BLACK, WHITE AND RED

People think that what is covered in dust, warmed by the summer sun and picked with one's own hand is much tastier than what is bought in the shop or on the market. Who doesn't remember as a child from the start of summer having lips and fingers sticky with fruit juice and knees covered in scratches from jumping down clumsily from the spreading branches of the tree?…

But the invariable summer ritual of berry picking, when everyone gathers round the tree, children spread a sheet beneath it, and one of the adults, armed with a stick, knocks the gnarled branches. Then the black or white mulberry berries "rain down", hitting the ground with a dull thud; they barely manage to spread the sheet before the berries falling next to the sheet or on the ground were grabbed and stuffed into mouths…

The kingdom of the mulberry tree

Since ancient times the mulberry tree has occupied a special, regal position in the Orient.  Regarded with particular respect, the whole family sits at the table exclusively under it, but there is a purely utilitarian reason for this: what offers better protection from the scorching sun of the Abseron peninsula than the wide spreading branches of the mulberry tree? This tree lives for a long time, a couple of centuries, and several generations of the family can gather beneath it. Properly speaking, China is considered to be the real home of the mulberry tree. It was cultivated there not simply for its berry, but for the silk worm which gorges itself on mulberry leaves. The silkworm cocoons are used in the production of silk. The tree's wood is also very valuable, especially the wood of mature mulberry trees. It is therefore used in making furniture, everyday objects and decorative items owing to its weight, tone and lustre. A natural food colorant is produced from black mulberry berries.

On the Abseron peninsula the mulberry tree was often regarded as sacred. Especially the xar-tut [black mulberry, morus nigra L] whose juicy blood-red berries are reputed to lengthen life. It was believed that only a venerable, elderly person who had lived a glorious and worthy life could plant a xar-tut tree. According to popular belief, the person who plants the tree literally injects into it his own soul; superstition further has it that the mulberry tree can soon take the life of the person who plants it. Therefore the xar-tut is very often obtained by grafting a cutting onto an ordinary mulberry tree. It is interesting that it is precisely with the mulberry tree that our skilled gardeners, amateur agriculturalists, like to experiment. Even for the amateur there is nothing very complicated about grafting the white mulberry onto a black one. But the whole of Azerbaijan knows about the mulberry tree that has sprung up in Masalli District. The owner of the tree, Akram Cabbarov, has grafted 23 sorts of fruit and vegetables right onto it! Figs, pears, quinces, lemons, grapes, cherries, pomegranate and many others grow on this tree! Besides this, according to the owner, several types of vegetables and even roses are growing on the mulberry tree. Moreover, for a couple of years now, the tree's "new inhabitants" have started to produce fruits, which simply has to be a joy to the owner and a source of admiration for us.

As far as the mulberry tree as a tasty morsel is concerned, all those who live where it is being cultivated are bound to be happy about it. You see, this berry, which is extraordinarily juicy, becomes soft in no time and spoils when transported over long distances.

In our country the mulberry has been grown as a valuable plant since ancient times. Three types of mulberry tree are common in Azerbaijan: the white, the black and red mulberry. The white one grows wild here in the Tugay woodlands (small forests on the banks of rivers) in the Samur-Davaci zone; it is common in the Kura-Araz zone, and in the Alazan-Ayricay lowlands. Besides this, it is actively cultivated throughout the country. The black mulberry is grown here on the plains and in the foothills. It is also called xar-tut here and is very common on the Abseron peninsula. The black mulberry is considered to be the most valuable and nutritious of all the types of mulberry tree. The berries contain 9 per cent sugar, 2.3 per cent organic acids, 2 per cent protein and 0.55 per cent pectin-containing substances. Unlike the white mulberry whose fruits ripen in June and July, those of the xar-tut ripen in July and August. The juice forms gradually, and gets to be at its best over a period of 40 days. There are incidentally, other types of black mulberry tree besides the xar-tut, the majority of which do not have such a distinctive flavour and are often rather sour. 

Good for the health in every way

When they are ripe, the berries of the white mulberry fall to the ground by themselves; therefore you just need to shake them off the sheet every two to three days. Cuttings of the xar-tut are quite thick and need to be torn off the branch. The xar-tut berries are best kept in a glass jar or an enamelled container.

This is what the publicist Nubar Hakimova, D.Sc. (biology) has to say about its commonly known beneficial properties: "The mulberry tree can grow to 15-20 metres tall. The bark is greyish-brown in colour; the young branches have a yellowish-greyish hue. The wood of the red mulberry tree is very valuable. The egg-shaped leaves are used in making a dye and also as a sudorific preparation; a preparation to combat intestinal parasites can be made by boiling the roots."

The fruit of the mulberry tree is used in making alcohol, vinegar and wine. The extremely sweet berry has a high sugar content of up to 22 per cent. The red mulberry is not as common here as the other species of mulberry; it grows in Naxcivan, Saki, Samaxi, Agsu and Goycay.

The medicinal properties of the mulberry leaves have been well known since ancient times. Tea was brewed from them and drunk to combat diabetes and heart diseases. Dosab (which is called bekmez in some regions of Azerbaijan) prepared from mulberry is particularly beneficial. This boiled juice, when taken without additional sugar, is extremely nutritious. Moreover, in spite of the fact that bekmez  can be made from many types of fruit, such as water melon, grapes, melon and so forth, mulberry bekmez is particularly nutritious. It is made exclusively by stewing the fruit of the white mulberry. Dosab can be used as a natural sweetener, added when baking, and eaten as a dessert; although it is extraordinarily sweet, it has a low glycaemic index. Thus it is easily absorbed by the body and does not cause a drastic rise in blood sugar. On the whole, in folk medicine, dosab is used as a blood-clotting agent, health-fortifying preparation, to combat colds and to treat aso-vascular ailments. 

The juice of the berries is used to treat sore throats, oncological diseases and stomach ailments. Mulberry-leaf tea is taken as a laxative and also when you have a cold. Besides its sudorific and antipyretic effects, this tea is also used to treat epilepsy. The fruit of the white mulberry is also used to treat stomach and duodenal ulcers. Stewed fruit, syrups, various juices, preserves, jam, fruit jelly and sherbets can be made from the mulberry fruit.

The leaves of the mulberry tree contain 0.75 per cent organic acids, 50-6- present ascorbic acid and the fruits contain as much as 24 per cent glucose, 70-80 mg of ascorbic acid [vitamin C], 4 per cent citric acid and a number of pectins. The mulberry also contains a number of amino acids (alanine, valine, glutomine, asparagine, phenylalanine and so forth), ethereal oils, carotene and vitamins B, B2, C and PP. The tincture (an alcohol-based infusion) produced from the leaves of the white mulberry has produced good results in treating cardio-vascular diseases.

DOSAB FROM WHITE MULBERRY 

The ripe berries are simmered until the juice starts to run. Then the juice is squeezed out and strained. The juice on its own is cooked on a low heat until it reaches the necessary consistency (the juice should become darker in colour when doing this). To test for readiness, when you drop some of the dosab onto a plate, it should form a solid line.

WHITE MULBERRY PRESERVE 

White mulberries - 1 kg, sugar - 1.2 kg, lemon juice 2 g. The selected mulberries are covered with sugar sherbet, placed on a low flame, boiled for five minute and then left to cool. The second time it is boiled for 8-10 minutes, then left to cool again and the third time it is boiled until it is ready. The lemon juice is added when it is almost ready. 

BLACK MULBERRY PRESERVE 

The preserve is made from both white and black mulberries. Large xar-tut berries should be selected, covered with granulated sugar and left for 8-10 hours. Boiling water should then be added to the xar-tut berries. They should be brought to the boil on a low heat two or three times, turned off and left to stand for an interval of eight hours between each boiling.