Dagestan is a historical region of the Caucasus, which boasts a colorful culture and beautiful nature. All this attracts many tourists to Dagestan. Gathering pleasant emotions in the region, travelers will certainly go for gifts for relatives. What to bring from Dagestan?
Steel arms
What can be brought from Dagestan as a gift to a man? Tourists recommend paying attention to weapons, which are part of the Caucasian culture. Kama is on the lists of traditional souvenirs from Dagestan. Long Caucasian daggers have their own characteristics in different areas. Traditionally, they are worn on a belt or in a scabbard around the neck. It is the Dagestan kams that are considered the best in the Caucasus. They are appreciated for their skillful decoration and excellent quality.
When purchasing kama, it is worth paying attention to the famous products of the Kubachev masters. Such daggers are sold in company stores in Makhachkala. Traditional kama is a cold weapon. Therefore, when choosing a gift, you should pay attention to souvenir models. In addition, in Dagestan they sell checkers and scimitars, which are best purchased in souvenir shops.
Traditional clothes
What to bring from Dagestan to be imbued with local flavor? Of course, national clothes. The main element of the traditional costume is the cloak, with female and male variations.
Men's cloak is a warm cloak made of felt. He was a permanent friend of the highlanders. If you want to give a set of clothes to a close friend, then you should add a fur hat to the cloak - a hat.
Traditional women's costumes are beautiful and unique. But to purchase a complete set is quite expensive, so you can limit yourself to individual elements. For example, you can buy a hat or shawl embroidered with beads. Caucasian needlewomen create real masterpieces.
Carpets
Do not know what to bring from Dagestan for your home, pay attention to the carpets. You can't call such a gift cheap, but it's worth it.
In the region, carpets are made by local craftswomen on special looms, and then they are decorated with hand embroidery.
Alcohol
What to bring from Dagestan as a gift for men does not raise unnecessary questions. The region has an amazing selection of men's souvenirs. What is local alcohol worth? Dagestanis claim that fragrant tinctures on berries and herbs are not only tasty, but also healthy.
No less interesting are grape wines and pink sparkling champagne. And do not forget about cognac. Not everyone knows that the first cognacs that appeared in the Russian Empire were produced in Dagestan. More precisely, in the city of Kizlyar. Despite the fact that the drink is considered French, its manufacture in the Caucasus has its roots. Once upon a time, the inhabitants of Kizlyar were preparing a special grape vodka called “kizlyarka”. The Muslim ban on alcohol does not prevent masters from making high-quality brandy and cognac. If you are looking for a gift for a connoisseur of alcohol, then a bottle of cognac will be a great souvenir. Masters claim that the alcoholic beverage of their production is strong, like a handshake of a dzhigit. It stores the warmth of the sun and the aroma of wooden barrels.
Silver jewelry
Do not know what you can bring from Dagestan for a woman, you should pay attention to national jewelry. Local craftsmen are famous for their ability to work with silver. From this metal they make real masterpieces. In addition to jewelry, you can purchase business card holders or cigarette cases decorated with silver.
And still do not think about what to bring from Dagestan as a gift for a girl. Filigree ethnic jewelry in silver inlaid with stones will be the best present.
Untsukul notch
In Dagestan, a unique type of decorative and applied art is developed - the Untsukul notch for wood and metal. This species appeared in the first half of the nineteenth century, so art can be called relatively young. Local residents began to make whips for reeds from reeds, and canes and tubes from dogwood. All products were inlaid with metal wire, horn, bone, pasta under turquoise. According to experts, the process of cutting nickel silver and silver thread on apricot or cornel wood is very laborious and complex. Using this technique, Untsukul craftsmen made household items: salt boxes, buckets, and more. to this day, you can buy goods made according to the old method.
Tableware
What can be brought from Dagestan as a gift to a loved one? It can be an elegant silver spoon or a whole table set. Gift volumes depend on your financial capabilities. Local craftsmen create beautiful cutlery with unique patterns.
Refined porcelain painted with unique patterns is no less attractive to tourists. Such dishes will become a real decoration of any kitchen.
Dried fruits
If you have not yet decided which souvenirs to bring from Dagestan, then you can buy local dried fruits. We are used to seeing bright and beautiful dried apricots on store shelves. But it is not necessary to talk about its beneficial properties, since dried fruits are treated with substances for long-term storage. Dagestan dried apricots is a completely different matter. In local villages, apricots are dried under the bright sun on the roofs of houses, without using any harmful substances. Of course, apricots lose their appearance, become dark and shriveled. But an unattractive appearance is more than compensated by useful properties, because all vitamins and trace elements are stored in dried fruits.
Alpine dried apricots from Dagestan are very useful for heart diseases, anemia and vitamin deficiency. It is eaten in the bite with tea, compotes are prepared, added to cereals and to the filling for the pie. When choosing dried apricots in the market, pay attention to its taste. It can be sweet or sour, hard or soft.
Urbech
What to bring from Dagestan to lovers of sweets? Of course, Urbech. The national Dagestan product is an analogue of peanut butter. Highlanders came up with a lot of varieties of dessert. There is an urbec of peanuts, apricot kernels, sunflower seeds, hemp, sesame seeds, almonds, etc. It is believed that the technology of making delicacies has not changed over the past thousand years. The fried and dried seeds are ground with millstones, resulting in an oily paste. The most popular flax urbec. It has a dark color, strong and pronounced taste. If you purchased a blank in the market. Then at home it is necessary to mix flaxseed pasta with butter and honey in equal proportions, heating the mass over low heat. The finished dessert is applied to bread and enjoy its taste.
Each urbec has its own taste. Some people think that the dessert with fried seeds is the most delicious, as caramel and nutty notes appear in it. But urbec with heat-treated seeds is a real find for raw foodists. Experts say that dessert is incredibly healthy for the body. It gives a person a powerful boost of energy. In addition, urbech is incredibly effective in the treatment of tracheitis and bronchitis.
Dried meat
All kinds of delicious products are the best souvenirs from Dagestan. What to bring for lovers of delicious food? Locals cook wonderful dried meat, which is very popular among tourists. Buying a quality product on the market is quite difficult, because sellers sell it too wet in pursuit of profit. Therefore, it is better to purchase a meat product through friends. The meat, dried in the shade of mountain trees, has an amazing taste.
Fish
In Dagestan markets there are always many fish rows. Dried, fresh, smoked and frozen fish caught in mountain rivers and the Caspian are sold here. Some tourists are wondering if sturgeon can be brought from Dagestan? It is possible, but for this the fish will have to be cut into pieces and frozen. You can also purchase dried or dried fish.
Sheep cheese
The best gifts you can choose based on the reviews of tourists. What to bring from Dagestan from products? In order to navigate the variety of local culinary delights, it is worth visiting the markets. On them you will certainly see sheep’s cheese for sale. Usually it is laid out on the shelves in large pyramids. Sheep cheese differs in taste and smell from cow cheese, and its cost is different. A sheep product has a pronounced smell, which not everyone likes. Many find it unpleasant. But this is only a matter of taste.
Sheep cheese is prepared in a special way. Ready heads are wrapped with fern foliage and dry herbs, and then stored. It is believed that fern protects the product from mold.
Walnut grass
On any market in the region there are rows with spices. Here you will find walnut grass. Dagestanis make it from a mixture of herbs. The spice has a pronounced spicy-nut aroma and taste. In Dagestan, a spicy mixture is used to prepare various dishes: cakes, pies, cheese, dumplings with cottage cheese, etc. Walnut grass is sold in glasses on the market, before buying, you need to grind the mass with your fingers in order to feel a unique flavor.
Honey
In Dagestan, you can buy delicious natural honey. The region has an incredible number of private apiaries, bees in pristine mountains expanse.
Honey from Dagestan differs not only in its amazing taste and aroma, but also in its high content of nutrients. In the markets you can buy not only liquid honey, but also honeycombs.
Seasonal fruits
You can buy many wonderful products in the region’s markets, including seasonal fruits: apricots, pears, peaches, cornel, hazelnuts, walnuts, medlar, chestnuts, persimmons, quinces, pomegranates.
Pickles
In Dagestan, they love to cook all kinds of pickles. In the market you can see jars with a variety of vegetables. Among them there is a very unusual product for Russia - capers. In Europe, capers are incredibly popular and are often used to prepare different dishes. In our country, the product seems a curiosity. What are capers? This is not a vegetable or fruit, but buds of a thorny shrub. In raw form they are not used for food, capers must be pickled or salted.
The buds have a unique spicy mustard aroma. Capers enhance the taste of foods in the dish. They can replace cucumbers in olivier. They are also used to make hodgepodge, tartar sauce and other dishes. The taste of ready-made capers largely depends on the method of preservation and the strength of the brine.
Tourists reviews
Dagestan is an amazing land of beautiful landscapes. So far, not many tourists come here, but the choice of souvenirs is unusually large. All kinds of small souvenirs are sold everywhere, which can become a pleasant addition to the vacation. But if you want to bring something worthwhile from a trip, then tourists recommend paying attention to national rugs, dishes, daggers, paintings and other interesting things. According to travelers, such souvenirs are very original and keep the warmth of the southern sun.
Among the gifts that you can buy for yourself and relatives, it is worth highlighting food. According to tourists, these are the souvenirs that are most popular. Sweets and other products are always relevant. They can be purchased at the market in Makhachkala. Choosing honey, fruits, cheese, meat and other products is necessary with competence. Such acquisitions are best done just before departure, so that the products do not deteriorate on the road, if we are not talking about dried fruits.
According to tourists, buying food is on the market, but for souvenirs go shopping. Most of them are located in Makhachkala. Some purchases can be made in Derbent. Women recommend paying attention to national jewelry. Of greatest interest is the Kubachi silver, which is worth going to the Kubachi aul.