Mulberries and dried mulberries
Fruit with a short life once picked from the tree is dried on the rooftops and becomes a delicacy for the whole year.
The mulberry is one of the best-loved summer fruits. There are white and black varieties; because it has a short life once picked, it is eaten fresh in season, and the rest is kept for winter — as mulberry bakhmaz, mulberry jam and dried mulberries.
In summer, cherry plums, mulberries and other fruit spread out on the rooftops of Ordubad's villages create a remarkable sight. Drying fruit to keep for winter and serving it at the tea table is one of the most deeply rooted customs of these parts.
With its natural sweetness, dried mulberry is eaten with tea as a substitute for sugar. It is said to contain iron and calcium, as well as B-group vitamins and vitamin C; that is why it is regarded in folk tradition as a strengthening food.
In folk medicine, mulberry juice is known to have been used for colds and coughs, and the white mulberry is known as a «blood-building» fruit. This is traditional use — for treatment, consult a doctor.
Dried mulberry is rich in natural sugars, so people with blood sugar problems should eat it in moderation, after consulting a doctor.
On the Ordubad table, dried mulberries are often served with walnut kernels — a handful brings the taste of summer back to the days of winter.
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