Homeland of tomatoes
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the village. Zirya … Some ethnographers associate it with the famous spice bearing the same name; they began to grow it here so long ago that no one remembers when. Others trace it to the Arabic word ziraat, which means agriculture. The second option looks more realistic, since the local soil is indeed fertile, as there are few places even in Azerbaijan, which is not scarce on the ground, and the air is fresher in comparison with other regions of Absheron.
The reason for this is the location of Zira: the village is separated from the coast of the Caspian by salt lakes. It is they who “attract” additional moisture to the ground and purify the air. That is, nature took care of the climate, and people took advantage of it. Now growing vegetables here is the main and practically the only source of income. And the tomato is the most important of all vegetables.
Expertise
A real Baku tomato is not characterized by excesses. So, it never comes with a calf’s head, or even a beer mug. It is always quite small, has a uniformly bright red color, and has a thin but firm rind. Having slightly dried out, it shrinks, but does not lose the integrity of the cover.
In addition, Baku tomatoes are “real”, that is, grown under the blessed Absheron sun, only from May to October. The rest of the time they are grown in greenhouses, under quartz lamps. And the taste of such off-season “Bakuvians” does not differ much from the taste of Dutch tomatoes, which reliably fill winter supermarkets in all countries of the world. Everyone, but not Azerbaijan.
Where and how much
The best place to buy tomatoes in Baku is Teze Bazar, which is a multi-storey shopping center on st. Samed Vurgun. In addition to tomatoes and other vegetables, you can buy dried fruits, homemade cheese, pomegranates, smoked sturgeon and black caviar. All products are of excellent quality and are reasonably priced.
So, excellent Baku tomatoes at Teze Bazar cost 2 manats per kilogram (manat is about 35 rubles). Agree, 70 rubles per kilogram of this vegetable happiness, capable of creating an incredible taste of a salad alone, is not much.
Taking this opportunity, we will inform you about prices for other Teze Bazar products. Cucumbers – 1 manat. Sturgeon – 30 manats per kilogram (because of the heat, the fish counters are empty, everything is in refrigerators). Sturgeon caviar – 70 manats per 100 grams (sellers come up on their own, there is no caviar on the shelves). Thyme – 60 Azerbaijani kopecks per glass. Green basil, cilantro, dill, mint, parsley – in general, all the greens – can be collected in one huge bunch and paid 20 local cents for it.
Let’s add: the average bill in a restaurant on Primorsky Boulevard is 50 manats for two, including 1 bottle of local wine. And on the street lamb shawarma will cost 3 manats. Shawarma will be with a double portion of meat, because meat, as well as tomatoes, is definitely never saved here.