Azerbaijan Friendship Organization
By Cindy Savoldi
Adika Iqbal never imagined living in Holly Springs, North Carolina, as a child. In fact, she never knew such a place existed!
Iqbal’s journey to Holly Springsbegan with leaving her native country for South Korea for her undergraduate degree. Next came Clemson, South Carolina, for six years while completing her masters and doctorate at Clemson University, a few years in Las Vegas and finally to North Carolina. After spending a few years in Raleigh, she and her husband decided it was time to put down some roots. They wanted to find a town that had the same welcoming environment as Clemson, and Holly Springs felt right. They purchased their home in Holly Springs in 2020. Soon after settling in, Iqbal realized that many people in Holly Springs didn’t know much about her home country of Azerbaijan. Iqbal organized the non-profit Azerbaijan Friendship Organization in May of this year to assist in this effort.
“We all have so much we can learn from each other. I formed the non-profit Azerbaijan Friendship Organization in hopes of promoting the education of different cultures around the world while connecting with more people. Not many people know about the country of Azerbaijan. Our goal is to teach people about our traditions, foods, dance, and culture while learning of theirs—whether that be from different regions in the United States, or other countries around the world.”
Held under Communist rule of the Soviet Union until gaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan is a country of a little over 10 million people that spans both Asia and Europe, and borders the countries of Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran. It lies on the southern flanks of the Caucasus Mountains and borders the Caspian Sea to the east. Azerbaijan is a brotherly country with Turkey and while there are a lot of similarities between culture, customs and food, Azerbaijan has unique cuisine, literature, folk art, and music. It is these unique distinctions that Iqbal hopes to educate others about.
Fundraising to support The Azerbaijan Friendship Organization is done primarily through selling food at various events. Their first event was the Raleigh International Festival, held in August of this year. The aroma of her father cooking fresh Azerbaijani kabobs on-site and her mother’s baklava helped them sell out of all their food in just two hours!
I
think the smell of the kabobs drew people to our booth,” said Iqbal, “and once they tasted the kabobs and my mother’s Azerbaijani baklava, we sold out very quickly!” She added, “Now we know to prepare a lot more food!” They are also working on establishing a booth at the Holly Springs Farmers Market to support their fundraising efforts.
Although they picked only a few foods to focus on at the international festival, the typical Azerbaijani meal involves three courses. One of the most reputed dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine is plov from saffron-covered rice, served with various herbs and greens. Other second courses include a variety of savory kabobs, made from lamb, beef, chicken, or fish. The traditional condiments are salt, black pepper, sumac, and especially saffron, which is grown on the Absheron Peninsula domestically. The third course includes one of about 30 common soups. Some of the most popular soups include kufta bozbash (a traditional meatball soup), piti prepared of meat and dovga (traditionally made from plain yogurt and herbs), dogramach (a chilled yogurt soup), and balva (a soup prepared from greens from the Karabakh region, along with yogurt). Some soups are served in interesting and unusually shaped bowls. Black tea is the national beverage and is drunk after food is eaten. It is also offered to guests as a gesture of welcome, often accompanied by fruit preserves.
Iqbal hopes that offering free Azerbaijani cooking and dance classes for the community will inspire others to learn more about other countries and cultures. The organization also plans to have additional activities such as Facebook Live cooking classes, booths at local farmers markets, and gatherings to celebrate significant cultural events in Azerbaijani history. For example, they recently held a picnic on October 2 to celebrate Karabakh Memorial Day, commemorating Azerbaijani soldiers who liberated the occupied lands of Karabakh.
“Ultimately, we want to celebrate our international friends here in Holly Springs, and help our community grow stronger together through education,” said Iqbal.
