The Silk Road
begins here.
The origins
Shirvan, two syllables named desire. Also spelled Sjirvan or Şirvan according to different populations, it is the name of a former province of Azerbaijan. This 'S' suspended by a comma foreshadows a time of pause; a time for layover and a new start for Akrame's cuisine.
Enthralled by the cultural diversity of this country, a round trip to Baku is enough to convince our chef to open its doors to us. Thus, he sketches a culinary itinerary akin to the Silk Road, blending Persian, Arab, and Indian influences.
The story
The first Silk Road, whose remnants date back several millennia, is a network of trade routes, both overland and maritime, connecting Asia and Europe.
These routes are adorned with caravanserais that offer respite to merchants laden with furs, perfumes, gemstones, spices... and silk.
This intercontinental expedition
eflects the extraordinary blend of civilizations, bearing witness to a spectrum of traditions, cultures, and melodies that unveil themselves to anyone willing to venture into it.
Shirvan is the product of this heritage, of this magnificent bazaar, which infuses dishes with colors and projects images of an Orient so rich that one feels nourished by it.
The kitchen
Here, cuisine is a journey shared by many. The dishes unfold, forming bumps, mountains. Abundant fresh herbs carpet valleys of grains, fields of vegetables. The bread crust is a land that pulsates, smokes, ignites with shades of brown, tawny, bronze. In an indescribable light, the table suddenly transforms into a landscape that can be explored with fingertips.
By perpetuating a tradition of hospitality,
Akrame aims to awaken in his guests, stationary travelers, a shared appetite for the strange beauty of the world. A humanistic cuisine that would nurture our curiosity about others while suddenly making us present to ourselves.
