Here’s a unique country sandwiched in between Iran, Armenia, and the Russian state of Georgia, whose cuisine incorporates many of the most famous and popular tastes of Eastern Europe. To look at it on the map, you’d never guess it had so much to offer the rambling food lover…
Famous Azerbaijani Baked Fish: Try it at one of the better restaurants
in the capital, Baku, for a dining experience you’ll never forget!
Azerbaijan has some of everything: the Caucasus Mountains on one side, the Caspian sea on the other. And in between, lakes, meadows and just about every other geological feature you could imagine. Maybe that’s why the tiny country boasts so many distinct regions with their own trademark culinary traditions.
Wikipedia sums it up thus: “The traditional cuisine is famous for an abundance of vegetables and greens used seasonally in the dishes. Fresh herbs, including mint, cilantro (coriander), dill, basil, parsley, tarragon, leeks, chives, thyme, marjoram, green onion, and watercress, are very popular and often accompany main dishes on the table. Climatic diversity and fertility of the land are reflected in the national dishes, which are based on fish from the Caspian Sea, and local meat (mainly mutton and beef). […] Saffron-rice plov is the flagship food in Azerbaijan and black tea is the national beverage.”
But there’s much, more more to it than that! So, let’s get going and sample some of this exotic bounty…
On our menu today…
Plov: This is one of Azerbaijan’s national dishes. It’s their take on Pilaf, a rice dish found all round the Mediterranean and throughout Western Asia. All Plovs share in common saffron-flavoured rice cooked with aromatic herbs, fried meat and vegetables. Different cooks have their own styles; you can probably order it every day and enjoy a different flavour experience!
Kebab: Here’s another very popular dish, very similar to skewered dishes in other Mediterranean and Western European cuisines. it’s usually made with Mutton, sometimes with beef, seasoned with local herbs and spices. One typically-Azerbaijani form of Kebab is Lyulya Kebab, made from finely ground/minced meat, mixed with herbs and spices, and formed by hand onto a skewer in a cigar-shaped meatball. Kebab is always grilled over open coals on a gridiron. It’s a favourite centrepiece dish for entertaining guests.
Kufta Bozbash: A family special meal, consisting of a rich mutton-broth soup with a huge meatball floating in it along side potatoes and peas. As most other savoury Azerbaijani dishes, this soup is resplendent with local herbs and spices and often contains a dried Plum. With that 3-4 in. / 8 – 10 cm meatball front and centre, Kufta makes a formidable meal!
Dolmas: Similar in name and character as dishes from other Mediterranean cuisines, the classic Dolma is made from a mixture of minced meat and rice blended with herbs and spices, and wrapped in vine leaves. Depending on the region and the season, Domas may also be wrapped in cabbage leaves, Doma may be also used to stuff eggplants or peppers. The theory seems to be that something this good shouldn’t be relegated to a ‘seasonal’ specialty!
Roast Chicken: No special name – unless you dig up the Azerbaijani language version – this common dish is made right on the street (or, in small shops fronting the streets) specializing in Roast5ing Chicken only. It’s served in a sheet of flatbread with a handful of onions and is almost always taken out, like English fish and chips and Mexican tacos. The king of Azerbaijani street food!
Lavangi: Is also a national dish of Azerbaijan, consisting of a whole fish stuffed with walnuts, onions, and various various herbs and spices, and baked in the oven. You can get this Azerbaijani delicacy almost anywhere on the Caspian coast. But sample it in one or two of the better Baku restaurants for the most amazing fish experience you could wish for!
Azerbaijani Desserts: These include many dishes, versions of which are to be found in many other Mediterranean and Western Asian cuisines. Among those you’ll recognise most readily are: Smoked Cheese, Pakhlava (also called Baklava), Sherbet and Black Tea.
But the crown jewel of Azerbaijani sweets is…
Halva: Again, this sweet treat is made, for the most part, by hand by artisan crafts people and is a little bit different in all parts of the country – certainly different from Halva made in other cuisines (see photo, top of page). In chief, aficionados say it’s sweeter, but with a mild sweetness not familiar to folks who mainly eat foods sweetened with cane sugar or other refined sweeteners. Halva is made only in the mountainous region of Sheki and comes in myriad flavours with a wide range of inclusions – usually from family recipes that go back 7 generations or more. If you want to experience Azerbaijan in just a few days, make sure you eat in the restaurants of Baku, the capital, right on the Caspian, and visit the Sheki region, high in the mountains, where they have much more in their cultural and traditional bag of tricks than candy!
Thanks!
The Culture Trip.com for its invaluable guidance in choosing the top dishes of Azerbaijan for your delectation today!
~ Maggie J.