Simple pleasures in Gabala: From 2000-year-old kebabs to mountain quad bike rides

euronews (in English)

A playground for outdoor adventure, Azerbaijan’s Gabala region has more to offer than simply beautiful nature. We dive into its rich history and culinary traditions – while taking in the views.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to Gabala. I'm in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, an outdoor playground

00:07for adventure junkies. I'll be getting my adrenaline fix this trip, but first I want

00:11to learn more about the fascinating history of this region.

00:19My first stop is the village of Chukur Gabala. It's the site of the ancient capital of Caucasian

00:26One of the oldest cities in Azerbaijan.

00:28These towers was built in the 10th century. It was the main entrance of this ancient town.

00:34The fortified city was built on top of a hill, protected by rivers in the east and west.

00:41This southern entrance's lookout towers were a crucial safeguard from potential attackers.

00:46The place we're standing is the most important and valuable site in our history. So this

00:52is where our ancestors lived, the Caucasian Albanians. These people are supposed to be

00:58our great-grandfathers, and they lived here 2,500 years ago.

01:04Archaeologists have been excavating the ruins here for nearly 100 years. The artifacts they've

01:09found show just how advanced Caucasian Albanian civilization really was.

01:15In different parts of this territory, we took archaeological excavations and found

01:21these tubes, pipelines, actually. It takes back nearly 8th century. These pipelines might

01:29have used for two different purposes, a canalization or an irrigation system.

01:37You can still see remnants of this ancient culture in present-day Gabala. For example,

01:42many of the region's culinary traditions date back to antiquity. To learn more, I'm

01:47visiting a local restaurant where they make Gabala's famous dashirasi kebab, which literally

01:52translates to kebab cooked between stones. This unique technique is said to be 2,000

01:58years old, and not just any stone will do.

02:06The lightning makes the stone especially heat-resistant.

02:09Wow, it's super heavy.

02:24Chef Elnur walked me through the ancient recipe. First, we cut some lamb tail fat, or guyruk,

02:31and placed it on the griddle to render. Then we prepared our local vegetables and seasoned

02:36our meat, which is a mix of lamb and beef.

02:39A lot? Is that enough?

02:41So he's saying the fat has rendered, and so now we're going to be able to cook the meat

02:45and the vegetables in the fat, which is going to make them really, really flavorful.

02:54Finally, the moment of truth.

02:56You were going to let me do it?

02:58Alright, do I put it here?

03:00Setting this very heavy stone on top of the meat and vegetables.

03:06To soak up all the flavor, we added some slices of bread to the grill.

03:09Wow, it smells incredible. It smells so good.

03:15Chef Elnur says people come from around the world to try his dashirasi kebab. It's a technique

03:21that only exists in Kabbalah.

03:23I think my work here is done. I've gotten enough in his way. Thank you so much, chef,

03:27for letting me cook with you.

03:28Sure.

03:29I'm going to go wait for my food.

03:31Soyuk Bulag is one of the few restaurants in the world that cooks dashirasi kebab.

03:40So tender.

03:41Before leaving the region, I had to take in its incredible views.

03:45The Caucasus Mountains are a natural border between Asia and Europe, formed by the violent

03:51collision of tectonic plates 200 million years ago.

03:54Look at that view!

03:57I want to cover a lot of ground to see as much of the mountain as possible.

04:01That's why I'm opting for some faster transportation.

04:04Seymour, why is quad biking a great way to see the mountain?

04:21We geared up and hit the trails in our off-road buggy.

04:24Heading up the mountain at Tufandag Mountain Resort.

04:27In the winter, these slopes are used for skiing.

04:30I let Seymour take the wheel for the more technical bits.

04:33What a cool way to see the mountain. It really feels like you're in the middle of nature.

04:37You can feel the air. You can see the views. It's an incredible experience.

04:42Kabbalah has been a breath of fresh air.

04:45With its spectacular views, rich culture, and even richer cuisine.

04:49This cradle of Caucasian history will stay with me long after I've returned back home.

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