Bozbash is a word of
Azerbaijani origin. It may be derived from Azerbaijani
boz (light gray) and
bash (head), which in turn may point to the light color of the dish when it's cooked. The
küftə (meatball) version of the dish resembles a gray head when cooked. Bozbash is also the Azerbaijani name of the Iranian dish
abgoosht-e sabzi. Ghanoonparvar notes that bozbash was introduced "relatively late" into
Iranian cuisine; Mirza Ali-Akbar Khan, the chef of
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (1848–1896), was reportedly the first to mention it. He classified it as part of a group of meat stews and soups, often eaten cold. According to
William Pokhlyobkin, bozbash is the most popular Armenian soup. == Ingredients and preparation ==