Azerbaijani cuisine

Azerbaijani cuisine (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan mətbəxi; اذربيجان متبخى) is the cooking styles and dishes of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Iranian Azerbaijan. The cuisine is influenced by the country's diversity of agriculture, from abundant grasslands which historically allowed for a culture of pastoralism to develop, as well as to the geographical location of the country, which is situated between Europe and Asia, with access to the Caspian Sea. This location has enabled the people that now live in the territory of Azerbaijan to develop a diet rich in produce, milk products, and meat, including beef, mutton, fish and game. The location, which was contested by many historical kingdoms, khanates, and empires, also meant that Azerbaijani cuisine was influenced by the culinary traditions of multiple different cultures, including Turkic, Iranian, Armenian and Eastern European cuisines. many dishes of Armenian and Georgian cuisine with turkified, or turkic names are widespread in Azerbaijan.^[1]

History and features of Azerbaijani national cuisine

Azerbaijan's national cuisine is arguably closer to Middle Eastern cuisine due to the taste and preparation of the dishes. Contemporary Azerbaijan cuisine retains the traditional methods of preparing dishes while incorporating modern cooking techniques.^[2]

Azerbaijani dishes have been cooked with copper utensils and cookware. Copper bowls and plates are still commonly used to serve food.^[2]

Azerbaijani cuisine utilizes fruits and vegetables such as aubergine, tomato, sweet pepper, spinach, cabbage, onion, sorrel, beet, radish, cucumber, and green beans. Rice and products made from flour are widely used. Herbs, including mint, coriander, dill, basil, parsley, tarragon, leek, chive, thyme, marjoram, scallions, and watercress often accompany main dishes. The majority of national dishes are made with lamb, beef and poultry meat. Dishes prepared of minced meat are also prevalent. The sea, lakes and rivers of Azerbaijan are abundant with different fish species, particularly the white sturgeon. Sturgeons are often eaten as sea food. Particularly, the Caspian Sea is home to many edible species of fish, including the sturgeon, caspian salmon, kutum, sardines, grey mullet, and others. Caviar from the Caspian Sea is a popular ingredient in Azerbaijan.^[2][3]

The typical Azerbaijani meal involves three courses. One of the basic dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine is plov, served with various herbs and greens, a combination distinct from those found in Uzbek plovs. Other second courses include a variety of kebabs and shashlik, including lamb, beef, chicken, duck and fish (baliq) kebabs. Sturgeon, a common fish, is normally skewered and grilled as a shashlik, 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 saffron, which is grown on the Absheron Peninsula domestically. The third courses include soups. These include kufta bozbash, piti prepared of meat and dovga, as well as ovdukh prepared of greens and yoghurt.^[4][5]

Black tea is a popular beverage, and is drunk after food is eaten. It is also offered to guests as a gesture of welcome, often accompanied by fruit preserves.^[5]

Breakfast

The Azerbaijani breakfast is heavy in dairy products such as butter, various types of white cheese, and cream, as well as honey, tandoori bread and eggs, traditionally prepared into kuku, but alternatively, also scrambled.^[6] Eastern European breakfast traditions which were adopted under the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union are also occasionally seen in Azerbaijan households, with foods such as kasha, porridge, quark and crepes included on the breakfast table.

Light snacks

Azerbaijani light snacks

Azerbaijani cuisine has a number of light snacks and side dishes to open or accompany the main meals: a plate of green leaves called goy, pieces of chorek (bread), white cheese or qatik (sour yogurt) and turshu (pickles).^[7] This culinary tradition is comparable to Turkish meze. The richer main courses such as soups, meats and plov are served afterwards.^[7]

Dishes

Dolma

Badımcan dolması

Azerbaijani dushbara

Gürzə

Meat

Azerbaijani cuisine included large amounts of beef and game. Consumption of camel meat was also widespread, although it has become increasingly rare in modern times. In order to preserve meat, it was historically jerked, or alternatively, roasted and stuffed into jars or animal stomachs. Apart from the cuts of meat, Azerbaijani cuisine features the use of head, legs, tails and intestines of animals in numerous dishes.^[8]

Azerbaijani cuisine features a wide variety of traditional meat dishes such as bozbash (parchabozbash, kuftebozbash, qovurmabozbash), piti (sheki piti) khash, shashlik and lula kebab. A variety of lamb dishes are also commonly eaten, traditionally during celebrations such as Nowruz. Meatball dishes and forms of dolma are regularly eaten as well. On particularly special occasions, local goose, turkey, duck, quail and pheasant meats are also cooked and consumed.

Azerbaijani cuisine also features a variety of seafood, especially fish which is obtained from the Caspian Sea as well as the Kura and Aras rivers. Fish is prepared in a variety of ways: stuffed, chopped, dried, grilled, fried, boiled, cooked in the oven, cooked on skewers, cooked in tandoors, cooked into plovs, and in other ways depending on the occasion and personal preferences.^[8]

Although the population is predominately Muslim, Azerbaijani culture is largely secular.^[9][10] However, pork is less popular than other meats.^[11] In 2023, pork constituted about 2.4% of total meat consumption, primarily from imports.^[12]

Name	Description
Balıq	Fish, usually sturgeon, normally skewered and grilled as a kebab.
Dolma	The traditional recipe calls for minced lamb or beef mixed with rice and flavoured with mint, fennel, and cinnamon, and wrapped in vine leaves (yarpaq dolması) or cabbage leaves (kələm dolması). There are also sour sweet cabbage dolma (turş şirin kələm dolması) and eggplant dolma (qarabadımcan dolması). In 2017, UNESCO listed dolma as part of Azerbaijan's Intangible Cultural Heritage.[13]
Badımcan Dolması	Tomato, sweet pepper, and aubergine stuffed with minced lamb or beef mixed with chickpeas.
Dushbara	Small dumplings stuffed with minced lamb and herbs, served in broth.
Lavangi	Stuffed chicken or fish with onions, walnuts and raisins. A specialty of the Talysh people in southern Azerbaijan, but very difficult to find common in restaurants.
Lula kebab	A mixture of mutton, herbs, and spices squeezed around a skewer and barbecued, often served with lavash (thin sheets of unleavened bread).
Qutab	A sort of pancake turnover stuffed with minced lamb, cheese, or spinach.
Shashlik	Chunks of lamb marinated in a mixture of onion, vinegar, and spices, impaled on a large skewer and grilled on the barbecue. In Russian, it is also called shashlyk (шашлык), from Turkic shishlyk (literally, "for skewer").
Qovurma	Pieces of mutton or lamb on the bone (blade chops) stewed with onions, tomatoes, and saffron.[14] There is also sabzi qovurma, a lamb stew with herbs.
Tabriz meatballs	Large meatball dish named after the town of Tabriz in northern Iran. Prepared with minced meat, onions, peas, rice, potatoes, eggs, tomatoes, turmeric, and various herbs such as parsley, coriander and dill.

Soups

Dovga

Soups in Azerbaijan tend to have a thicker consistency and a larger ratio of dry ingredients to broth.^[8] A common feature of numerous Azerbaijani soups is that the soup serves the role of both the first and second courses^[8] – the soup is served in a large portion and the broth is drunk first as a starter, and then the dry ingredients of the soup such as the potatoes, meat, chickpeas and large vegetable chunks are consumed as a second course together with bread.

Another characteristic featured in several Azerbaijani soups is the use of finely cut mutton tails which are added soups. Tomato paste and tomato puree are rarely used in Azerbaijani soups and instead are substituted with fresh local tomatoes during the summer.^[8] During winter, local tomatoes are not widely available and so frequently substituted with dried cherries. Spices such as saffron and turmeric powder are also traditionally used in Azerbaijani soups.

Name	Description
Piti	The national soup of Azerbaijan made from pieces of mutton on the bone, cooked with vegetables in a broth; prepared and served in individual crocks.
Kufta bozbash	A pea soup with lamb meatballs and boiled potatoes. The meatballs in kufta bozbash are large, hearty, and made of minced lamb or beef and rice, sometimes with a dried plum inside.
Dovga	A yogurt-based soup with sorrel, spinach, rice, dried peas, and small meatballs made from ground mutton; served hot or cold depending on the season.[15]
Dogramaj	A cold soup based on a yogurt–water mixture (Ayran) poured over sliced cucumbers and greens (dill, coriander, basil, tarragon, and sometimes mint).[16]

Types of plov

Azerbaijani pilaf. Left: gara (lamb, halved apricots, plums, apricot seeds). Right: rice (partially colored with turmeric).

Shah pilaf^[17]

Plov is one of the most widespread dishes in Azerbaijan and there are over 200 types of plovs in Azerbaijani cuisine. They are usually prepared with local vegetables, meats and spices. In Azerbaijani tradition, it is customary that the household prepares a plov for guests visiting the house.^[18] They are typically served in a large metal or porcelain bowl covered with a lid to keep it warm. The type of rice used to make the plov varies from one recipe to another and depends on personal preferences. Since plov is a heavy, fatty food, it is traditionally served together with sour drinks such as ayran, black tea with lemon, or verjuice. Plovs have different names depending on the main ingredients accompanying the rice:

Name	Ingredients
Kourma plov	Mutton plov with onion
Chilov plov	Bean plov with fish
Toyug plov	Chicken plov
Shuyudli plov	Dill plov with beef
Shirin plov	Dried fruit plov
Sheshryanch plov	Six-color plov, eggs cooked "sunny side up" on a bed of fried green and white onions.[15]

Azerbaijani plov consists of three distinct components, served simultaneously but on separate platters: first component is rice (warm, never hot), the second component is gara, consisting of fried meat, dried fruits, eggs, or fish prepared as an accompaniment to rice, and third component being aromatic herbs. Rice is not mixed with the other components even when eating plov.^[19]

Spices

Spices play an important role in Azerbaijani cuisine, especially saffron which is used in over 50 national dishes.^[20] Other spices widely used in Azerbaijani cuisine include anise, cumin, cinnamon, thyme, coriander seeds, curcuma, sumac, caraway, bay leaves, mint, dill, parsley, celery, tarragon, and basil.^[21]

Desserts

Pakhlavasi

Quba pakhlavasi

Shekerbura

Badambura^[22]

Shorgoghal

Typical Azerbaijani desserts are sticky, syrup-saturated pastries such as pakhlava and shaki halva. The former, a layer of chopped nuts sandwiched between mats of thread-like fried dough, is a specialty of Shaki in northwest Azerbaijan. Other traditional pastries include shekerbura (crescent-shaped and filled with nuts), shorgoghal (round pastry filled with spices and salt) and badambura (decorated pastry filled with ground almonds, sugar, and cardamom).

Sweets 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 that is in season, such as plums, cherries, apricots, or grapes.

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.^[23]

Name	Description
Pakhlava	Azerbaijani baklava consists of pastry, cardamom, and saffron are used for the preparation. Nuts (mostly hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts) and sugar are used as the filling, and syrup is used as a sweetener.[24] There are some regional variations, like Quba, Ganja, Tenbel and Sheki baklava.[25][26][27]
Shekerbura	Shekerbura (şəkərbura) is a popular Azerbaijani sweet pastry, filled with ground almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts. It is covered in a pattern.
Samani halva	Samani halva is made from malted wheat. One samani halva tradition in Azerbaijan is to make halva communally.[28]
Shorgoghal	Shorgoghal is a flaky pastry filled with turmeric, anise, caraway, cinnamon and black pepper.
Badambura	Badambura is a pastry filled with plain sugar, almonds (badam in Azerbaijani language), cardamom, and vanilla.[29]

Dairy products

Qatiq

Milk and dairy products play an important role in the Azerbaijani diet. Milk, butter, cream, sour cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, buttermilk, dovga, ayran, qatiq, qurut, suzme and other dairy products are regularly consumed in the morning, as a snack, and even incorporated into lunch and dinner. Cow's milk is most often used to produce local dairy products, however sheep's milk is also sometimes used and goats' milk is consumed for its perceived health benefits. Rural communities in Azerbaijan produce local butter, buttermilk and cheeses using traditional churning techniques.

Name	Description
Ayran	A savory dairy drink. It is a staple of an Azerbaijani dinner/lunch table and is served cold.
Qatiq	A fermented, savory milk product. It is typically eaten with Qutabs or with bread.
Qurut	It is made from grain mixed with sour milk or yogurt.
Dovga	A vegetarian, yoghurt-based soup cooked with a variety of herbs. Coriander, dill, mint and rice are mainstays of the soup.
Xinaliq pendiri	Khinalug cheese, produced in the ancient village of Khinalug. It is one of the most popular cheeses in Azerbaijan.

Breads

Salyan çörəyi (tandoor bread)

Different types of bread are baked in Azerbaijan: lavash and tandoor bread. In the Middle Ages, tandoor ovens were one of the common facilities of the population who lived in Old City (Icheri Sheher). This has been discovered during the archaeological excavations in different areas of Old City. During the meeting held in Ethiopia, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage decided to include lavash in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the organization.^[30][31]

Non-alcoholic beverages

Black tea in armudu stekan (pear-shaped glasses)

Black tea is a popular drink in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani people usually prefer tea made in a samovar. Jam (Murabba) is often added to the tea as a sweetener.

Ayran is a cold yogurt beverage mixed with salt.

An sherbet (Azerbaijani: şərbət) 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 Iranian 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.^[32] Sherbets are typically prepared with either lemon, pomegranate, strawberry, cherry, apricot, or mint.^[33]

Locally made brands of bottled water include the following:

Brand	Origin	Originating area
Qax	Qakh district	North[34]
Kakh

Alcoholic beverages

Unlike multiple other countries with a predominantly Muslim population, alcohol consumption in Azerbaijan is entirely legal, and a variety of alcoholic drinks, both locally produced and imported can be found in shops and bars across the country. Although alcohol consumption in Azerbaijan is relatively moderate,^[35] alcoholic drinks still play a part in nightlife, festivities and celebrations.

Wine

Chabiant Azerbaijani wine

Main article: Azerbaijani wine

Azerbaijan produces wine locally. In the Khanlar district of the Azerbaijan Republic, for example, archeologists have found jars buried with the remains of wine dating back to the 2nd millennium BC. One of the most ancient and notable regions known for its wine-making produce is Tovuz in northwestern Azerbaijan. Archeological findings in this region speak of ancient vessels for wine storage, stones and remains of tartaric acid used for wine-growing.^[36]

The contemporary wine-making in Azerbaijan is seen in Ganja-Qazakh and Shirvan economic zones.^[37] Vineyards in these regions account to about 7% of the country's cultivated land. The regions are famous for 17 vines and 16 table grape varieties, the most common of the wine cultivars being Pinot Noir.^[38] In Azerbaijan, wines made from grapes are called sharab (Azerbaijani: şərab) while wines from other fruits including apples, pomegranates and mulberry are called nabiz (Azerbaijani: nəbiz). Other sorts are called chakhyr (Azerbaijani: çaxır). According to historians, there are more than 450 different categories of wild grape found in Azerbaijan which had been used for wine-making throughout the history of Azerbaijan.^[39]

Beer

Main article: Beer in Azerbaijan

Beer in Azerbaijan is typified by lighter lagers. Of the domestically produced beers, the most widely distributed is Xirdalan named after the city of Xırdalan in Azerbaijan, formerly brewed by Baki-Castel (BGI) but bought by Baltika in 2008. In February 2017 company was renamed to Carlsberg Azerbaijan.^[40] As a sponsor of Baku's Eurovision Song Contest, Xirdalan issued special commemorative Eurovision cans and bottles in 2012. Other widespread, locally produced brands include Novxanı, NZS, Afsana and Annenfeld. Beer popularity continues to grow in Azerbaijan as of 2018 and there are plans to fully localize malt processing for beer production, with a new malt processing plant being planned to be launched in 2024.^[41] Unlike almost all CIS countries, the beer bottles in Azerbaijan are marked with excise duty sticker.

Fruit preserves

Fruit preserves in Azerbaijan, as well as many other countries in the region are called murabba and these are often served alongside tea, where they are eaten alongside tea, or placed directly into tea as a sweetener and flavoring.

• 
  Strawberry jam
• 
  Walnut jam

See also

• Azerbaijan portal
• Food portal

• Culture of Azerbaijan
• History of Azerbaijan
• Agriculture in Azerbaijan
• Dishes from the Caucasus

References

1. William Pokhlyobkin (1978). Национальные кухни наших народов [The Ethnic Cuisines of our Peoples] (in Russian). Центрполиграф. ISBN 978-5-9524-2783-9.
2. "Cuisine – Assistance Tour". Retrieved 2023-10-29.
3. "Əsas yeməklər - Azerbaijan.az". azerbaijan.az. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
4. @NatGeoUK (2022-06-08). "Azerbaijan: the seven dishes that define a nation". National Geographic. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
5. Based on the book Azerbaijani Cooking Archived 2009-02-16 at the Wayback Machine, Ishyg Publ. House, Baku (in Russian)
6. "Taste of traditional breakfast". AzerNews.az. 2018-05-25. Archived from the original on 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
7. "7 Foods You Have to Try in Azerbaijan: The Best of Azerbaijani Food". Ashley Abroad Travel Blog. 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
8. "Azərbaycan mətbəxi". Azərbaycan Respublikası Mədəniyyət Nazirliyi. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
9. Alakbarli, Farid (Autumn 2000). "8.3 You Are What You Eat - Islamic Food Practices and Azerbaijani Identity". Azerbaijan International. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
10. Sultanova, Shahla (Aug 15, 2013). "Azerbaijan: Islam Comes with a Secular Face". Eurasianet. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
11. van Berkum, Siemen (August 2017). "Market and competitiveness analysis of the Azerbaijan agricultural sector: an overview". Wageningen Economic Research.
12. "Azerbaijan reveals volume of pork consumption". Report News Agency. 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
13. "Dolma Making and Sharing Tradition". UNESCO Archives. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
14. "Lamb Cuisine Page – Catskill Merino Sheep Farm". www.catskill-merino.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
15. Azerbaijan cookery by category of dishes Archived 2018-05-10 at the Wayback Machine, a section of Large Guide to Home Cooking (in Russian)
16. Dogramach and ovdukh Archived October 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine: recipes for Azerbaijani soups (in Russian).
17. "Shah pilaf". tasteatlas.com.
18. "MİLLİ KULİNARİYANIN ÖZƏLLİKLƏRİ". Region Plus. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
19. Interview with Jabar Mamedov Archived 2008-12-21 at the Wayback Machine, Head Chef at the "Shirvan Shah" Azerbaijani restaurant in Kyiv, 31 January 2005.
20. "Delicious Azerbaijani cuisine". aristokrattour.com. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
21. "Essential herbs and spices in Azerbaijani cuisine". AzerNews.az. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
22. Once in a Lifetime Journey (11 November 2019). "The Food Azerbaijan Food".
23. "Huge pakhlava hits record in Ganja" Archived March 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine on anspress.com. Retrieved on 17 March 2009
24. "Азербайджанская пахлава". 2009-03-24. Archived from the original on 2020-01-25. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
25. "A tasty journey through Azerbaijan: Sheki and Ganja cuisine". Azerbaijan State News Agency. Archived from the original on 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
26. "Tenbel Baklava".
27. "Preparation of Guba pakhlava". Report Information Agency (in Azerbaijani). Archived from the original on 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
28. "News.Az – Samani halva – Malted wheat halva". www.news.az. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
29. "The Best Azerbaijan Food". Once in a Lifetime Journey. 11 November 2019.
30. "Tandoor". kabobcentral.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
31. "MalatyaHaber |Tandır Ekmeği". Archived from the original on 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
32. "Рецепты таджикской кухни – Шербеты". www.zdb.ru. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
33. Recipes for lemon and mint sherbets (in Russian)
34. Qakh or Kakh mineral water Archived April 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
35. WHO Global status report on alcohol and health 2014 (PDF). who.int. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-02-16.
36. "Ancient Wines - Exactly What the Doctor Ordered - Farid Alakbarov". azeri.org. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
37. "Azerbaijan: A Cultural Crossroads | Diplomat Magazine". 2012-03-24. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
38. "Cuisine and Wine of Azerbaijan". Concord Travel Georgia. Archived from the original on 2011-05-13.
39. Goble, Paul (2008-01-07). "WindowonEurasia: Window on Eurasia: 'Not By Oil Alone'— Azerbaijan's Wine Industry Bounces Back". WindowonEurasia. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
40. "Carlsberg Azerbaijan". Carlsberg Azerbaijan. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
41. "New barley processing plant used for beer production to open in Azerbaijan". Trend.Az. 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2023-10-29.

External links

• AZ Cookbook: Food from Azerbaijan and Beyond
• 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 (in Russian) (archived 16 February 2009)
• Selected recipes from Azerbaijani cuisine