I recently spent several weeks in Azerbaijan and I am trying to recreate and share some of the dishes we ate in the various towns. One of the day trips we made from Baku was to a village in Northeastern Azerbaijan called Lahic, a tiny village of less than 1000 people known for their copper work. The people of Lahic speak a language called Tahti which is similar to Persian although many are bilingual with Azerbaijani. I was able to get by with the shopkeepers speaking my basic Turkish which has the same roots as Azerbaijani, they are both Turkic languages. The main street is lined with spice shops, metalsmith workshops and people selling trinkets.

We spent a few hours smelling, tasting and purchasing various spices. I bought one bundle of little bark-like sticks that I was told by two proprietors (had it been one I wouldn’t have trusted my language skills) that I boil them in butter until the butter turns red- they were very specific about this- and then drink it to cure any stomach issues. I haven’t tried it yet, and frankly the idea of drinking a lot of butter no matter how red doesn’t really appeal to me. But I have it on hand just in case. While this village was wonderful and I was so grateful to have visited it, the highlight for me was actually along the way while we were driving to the village. We pulled over to a roadside stand where two women were making and selling a bright yellow flatbread cooked on a convex grill called a “sac.”

Naturally we had to stop for a taste. This bread, served in a newspaper hot from the sac, was one of the most delicious breads I have ever eaten. It was salty and buttery with fragrant spices. I think this excerpt from my travel journal may sum it up best. “We were eating it with such unabashedness that I found myself shoving it into my mouth, shamelessly gorging.” Manners were off the table! That’s how good this bread is. Later we learned this bread is called Feseli and the only recipe I was able to find was by Feride Buyuran from her book Pomegranates and Saffron: A Culinary Journey to Azerbaijan which I have purchased and is waiting for me at my dad’s house. And while I think her recipe was excellent, it would not replicate the same flavor we experienced. Therefore, here is my best interpretation of roadside Azerbaijani turmeric bread.

Ingredients

Dough:

2 Cups of all-purpose flour -plus a bit extra for kneading

2 Teaspoons kosher salt

1 ½ Cups of water

Filling:

6 Tablespoons salted butter

2 Teaspoons turmeric

* possible add–ins could be cumin, coriander or fennel. Our roadside bread was only turmeric, but I made some with cumin seeds and it was delicious.

** I made this bread for a vegan friend substituting butter with an equal amount of oil. She and her non-vegan husband loved it and couldn’t tell it was veganized.

Method

Sift the flour into a bowl and add the salt. Slowly add water and knead the dough, adding more flour or water if necessary. Knead dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan add the 6 tablespoons of salted butter, turmeric and any alternative ingredients and gently heat. Allow to cool.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. Take the first section and pat it into a disk. Sprinkle flour on top and gently roll the dough into a thin circle. As thin as you can get it evenly rolled without breaking the dough.

Once the circles are made, using a spoon apply half of the filing to each circle, evenly spreading it. Then gently roll the dough into a cylinder and then coil it into a spiral. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

After resting take your rolling pin and evenly roll the coil into a flat disk, similarly sized to the original circle of dough. It should not exceed the size of the pan or flat grill you intend to use to cook the bread.

Heat butter in the pan, cook the flat bread 5-7 minutes on each side until golden brown. Serve immediately, in a newspaper if you like.