WEIRDNESS

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

KHASH

Khash a dish of boiled cow or sheep parts, which might include the head, feet, and stomach (tripe). It is a traditional dish in Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Mongolia, and Turkey.

Khash is a purist meal with great parsimony in ingredients. The feet are depilated, cleaned, kept in cold water in order to get rid of bad smell, and boiled in water all night long, until the water has become a thick broth and the meat has separated from the bones. No salt or spices are added during the boiling process. The dish is served hot. One may add salt, garlic, lemon juice, or vinegar according to one's taste. Dried lavash is often crumbled into the broth to add substance.

Khash is generally served with a variety of other foods, such as hot green and yellow peppers, pickles, radishes, cheese, and fresh greens such as cress. The meal is almost always accompanied by vodka (preferably mulberry vodka) and mineral water.

In Georgia, Khashi is served together with onions, milk, salt and chacha. Usually they eat this dish early morning, or during hangovers.

In the medieval Armenian medical textbook Relief of Fevers (1184), khash was described as a dish with healing properties, e.g., against snuffle. It was recommended to eat it while drinking wine. In case of ailment, khash from the legs of a yeanling (lamb or kid) was advised.

Formerly a nutritious winter food, it is now considered a delicacy, and is enjoyed as a festive winter meal. Modern-day convention in Armenia dictates that it should be consumed during the month that has an r in its name, thus excluding May, June, July, and August (month names in Armenian are derivatives of the Latin names). Khash is traditionally consumed during cold months in Azerbaijan and Georgia.[citation needed]

In the South Caucasus, khash is often seen as a food to be consumed in the mornings after a party, as it is known to battle hangovers (especially by men) and eaten with a "hair of the dog" vodka chaser.[6]

There is much ritual involved in khash parties. Many participants abstain from eating the previous evening, and insist upon using only their hands to consume the unusual (and often unwieldy) meal. Because of the potency and strong smell of the meal, and because it is eaten early in the mornings and so often enjoyed in conjunction with alcohol, khash is usually served on the weekend or on holidays.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking