The chashir plant and chashir pickle
A perennial herb that adorns the slopes of Nakhchivan in spring, and one of the oldest pickles of the national cuisine.
In Azerbaijan, chashir is most widespread in Nakhchivan. This perennial herb, which adorns the mountains and slopes every spring, is drought-resistant: it grows on plains and in the lower mountain belt, on gypsum and clay soils and in dry ravines. It is gathered mainly in May–June.
Chashir pickle is one of the oldest dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine and is very popular in Nakhchivan. In spring, the plant's fresh shoots, 10–20 centimetres long, are blanched in water, salted and pickled. It is tasty and whets the appetite.
In folk medicine the root of chashir is used: a root infusion is traditionally drunk for coughs and digestive discomfort, and the dried root is mixed with honey and eaten.
Caution: chashir is not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Because the leaves of the plant contain oxalic acid, they should not be eaten — only the fresh shoots and the root are used.
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