I have no idea how to cook. Yes, unlike most of the Azerbaijani women in the time-to-get-married-and-have-kids age I can’t even prepare the most primitive meal. Can’t say I’m really proud of it, but at least I made my peace with it. But every time I visit www.azcookbook.com things magically change. Delicious looking meals from Azerbaijan and Beyond provoke in me an immediate need either to cook or to eat.
A lot.
Later, I discovered that this web page is a result of a work of one lady – the cooked meals, the texts, the pictures – everything. And all this combined with being a socially active wife and mother, and writing a book. So, if you have visited this web page and experienced the same feelings as I did, then you will be glad to meet this cooking hero of mine – Farida Buyuran – an Azerbaijani woman, currently living in Los Angeles, CA and the next guest of Azeris Abroad.
Farida, please tell us about yourself.
I was born in Baku in 1977. In 1998 I graduated from the University of Languages with a Bachelor’s degree in English and two years later, with a Master’s degree in English Literature. My professional life started with Azerbaijan International magazine where I worked as editorial assistant for several years. I also worked briefly in a local Internet service providing company as a web content translator/editor before I had to move to California after marrying in the summer of 2002. In 2003 I got accepted to California State University, Long Beach from where I graduated with an MBA degree. After working at a Los Angeles based company for a short period of time, I decided to take a break to raise my children and to focus on writing an Azerbaijani cookbook. I also run a food blog (www.azcookbook.com) in English and Azeri for which I do my own food styling and photography. Since 2006, I am in charge of membership and public relations at Azerbaijani American Women’s Association based in California. I live in Long Beach with my husband and two children, ages 6 and 2.
In your blog you say you didn’t like cooking before moving to the US. How did it start? When did you learn cooking and how did the blog idea come up?
Hmm, did I really say that? I actually did do some cooking back in Baku but it was minimal, rare, and occasional. I only knew how to bake a few cakes (ok, one of them was a 3-tier cake) and pastries, how to fix paytakht salati (stolichniy salad) and how to set a table before the arrival of guests. Not that I didn’t like cooking. Let’s say I was spoiled as most Azerbaijani youngsters who live with their parents are because their mothers and grandmothers do all the cooking. But the irony of all this is that I’ve always loved recipes. I believe I was around 13 when I started my first recipe notebook, which I called Resepti (in Russian – recipes) with my initials proudly sealed underneath the title. I was a little creative with the title of my second recipe notebook and branded it Nush Olsun! (Azeri equivalent of bon appetit). My recipes came from various sources: family, relatives, friends, magazines, and newspapers. But I rarely used those recipes back in Baku.
When I came to California, I began to crave homemade food I was terribly addicted to in Baku. Then I began to cook, both to satisfy mine and my husband’s appetite and to improve my cooking in the meantime. As I felt more confident in the kitchen and as I found out there were no cookbooks dedicated entirely to Azerbaijani cuisine, I set out to write one myself. I envisioned a book that would not only teach how to cook Azerbaijani dishes, but also provide interesting insights into the history and culture of Azerbaijan throughout. So I began to collect recipes and stories from various parts of Azerbaijan and have already accumulated more than 200. The idea to start a food blog came shortly after the cookbook idea. I had just learned about food blogging and was captivated by the idea of interaction with people a blog allows. A good friend of mine encouraged me to start my own and so I did. Two years later, I have hundreds of subscribers from all over the world and this is very encouraging.
Is Azerbaijani cuisine popular in the US? For example, how popular is your blog among American users?
Generally speaking, many Americans have not heard about the country named Azerbaijan, let alone its cuisine. But I have many loyal readers who are Americans. They are very open to learn about Azerbaijan, about its culture, history, and cuisine. I find them genuinely curious.
What are your plans for the future?
My plan for the nearest future is to have my book published. After that I am planning to return to the workforce and also work on other projects I have in mind. I also plan to continue blogging both in English and Azeri.
What do you like and dislike most about Azerbaijan?
Living away from Azerbaijan enabled me to look at things that I took for granted before from a different angle, and doing so, I realized how beautiful our culture, our art, and of course, our cuisine are. I absolutely love Azerbaijani hospitality. In Azerbaijan, even if you live on a budget and struggle to feed your own family, you make sure to feed your guest well, even an unexpected and uninvited one, and to make him or her feel right at home. Among the things I don’t like about Azerbaijan is the ruling power of public opinion. Oftentimes you are forced to behave a certain way, to do things the way the society dictates and not how you really want to. Azerbaijani women are especially vulnerable in this respect, especially those living in the regions. Many are not even entitled to an opinion.
What do you like and dislike most about the US?
I love the diversity. The US is home to hundreds of ethnic groups, all living in peace and harmony and abiding by the same laws and regulations. I also think America lives up to its name of the land of opportunities. Just think about the resources open and available for people from all walks of life, of all ages – adult schools, universities, libraries, recreation centers, just to name a few. There is something for everybody. What I dislike? I will have to agree with your previous interviewee, Mehriban Afandiyeva and say that it is a somewhat extreme sense of individuality that reigns in American society. It distances people from one another.
What is your message to Azerbaijani women?
This will sound American, but I want Azerbaijani women to live the life they want to live. I often witness how talented Azerbaijani women full of potential give up on their own dreams and goals after they marry and have children. They become passive and accept life as is. I would like them to fight for what they believe, to follow their dreams, to reach their goals and not let anybody or anything stand in their way. I do realize it is not that easy to do so in a society where public opinion matters and puts an enormous pressure on women and where things are not done as easily as here, but I believe our women are strong enough to slowly break the ice and bring about change.
Comments
Thanks for the excellent web site, introducing Turkish/Azarbaijani cooking on the web.
My wife is very excited to try some of your recepies and we are too, to try them!!
Ellar var, chokh sag oloun,
From Cupertino, Northern California
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