Those who believe oil and gas are Azerbaijan's only exports might have to start thinking again. Via the Morning Advertiser, which covers "the pub trade," news has arrived of the arrival in England of the a new Azeri export product: Jala Super Juice.
Jala Super Juice has become the first Azeri food and drink brand to be launched in the UK, as the country begins a major push to increase food and drink exports. The country, located between Western Asia and Eastern Europe, is best known for its oil and gas rich lands, but it also has a long history of cultivating pomegranates. Jala, which is made from pomegranate concentrate, comes in three pomegranate blended flavours: raspberry, orange and strawberry. “It’s great to be the first Azeri brand to break into the UK market. We are confident the Jala Super Juice range has the authenticity, provenance and quality needed to ensure success in the highly competitive sector,” said Bill Sedat, marketing manager for Azerbaijan Juices.
Bottles inside a Turkish winery on the island of Gokceada
Soner Cagaptay, a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who has become one of the Turkish government's most strident critics, frequently accusing it of turning the clock on Turkey's secularization process, is now attacking its liquor policy.
According to Cagaptay, the Islamic-rooted and socially conservative government of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is systematically working to turn Turkey off to booze. How is it doing that? By making it more expensive and harder to buy alcohol, Cagaptay argues. From his piece:
Since the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, rose to power in Turkey in 2002, special taxes on alcohol have increased dramatically, making a glass of wine or beer one of the most expensive in Europe, and for that purpose anywhere in the world.
Giorgi Lomsadze's great Eurasianet story about Georgia's attempts to obtain trademark protection for khachapuri, "the cheese-filled Georgian pastry that has a lip-smacking fan base throughout the former Soviet Union," is not the first such effort in the region.
A few years back, the kebab makers of Adana, a city on the southern Turkish coast known for its, well, kebab, managed to obtain the trademark for "Adana Kebab" and have the name listed with the Turkish patent office. They also managed to have their city's famous export be given geographical protection in Turkey, much like only sparkling wine from Champagne can be called "Champagne" (although based on the thousands of kebab stands and grill houses in Istanbul serving Adana kebab, it would appear that enforcing the designation is a bit tough.) The Adana Chamber of Commerce, even has a whole section on its website devoted to explaining the city's kebab laws, with even a list of "certified" Adana kebab makers.
Meanwhile, the ongoing political battle between Greek Cyprus and Turkey has, in recent years, spilled over into the culinary realm, with the two countries arguing about which was the one to invent baklava. You can read about the sticky situation, yet another one of Cyprus's unresolved issues, here.
