Bozbash

Bozbash (Armenian: բոզբաշ [bozˈbɑʃ] ^ⓘ; Azerbaijani: bozbaş [bozˈbɑʃ] ^ⓘ; Persian: آبگوشت بزباش) 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 to large-size meat cubes) bozbash.

Bozbash is a word of Azerbaijani origin. It may be derived from Azerbaijani boz ("light gray") and bash ("head"), which in turn may point to the light color of the dish when its cooked. The küftə (meatball) version of the dish resembles a gray head when cooked.

Bozbash is the Azerbaijani name of the Iranian dish abgoosht-e sabzi. Ghanoonparvar notes that bozbash was introduced "relatively late" into Iranian cuisine; Mirza Ali-Akbar Khan, the chef of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (r. 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.

According William Pokhlyobkin Bozbash is the most popular Armenian soup

In Azerbaijan, there are varieties of bozbash, such as küftə and tikə (or parcha) bozbash, which is made from lamb or beef meat.

Alan Davidson describes bozbash in the Azerbaijani cuisine as:

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

• [1]

• Bender, David A. (2014). "Bozbash". A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition (4 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0191752391.
• Davidson, Alan (2014). Jaine, Tom (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Food (3 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199677337.
• Ghanoonparvar, Mohammad R. (1989). "BOZBĀŠ". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. IV/4: Bolbol I–Brick. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 425. ISBN 978-0-71009-127-7.