Cuisine of Azerbaijan
Encyclopedia
Azerbaijani cuisine refers to the cooking styles and dishes with origins in the nation of Azerbaijan
and prepared by Azerbaijani people
around the world. Throughout the centuries, Azerbaijani cuisine has been influenced by the foods of different cultures, though at the same time, it remained distinctive and unique. Many foods that are indigenous to the country can now be seen in the cuisines of other cultures. For the Azerbaijanis
, food is an important part of the country's culture and is deeply rooted in the history, traditions and values of the nation.
Out of 11 climate zones known in the world, the Azerbaijani climate
has nine. This contributes to the fertility of the land, which in its turn results in the richness of the country’s cuisine. It is famous for an abundance of vegetables and greens used seasonally in the dishes. Fresh herbs, including mint
, coriander
, dill
, basil
, parsley
, tarragon
, leek
, chive, thyme
, marjoram
, green onion
and watercress
, are very popular and often accompany main dishes. The Caspian Sea
is home to many edible species of fish, including the sturgeon
, Caspian salmon, kutum
, sardine
s, grey mullet, and others. Black caviar
from the Caspian Sea is one of Azerbaijan’s best known delicacies well sought after in other parts of the world, including former Soviet countries.
The main course
s of Azerbaijani cuisine are over 30 kinds of soup
s, including those prepared from plain yogurt. One of the most reputed dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine, however, is plov
from saffron
-covered rice, served with various herbs and greens, a combination totally distinctive from Uzbek plovs. Azerbaijani cuisine includes more than 40 different plov recipes. Other second courses include a wide variety of kebabs and shashlik
s, including lamb, beef, chicken, and fish (baliq) kebabs. Sturgeon, a common fish, is normally skewered and grilled as a shashlik, being served with a tart pomegranate sauce called narsharab. Dried fruits and walnuts are used in many dishes. The traditional condiments are salt, black pepper
, sumac, and especially saffron
, which is grown domestically on the Absheron Peninsula
.
Black tea
is the national beverage, and is drunk after food is eaten. It is also a welcome beverage, often accompanied by fruit preserves
.
The Azerbaijani cuisine has a number of light snacks and side dish
es to open or accompany the main meals: a plate of aromatic green leaves called goy, pieces of chorek (bread), choban (a tomato and cucumber salad
), and sometimes white cheese or qatik (sour yoghurt).
Cold snacks are generally served separately from drinks.
Main dishes may include a selection of the following:
Plov is one of the most widespread dishes in Azerbaijan, with more than 40 different recipes. Plovs have different names depending on the main ingredient(s) accompanying rice:
Azerbaijani plov consists of three distinct components, served simultaneously but on separate platters: rice (warm, never hot), gara – fried meat, dried fruits, eggs, or fish prepared as an accompaniment to rice, and aromatic herbs. Rice is not mixed with the other components even when eating plov.
Typical Azeri desserts are sticky, syrup-saturated pastries such as pakhlava
and halva
. The latter, a layer of chopped nuts sandwiched between mats of thread-like fried dough, is a speciality of Sheki in North-West Azerbaijan. Other traditional pastries include shakarbura (crescent-shaped and filled with nuts), peshmak (tube-shaped candy made out of rice, flour and sugar) and girmapadam (pastry filled with chopped nuts).
However, sweets like this are generally bought from a pastry shop and eaten at home or on special occasions such as weddings and wakes. The usual conclusion to a restaurant meal is a plate of fresh fruit, plums, cherries, apricots, grapes, or whatever is in season.
In March 2009, Azerbaijani bakers achieved an entry in the CIS book of records for baking the biggest and heaviest pakhlava in the CIS, weighing about 3 tons. More than 7 thousand eggs, 350 kg of nuts, 20 kg of almonds, 350 kg of sugar, and the same amount of flour was used in the preparation of the pastry.
is a type of bread baked in a clay
oven called a Tandoor
.
origin and they may differ greatly in consistency, from very thick and jam-like (as in Tajik cuisine) to very light and liquid, as in Azerbaijan. Sherbets are typically prepared in the following natural flavors:
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and prepared by Azerbaijani people
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
around the world. Throughout the centuries, Azerbaijani cuisine has been influenced by the foods of different cultures, though at the same time, it remained distinctive and unique. Many foods that are indigenous to the country can now be seen in the cuisines of other cultures. For the Azerbaijanis
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
, food is an important part of the country's culture and is deeply rooted in the history, traditions and values of the nation.
Out of 11 climate zones known in the world, the Azerbaijani climate
Climate of Azerbaijan
The climate of Azerbaijan is unique. Nine of the Earth's eleven climatic zones can be discovered in Azerbaijan.-Geography:Azerbaijan is situated on the northern extremity of the subtropical zone, in the southeastern part of the Caucasus and the northwestern part of the Iran plateau...
has nine. This contributes to the fertility of the land, which in its turn results in the richness of the country’s cuisine. It is famous for an abundance of vegetables and greens used seasonally in the dishes. Fresh herbs, including mint
Mentha
Mentha is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae . The species are not clearly distinct and estimates of the number of species varies from 13 to 18. Hybridization between some of the species occurs naturally...
, coriander
Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
, dill
Dill
Dill is a perennial herb. It is the sole species of the genus Anethum, though classified by some botanists in a related genus as Peucedanum graveolens C.B.Clarke.-Growth:...
, basil
Basil
Basil, or Sweet Basil, is a common name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum , of the family Lamiaceae , sometimes known as Saint Joseph's Wort in some English-speaking countries....
, parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
, tarragon
Tarragon
Tarragon or dragon's-wort is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae related to wormwood. Corresponding to its species name, a common term for the plant is "dragon herb". It is native to a wide area of the Northern Hemisphere from easternmost Europe across central and eastern Asia to India,...
, leek
Leek
The leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum , also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Allioideae...
, chive, thyme
Thyme
Thyme is a culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus.-History:Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing it was a source of courage...
, marjoram
Marjoram
Marjoram is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours...
, green onion
Scallion
Scallions , are the edible plants of various Allium species, all of which are "onion-like", having hollow green leaves and lacking a fully developed root bulb.-Etymology:The words...
and watercress
Watercress
Watercresses are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings...
, are very popular and often accompany main dishes. The Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
is home to many edible species of fish, including the sturgeon
Sturgeon
Sturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common...
, Caspian salmon, kutum
Kutum (fish)
The Kutum also known as "Kütüm" in Azerbaijani, "Caspian White Fish", "Caspian Roach", "māhi sefid" ماهی سفید in Persian, "Talaji" in Mazandarani, and "sifid mahyi" in Gileki , is a medium sized fresh water and brackish water fish native to the Caspian Sea...
, sardine
Sardine
Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
s, grey mullet, and others. Black caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
from the Caspian Sea is one of Azerbaijan’s best known delicacies well sought after in other parts of the world, including former Soviet countries.
The main course
Main course
A main dish is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée course, and the salad course. In North American usage it may in fact be called the "entree"....
s of Azerbaijani cuisine are over 30 kinds of soup
Soup
Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...
s, including those prepared from plain yogurt. One of the most reputed dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine, however, is plov
Pilaf
Pilaf is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth . In some cases, the rice may also attain its brown color by being stirred with bits of cooked onion, as well as a large mix of spices...
from saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
-covered rice, served with various herbs and greens, a combination totally distinctive from Uzbek plovs. Azerbaijani cuisine includes more than 40 different plov recipes. Other second courses include a wide variety of kebabs and shashlik
Shashlik
Shashlyk or Shashlik , is a form of Shish kebab popular throughout Israel, Lithuania, former Soviet Union, Iran, Mongolia, and parts of central Europe. Shashlyk is originally lamb depending on local preferences and religious observances...
s, including lamb, beef, chicken, and fish (baliq) kebabs. Sturgeon, a common fish, is normally skewered and grilled as a shashlik, being served with a tart pomegranate sauce called narsharab. Dried fruits and walnuts are used in many dishes. The traditional condiments are salt, black pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, sumac, and especially saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
, which is grown domestically on the Absheron Peninsula
Absheron
The Absheron peninsula, is a region in Azerbaijan. It is host to Baku, the biggest and the most populous city of the country, and also the Baku metropolitan area, with its satellite cities Sumgayit and Khyrdalan....
.
Black tea
Black tea
Black tea is a variety of tea that is more oxidized than the oolong, green, and white varieties.All four varieties are made from leaves of the shrub Camellia sinensis. Black tea is generally stronger in flavor and contains more caffeine than the less oxidized teas. Two principal varieties of the...
is the national beverage, and is drunk after food is eaten. It is also a welcome beverage, often accompanied by fruit preserves
Fruit preserves
Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits and sugar, often canned or sealed for long-term storage. The preparation of fruit preserves today often involves adding commercial or natural pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used, as well. Prior to World War II, fruit preserve...
.
Light snacks
Side dish
A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.-Common types:...
es to open or accompany the main meals: a plate of aromatic green leaves called goy, pieces of chorek (bread), choban (a tomato and cucumber salad
Salad
Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes, including vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, eggs, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They may include a mixture of cold and hot, often including raw vegetables or fruits.Green salads include leaf...
), and sometimes white cheese or qatik (sour yoghurt).
Cold snacks are generally served separately from drinks.
Main dishes
Main dishes may include a selection of the following:
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Balıq | Fish, which usually means sturgeon, normally skewered and grilled as a kebab, and served with a tart sour-plum sauce. |
| Dolma Dolma Dolma is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions such as Russia, Middle East and the Caucasus and Central and South Asia. Perhaps the best-known is the grape-leaf dolma. Common vegetables to stuff include onion, zucchini, eggplant,... |
The traditional recipe calls for minced lamb mixed with rice and flavoured with mint, fennel and cinnamon, and wrapped in vine leaves (yarpaq dolması) or cabbage leaves (kələm dolması), but most restaurants offering dolma tend to serve up stuffed tomato, sweet pepper and aubergine. There are also sour sweet cabbage dolma (turş şirin kələm dolması) and fish dolma (balıq dolması). |
| Dushbara Dushbara Dushbara or Düşbərə is a traditional Azeri meal, a sort of dumplings of dough filled with ground meat and flavor. Typical ingredients include: 2 glasses of flavor, ground beef, onion, some grasses, salt, black pepper and tomato.Preparation:... |
Small dumplings stuffed with minced lamb and herbs, served in broth. |
| Lavangi | A casserole of chicken stuffed with walnuts and herbs. A speciality of the Talysh region in southern Azerbaijan, but very difficult to find common in restaurants. |
| Lyulya kabab | A mixture of minced lamb, herbs and spices squeezed around a skewer and barbecued, often served with lavash (thin sheets of unleavened bread). |
| Qutab Qutab Qutab is an Azerbaijani dish, which made from thinly rolled dough that may be cooked briefly on a convex griddle.-Composition:Qutab is made by creating stiff dough from flour, water, eggs and salt, roll it into a thin layer, cut a groove circles. In the middle of each circle to put stuffing and... |
A sort of pancake turnover stuffed with minced lamb, cheese or spinach. |
| Tika kabab | Chunks of lamb marinated in a mixture of onion, vinegar and pomegranate juice, impaled on a large skewer and grilled on the barbecue. In Russian, called шашлык, from Turkic shishlyk (literally, "for skewer"). |
| Qovurma | Pieces of mutton or lamb on the bone (blade chops) stewed with onions, tomatoes, and saffron. There is also sabzi qovurma, a lamb stew with herbs. |
| Sogan dolmasi | The term dolma covers a variety of stuffed vegetable dishes, widespread in the Middle East and Mediterranean area. Onion dolma are a tasty winter alternative to stuffed aubergines, tomatoes and peppers. |
Soups
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Piti Piti (food) Piti is a soup in cuisines of Caucasus and Central Asia prepared in the oven in individual crocks with a glazed interior . It is made with mutton and vegetables , infused with saffron water to add flavour and colour, and cooked in a sealed crock... |
The national soup of Azerbaijan made from pieces of mutton on the bone Meat on the bone Meat on the bone, also called bone-in meat is meat that is sold with some or all of the bones included in the cut or portion, i.e. meat that has not been filleted. The phrase "on the bone" can also be applied to specific types of meat, most commonly ham on the bone, and to fish... cooked with vegetables in a broth; prepared and served in individual crock Crock (dishware) A crock is a pottery container sometimes used for food and water, synonymous with the word pot, and sometimes used for chemicals. Derivative terms include crockery and crock-pot.A gypsy's crock is a cooking pot.-External links:... s. |
| Kufta bozbash | A pea soup Pea soup Pea soup or split pea soup is soup made, typically, from dried peas. It is, with variations, a part of the cuisine of many cultures. It is greyish-green or yellow in color depending on the regional variety of peas used; all are cultivars of Pisum sativum.Pea soup has been eaten since antiquity; it... with lamb meatballs and boiled potatoes. The meatballs in kufta bozbash are large, hearty and made of minced lamb and rice, sometimes with a zesty dried plum inside. |
| Sulu khingal | Lamb soup with noodles |
| Toyuq shorbasi | Chicken soup |
| Dovga | A yoghurt (matsoni Matsoni Matzoon is a fermented milk product found in Caucasian cuisine, armenian origin. It is very similar to yogurt.... ) based soup with sorrel, spinach, rice, dried peas, and small meatballs made from ground mutton; served hot or cold depending on the season; |
| Ovdukh | A cold soup based on a matsoni Matsoni Matzoon is a fermented milk product found in Caucasian cuisine, armenian origin. It is very similar to yogurt.... –water mixture poured over sliced cucumbers, chopped boiled meat, quarters of hard-boiled egg, and greens (dill, coriander, basil, sometimes also mint and tarragon); |
| Dogramach | Same as ovdukh, but without the meat; |
| Bolva | Made with sour milk. |
Plovs
| Name | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Kourma plov | Mutton, onion |
| Chilov plov | Bean plov with fish |
| Sabzi qovurma plov | Mutton |
| Toyug plov | Chicken |
| Shirin plov | Dried fruits |
| Syudli plov | Rice cooked in milk |
| Sheshryanch plov | Six-color plov, eggs cooked "sunny side up" on a bed of fried green and white onions |
Azerbaijani plov consists of three distinct components, served simultaneously but on separate platters: rice (warm, never hot), gara – fried meat, dried fruits, eggs, or fish prepared as an accompaniment to rice, and aromatic herbs. Rice is not mixed with the other components even when eating plov.
Desserts
Baklava
Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and much of central and southwest Asia....
and halva
Halva
Halva refers to many types of dense, sweet confections, served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish world.The term halva ,...
. The latter, a layer of chopped nuts sandwiched between mats of thread-like fried dough, is a speciality of Sheki in North-West Azerbaijan. Other traditional pastries include shakarbura (crescent-shaped and filled with nuts), peshmak (tube-shaped candy made out of rice, flour and sugar) and girmapadam (pastry filled with chopped nuts).
However, sweets like this are generally bought from a pastry shop and eaten at home or on special occasions such as weddings and wakes. The usual conclusion to a restaurant meal is a plate of fresh fruit, plums, cherries, apricots, grapes, or whatever is in season.
In March 2009, Azerbaijani bakers achieved an entry in the CIS book of records for baking the biggest and heaviest pakhlava in the CIS, weighing about 3 tons. More than 7 thousand eggs, 350 kg of nuts, 20 kg of almonds, 350 kg of sugar, and the same amount of flour was used in the preparation of the pastry.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Samani halva | Samani halva, made from malted wheat, can best be described as a spicy, gooey, chewy treat.One samani halva tradition in Azerbaijan is to make halva communally, using flour from seven different homes. |
| Shekerbura | Shekerbura (şəkərbura) are a popular Azerbaijani sweet pastry, filled with ground almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts. Shekerbura, shor gogal and bakhlava are all eaten in Baku at the Novruz spring holiday. |
Bread
Tandoor breadTandoor bread
Tandoor bread is a type of bread baked in a clay oven called Tandoor....
is a type of bread baked in a clay
Masonry oven
A masonry oven, colloquially known as a brick oven or stone oven, is an oven consisting of a baking chamber made of fireproof brick, concrete, stone, or clay. Though traditionally wood-fired, coal-fired ovens were common in the 19th century, modern masonry ovens are often fired with natural gas or...
oven called a Tandoor
Tandoor
A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven used in cooking and baking. The tandoor is used for cooking in Azerbaijan, India, Turkey, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Central Asia, as well as Burma and Bangladesh.The heat for a tandoor was...
.
Sherbets
An Azerbaijani sherbet is a sweet cold drink made of fruit juice mixed or boiled with sugar, often perfumed with rose water. Sherbets (not to be confused with sorbet ices) are of IranianIranian cuisine
Iranian cuisine is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, culinary traditions and styles distinct to its region.It includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelo kabab , khoresht Iranian cuisine is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, culinary traditions and styles distinct to...
origin and they may differ greatly in consistency, from very thick and jam-like (as in Tajik cuisine) to very light and liquid, as in Azerbaijan. Sherbets are typically prepared in the following natural flavors:
- Lemon
- Pomegranate
- Strawberry
- Cherry
- Apricot
- Mint sherbet
Mineral water
Locally made brands of bottled water include the following:| Brand | Origin | Originating area |
|---|---|---|
| Aysu | ||
| Badamlı | Badamli, Nakhchivan Badamli Badamlı is a village and municipality in the Shakhbuz Rayon of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 1,078.... |
|
| Sirab | Sirab, Nakhchivan Sirab Sirab is a village and municipality in the Babek Rayon of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 2,661.... |
|
| Şollar | Şollar Sollar Şollar is a village and municipality in the Khachmaz Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 1,433. The municipality consists of the villages of Şollar and Çaxçaxlı.... village |
north-east |
| Tamiz gazh su | ||
| Qax | Qakh district | north |
| Kakh | ||
External links
- Comparison of Cuisine between North and South Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan International, Autumn 2000, pp. 24–27.
- Proverbs about Food in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan International, Autumn 2000, pp. 36–37.
- Food! Glorious Food!, Special issue of Azerbaijan International, Autumn 2000.
- Azerbaijani dishes: photographs and descriptions
- Azerbaijani cuisine: descriptions of dishes by category on advantour.com
- Cuisine of Azerbaijan based on the book Azerbaijani Cooking published in Baku
- Selected recipes from Azerbaijani cuisine
- Farida's Azerbaijani Cookbook
- Azerbaijani Food