In the hustle and bustle of what is now referred to as the daily grind, we as people get tired. That daily grind has, well, ground people down to such a degree that they lose chances to really engage in what brings them relaxation and decompression. To combat these feelings, many have turned to the trend of cottagecore, an aesthetic that celebrates simple living, nature, and traditional techniques for domestic chores of cleaning, cooking, and gardening. Yet when you search for such a trend, you’ll see images full of women in frilly dresses next to English rose-covered cottages, not for everyone. Yet this man in Azerbaijan embraces the concepts of cottagecore crafting mouthwatering food in the midst of scenic countryside views.
Tavakkul is a 50-year-old man who, along with his family, lives in the high mountainous region of Azerbaijan. He and his family are Lezgins, one of the many ethnic minorities that comprise the kaleidoscope of variety in this country. Produced and well-edited, Tavakkul’s videos have garnered quite a following on YouTube, as people get a sneak peek into living rurally in the snow-capped Caucasus mountain village of Qamarvan near the northern border of Russia. Here, a passion for large cuts of meats and Azerbaijan mainstays fuse to present foods that are rustic, delicious, and eye-catching.
Here, he takes beef ribs and marinades them in an oil-based sauce.
After that, he sautees onions, peppers, and carrots before adding soaked bulgur to the pan. Bulgur is a cracked wheat that has a great nutty, earthy taste.
As the bulgur simmers with the vegetables in water, Tavakkul prepares the ribs the way one prepares a Christmas crown roast. Standing it up on its sides, he ties it closed fills it with the bulgur filling, and tops it with animal fat.
At first, the dish is cooked covered, and then filled uncovered in a wood-fired oven.
Once finished it’s eating at its finest. The juices from the meat soak into the bulgur. Vegetables — tomatoes, peppers, potatoes — roasted on the outside but tender and soft on the inside.
The ribs, after cooking for hours, aren’t even ribs anymore. With the slightest nudge, the bones pull straight out leaving juicy tender pull-apart meat. This is just another shade of the various cottagecore videos that showcase quiet living and good food to accompany it.