
cinnamon, and raisins soaked in
rum cream (mmm, it was hard to save some for the recipe. Seriously, it was the last four tablespoons). Then you fold the dough to make a pocket and bake it for an hour or
more. I served it with artisan vanilla ice cream, and it was the perfect ending
to this long day.
The grand finale: appel strudel with artisan vanilla ice cream.
The meal on a whole was really good. I’m definitely learning
more patience. It may not have been the healthiest of meals by any means, but
certainly one of the tastier ones. I’ve highly enjoyed this meal, and perhaps
when I get a win fall, or one of my book projects gets off the ground and
sells, I’ll go back and make this with veal. Until then, let them eat pork.
Here’s what I’ve been waiting for all week. Vienna has long
been considered the music capital of Europe. Musicians and their families all
over Europe would sacrifice all they had to be able to study in Vienna. And it's no wonder it's the same city that gave is the famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Boys Choir.
These names that are familiar to me from my days as a music
major – part of the canon of composers we should know – have contributed to
some of the greatest music in the history of the world.Here’s a “TV Guide” run-down on each of
them:
Alban Berg: member of the Second Viennese School, along with
Schönberg and Berg. He’s really famous for his opera Wozzeck. I’m not a huge fan of contemporary music, but his
Jugendlieder (Songs from Youth) are really nice if you’re a newcomer to
contemporary music. It reminds me of Schubert in places. He died from
complications of an insect bite that led to blood poisoning.
Anton Bruckner: famous for many of his symphonies. He
actually had a symphony that was so harshly criticized that he called it
Symphony No. 0, and it was never performed in his lifetime. Bruckner actually
had a fascination with dead bodies and what happens after death, specifically
asking to be embalmed. He’s buried under his favorite organ in the St. Florian
monastery church.
Carl Czerny: wrote about a zillion piano exercises that
weeds out the people who really love piano and those who develop a disdain for
their piano teachers by having to do it over and over again, but this time
correctly. He was one of the first composers to use the word “étude” [study] in
the title. This is the "School of Velocity" studies. One day, I hope to be able to play this at this tempo.
Joseph Haydn:Often called “Father of the Symphony” and “Father of the String Quartet”
and a close friend of both Mozart and Beethoven. His younger brother Michael
was also a renowned composer and musician. Haydn had an incredible sense of
humor and enjoyed practical jokes. He was short and not very attractive due to
smallpox scars leaving his face pock-marked. This is the 4th movement of the "London Symphony" (No. 104). When I was playing French horn as part of a youth orchestra one year, we did this piece, and it's one of my favorites.
Gustav Mahler: Known for his symphonies. Interesting story:
he and some friends of his attended a really terrible concert of Bruckner’s Third Symphony, where people yelled insults
at the composer and many people walked out. Mahler and his musician friends put
together a piano version of the symphony and gave it to Bruckner. (Talk about
kissing up. Wonder if it was better?) This is the finale to Mahler's 8th Symphony.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: I don’t think there’s a person
alive on this planet who doesn’t know who Mozart is. When I was in high school,
I saw the movie Amadeus for the first
time and fell in love with it and his music. I’ve always been a fan of his
style, his intricacies. In fact, I’m still working my way through his piano
sonatas. Such great pieces, indeed. There’s a reason why his music is timeless
and people sample his music into their pieces (like how the band Evanescence
sampled “Lacrymosa from Requiem in D minor” into the song of the same name). This is one of my favorite Mozart pieces of all time, since I first heard it in high school: Symphony No. 40 in G minor with the one and only Leonard Bernstein conducting.
Arnold Schönberg: (Also spelled Schoenberg). Also part of
the Second Viennese School. The Nazis labeled his music as a “degenerate art.”
Although… some of it I have a hard time enjoying. While he did come up with the
twelve-tone technique of composing (where you use each of the twelve tones in
an octave once before reusing the tone again), I’m just a huge fan of tonality.
(Although I do have to say that I give props to Leonard Bernstein for pulling
off twelve-tone technique with style in the song “Quiet” from Candide.)
Franz Schubert: Schubert is fascinating to me. He was only
31 when he died, but he churned out music like a machine. By the time he died,
he wrote over “600 lieder, nine symphonies, liturgical music, operas,
incidental music, and many chamber and solo piano pieces.” One of my favorite
pieces he wrote that I sang for my senior voice recital was “Gretchen am Spinnrade.”
Johann Strauss Jr.: His father was also a really famous
composer as well. Junior became known as the “Waltz King.” He’s really famous
for his “The Blue Danube” waltz and “Tales from Vienna Woods” and his opera Die Fledermaus.Both Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock
did low-budget biographical films about Strauss.
Anton Webern: Also part of the Second Viennese School and had his music deemed "degenerate art."He also utilized the twelve-tone
technique but also a technique called total serialism. Serialism is roughly
assigning a series of values of different aspects of music. I don’t quite get
it, to be honest. Here is where we
get away from having a tonal center and more or less compose according to
formula and math, rather than what was previously accepted from an aesthetic modus
operandi. While interesting in its concept, I still prefer tonality.
Hugo Wolf: Known for his songs (otherwise known as lieder). He
was a child prodigy, but he suffered from depression that interrupted his work
a lot, until he died of a mental break caused by syphilis. I have a lot of Wolf
songs included in the book I used for German songs (“Fifty Selected Songs by
Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, and Strauss”). I also sang his song
“Verborgenheit” for my senior voice recital.
There weren’t a whole lot of pop/rock Austrian bands that
are out there that are current, but I did come across one called She Says.
There’s an acoustic album they have out that I really enjoyed. There were
several that were popular in the 1980s, like Falco, famous for the song“Rock Me Amadeus.”
Yodeling got its start in the Alps as well. It comes from
the German word jodeln, which
basically means to say the word jo
(or yo in English). Yodeling is
basically moving the voice from a mid- to low- register to a high register. Yodeling
extended to country and western music in the United States during the 1920s and
1930s, starting with Jimmie Rogers.
When it comes to dance, there are three main types you’ll
find: ländler, waltz, and schuhplattler. Ländler is a dance in 3/4 time for
couples and includes a lot of stomping and hopping. Several Austrian classical
composers have written ländlers. If you watch The Sound of Music, you can see Maria and Captain von Trapp dancing
a ländler; however, it’s not a true dance, there has been a lot of it that has
been changed and choreographed.
The waltz is another dance that is in 3/4 time and is related
to the ländler.The couples dance
closer together and generally will dance in a gliding motion across the floor. Many composers
have written waltzes and it’s considered part of the canon of ballroom dance
styles.
The schuhplattler is a folk dance that evolved from the
ländler. It was actually used as a courtship dance, where men would dance to
show off for the eligible females.
There are other types of less popular dances or offshoots
and variations from the dances lists above. Many of these dances and the music
associated with them are found in classical music as well as being performed by
amateur musicians and dancers.
Art is Austria runs deep, mostly because it lies in the
heart of art-inspired Europe. I have an appreciation for art, but I can’t name
names when it comes to classical art. Some genres where Austrians excelled are
in paintings and architecture. Austrian art more or less went through its own
eras of art history yet also followed what was happening elsewhere in Europe.
One artist I came across is Gustav Klimt. Although he never
married and supposedly lived with his mom, it was rumored that he often had
affairs with the models he painted and even may have fathered children with
some of them. His favorite subject to portray was women – in all aspects of
their lives, from childhood through pregnancy and motherhood to old age. One of
his most famous paintings is called “The Kiss.” But the one I really enjoy that
touched my heart is one called “Mother and Child.”
One of Klimt’s friends was fellow artist Egon Schiele. He
also had some issues with “relationships” with young girls (in fact, it
actually got him a short stint in prison). His style looks mostly like sketches
and watercolor, and he tends to either paint himself or paint nudes in
provocative situations, or both.
Oskar Kokoschka was one another painter around the same
time, but his issues lie in the fact that he would often portray violence,
which got him kicked out of art school. He also made a name for himself in the
literature field as well. I like his style of painting: he uses a lot of
colors. And while the edges are not defined – almost in an early Impressionist
style – he creates the illusion of definition with the colors he uses,
contrasting light and dark.
Adolf Hitler (who was born in Austria and lived there until
he was seven years old) was actually an artist as well. A friend of mine sent me an e-mail
years ago that had some of his art work in it, a lot of landscapes and
buildings and such. And to be honest, I really like his artwork. Some of them
are kind of peaceful. It seems so anathema from someone who had such skewed
views of the world.
Architecture in Austria is a contrast between modern
buildings of glass and steel to ancient castles of stones and mortar. Many of
Austria’s cities hold onto its classic Baroque-style buildings from the past,
yet have some of the leading architectural styles of the world nearby.
One of Austria’s more famous writers is Franz Kafka. I have
one of his works The Metamorphosis on
my massive Master Reading List. (One day, I’ll get to it I swear. I’m still
working my way through Charles Dickens’ Bleak
House and Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman
Cometh right now.) The attributed term “Kafkaesque” is a term that loosely
means anything that is disorienting, senseless, highly complex, and almost
schizophrenic. That isn’t too far from the reality: certain sources and
psychoanalysts claim that Kafka had low-level schizophrenic disorders and some even
suggested he had some sort of anorexia disorder. As the old saying goes, “You don’t have to be crazy to work
here, but it helps.”
One of my favorite books I read growing up was the Madeline books, written by Austrian
Ludwig Bemelmans. Now I want to go find the books again. (I’m thinking a trip
to Half Price Books is in store for this weekend.)
Although not necessarily considered literature, there were
many Austrian who were writers in their field. Sigmund Freud is one of the most
famous psychoanalysts of all time, especially in the field of dream
interpretation among other studies. I have his Interpretations of Dreams on my list as well AND on my bookshelf
waiting for me. Hans Asperger is another doctor who studied autism and the
namesake of Asperger’s Syndrome. Gregor Mendel is thought to be the father of
modern genetics, discovering breakthroughs in inheritance and traits in the pea
plant. Not really a writer, but rather written about, the father of the von
Trapp family (Baron von Trapp), made famous from The Sound of Music, was originally from Austria. There are many other
inventors, engineers, and highly educated people in all fields that have
written extensively in their fields.
Austria, a country where the majority of
the people currently is or identify themselves as Roman Catholics, does have a
majority of the same kinds of holidays that other primarily Christian countries
celebrate. There are very few national holidays, however.
New Years Day. January 1. Also called
Sylvesterabend, after St. Sylvester. Traditionally, many Austrians enjoy a
punch made of cinnamon, sugar, and red wine -- all my favorites! Other people
will burn mortars in order to keep evil spirits away, a tradition you'll find
in many cultures worldwide. Eating a dinner of suckling pig is considered to
bring good luck, as well as green peppermint ice cream in the shape of a
four-leaf clover. People will also sing New Years carols on New Year's morning.
It also marks the beginning of the carnival of Fasching, which goes on until
Lent. That's a lot of partying. Some people will also pour molten lead into a
bucket of water and make predictions based on the shapes. Some people can find
good (or bad) luck anywhere, I suppose.
Epiphany. January 6. Epiphany falls twelve
days after Christmas. It marks when the three wise men visited Jesus, bring
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Easter Sunday. Varies. The night before
Easter, some people light fires and gather around it to sing songs and dance
around it. Easter morning begins with a fabulous Easter brunch to celebrate the
end of fasting. The kids will search for Easter eggs and they also follow the
Easter bunny myth as well. They will make two different kinds of eggs, though.
One kind is decorated but with the intention of being able to eat later. The
other kind is hollowed out and decorated with paints and glitter, using ferns
and flowers as stencils and is attached to ferns as decorations.
Easter Monday. Varies. This is mostly for
a day of rest and to spend with family. I’m sure many people will take the
opportunity to spend it outside, weather permitting of course. Not all
countries have Easter Monday off, but Austria is one that does.
Labor Day/May Day. May 1. Labor Day is celebrated
in similar fashions to other countries, with parades sponsored by various
political and labor groups and organizations. It’s also the same day as May
Day, the traditional first day of spring and is related to Walpurgis Night.
Ascension Day. Varies (39 days after
Easter). It’s a day for Christians to celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven.
This is always on a Thursday, so people will often enjoy a long weekend because
of it. If you do work on Friday, it’s often a quieter day of work than usual.
There are special services at area churches for those who attend.
Whit Sunday. Varies. It’s a day regarding
the decent of the Holy Ghost to the disciples of Jesus, according to Christian
traditions. It’s also to mark the beginning of the Pentecostal season in the
church. Many people will spend the day with family doing something together,
such as picnicking or doing something outside.
Corpus Christ. Varies (60 days after
Easter). A holiday to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, or communion. Many
Christians attend special services in order to be served communion, which is
the belief by taking wine and bread, they are receiving the body and blood of
Jesus Christ.
Assumption of Mary. August 15. It’s the
festival in honor of Mary’s ascent into heaven following her death.
Spectacularly decorated festivals and parades followed by fireworks will take
place on this day, and vary from country to country.
Austrian National Day (day of neutrality).
October 26. Their holiday is a little different than other national holidays,
where many would celebrate independence from another country or the signing of
a constitution. This one is celebrating the fact that Austria has declared
themselves neutral from all international conflict: a feat that I highly
commend. Sometimes I wish we were neutral. Many people will hang flags and
attend parades.
All Saints Day. November 1. It’s a
celebration of all the saints, especially those who have no other holidays,
sort of a catch-all holidays for saints. Many people will visit the gravesites
of loved ones and light candles in their memory.
Feast of Immaculate Conception. December
8. It celebrates the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary. Traditionally,
it’s celebrated on December 8, nine months before Mary’s birthday on September
8. I don’t see how nine months before Mary’s birthday should mark the
immaculate conception, but ok. (Shouldn’t it be nine months before Jesus’
birthday?) This also marks the first day shops can begin the Christmas shopping
season. That wouldn’t go over well in the US, where I’ve seen Christmas stuff
out at Halloween. (cough, cough, corporate greed, cough, cough)
Christmas Day. December 25. People wait to
decorate for Christmas on Christmas Eve by putting up their tree then. None of
this putting it up weeks in advance. Caroling is popular and you can hear
caroling groups all over during this time. Kids open presents left by Santa
Claus. The traditional Christmas meal is carp or sausages. Just invite me to
dinner, please. I’ll even forego the gifts, the food is enough.
St. Stephen's Day. December 26. It’s a day
to commemorate St. Stephen, the first martyr according to Christians. It’s also
related to Boxing Day, which is celebrated in many countries.
Resources:
Wikipedia: "Public holidays in
Austria" “Feast of Immaculate Conception” “St. Stephens Day”
As a musician and music theory enthusiast, Austria for me
represents one of the Meccas of the music world. Home of some of the world’s
most talented (genius, if you will) composers such as Mozart, Haydn, Schubert,
and Strauss, Vienna itself has become a center for serious musicians to learn
their craft. Even German-born Beethoven spent many years in Vienna. Thousands
of students traveled with the last of their family’s money to try for the
chance to learn with best.
This landlocked country located in the heart of the Alps
surrounds itself with Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia,
Switzerland, and the tiny country of Liechtenstein.Slightly smaller than the US state of Maine, it does boast
about 8.2 million people there (about the same as the entire population of New
York City). The renowned Danube River is a major river that runs through
Austria and Vienna. In fact, you might know a little piece by Johann Strauss II
called “The Blue Danube.”
Like their neighbor Germany, Austrians speak German, making
it only one of six countries whose official and working language is German
(eleven other countries list German as a national or minority language spoken).
Along certain border states in Austria, you’ll find other languages spoken as
well.
More than a quarter of Austria’s population resides in the
capital city of Vienna and its surrounding areas. It’s sometimes referred to as
the “City of Dreams” in homage to one of its more famous residents, Dr. Sigmund Freud, whose dream analyses was an integral part of his research and was what
put him on the map, so to speak.
Vienna and Austria as a whole enjoys a very high quality of
life, and that’s evident through a number of independent studies. Low maternal
death rate, low infant mortality, fairly high expenditure on health care, access
to doctors, generally low unemployment, and low percentage of obesity among
adults (at 11%, compared with almost 34% in the US!) are all factors that help
determine that status.
Austria’s culture seems to be mainly influenced by two
cultures: its proximity to German culture and its historical ties with
Hungarian culture, among others. As we explore the culture and cuisine of
Austria, you’ll be able to pick out the bits of history and influences that
have been retained as if it were poured through a colander. So, grab some
coffee (and one for me: I like mine with soy milk and one sugar, please) and
read on.
Up next: Holidays and Celebrations
Resources:
CIA Factbook: Austria
Wikipedia: “Austria” “Vienna” “Danube River” “The Blue
Danube”
Word of mouth is an awesome tool, and so is a Google search.
But in my opinion as a writer, promoting your own work is one of the hardest
things for me to do. It’s almost schizophrenic: I like what I write, but there
are times I’m afraid to put it out there for people, afraid they will think it’s garbage
writing. The editor part of me does have to step in and mitigate the internal
battle and reassure everyone that we did a good job. It’s the same with my
music.
And then when opportunities arise, the agent in me tells me I better take it.
Earlier this week, I was reading through my Twitterfeed and saw a post from
Huffington Post Women asking them to send a picture of what fun things you did
this weekend. Well, I posted the picture of the final meal we did for the
Australian food, with a link to the blog, of course. And I got an e-mail back saying that they included it in
their slide show! It’s slide 42 of 44, I think. Something I did was mentioned
on a website that I have so much respect for, and I feel so proud of myself, it's ethereal. Check it out here:
The next day, I got a write-up on The Armenian Kitchen’s
website (posted on 06/13/2012) about my posts of Armenian culture and food. All
of my recipes came from their website, and after I was finished doing Armenia,
I sent them an e-mail saying how much I enjoyed their site. So, she wrote about
this blog and how it got started. I am still so flattered.
Social media and the Internet can be a wonderful thing. It
certainly allows us to share ideas and cultures and lets us connect with people
all over the world. When you learn more about other places and people, you begin to
understand them. And when you understand them, you greatly lower your chances
at unsubstantiated hate and discrimination. These are the things that make our
worlds smaller. (This should be my mission statement.)
