Azerbaijani Cuisine (6 Famous Azerbaijani Dishes)

Piti. Some dishes of the Azerbaijani cuisine are prepared in special dishes. For example, the soup called Piti is prepared in special clay pots. One such pot is one serving. Piti’s birthplace is the city of Sheki.

Saj. One of the most popular dishes of the Azerbaijani cuisine is Saj, which is an assorted meat and vegetables, in the preparation of which they use the frying pan of the same name, and Saj is served with a tiny brazier with hot coals installed under it. This maintains the hot temperature of the dish and allows it to cook even more after serving.

Dolma. A special place in Azerbaijani cuisine is occupied by various varieties of dolma stuffed with grape leaves, cabbage, eggplant, tomatoes, sweet peppers and even fruits, such as apple and quince.

Pilaf. One of the most popular dishes of the Azerbaijani cuisine is pilaf or plov. Azerbaijani cuisine has several types of pilaf. Ingredients include lamb, chicken, sour and sweet fruits, vegetables, pumpkin, chestnuts, greenery and seasonings. An indispensable component for the preparation of numerous pilavs is saffron. Pilafs are prepared in special boilers with a thickened bottom and covers. To steam pilaf evenly when cooking the use special techniques. Serving and eating Azerbaijani pilafs have their own traditions.

Lavangi. Another remarkable national dish in Azerbaijani cuisine is Lavangi. It is a fish, chicken, and even wildfowl stuffed with walnuts, onions and various condiments and baked in the oven or tandir. Lavangi is most common in the Absheron peninsula and in the Southern part of Azerbaijan – in Lankaran, Masalli, Astara, and Lerik districts.

Kebab. This is the name for barbecue in Azerbaijani. Tasty dishes, the most delicious – meat, just baked on charcoal. In majority of restaurants of Baku, Kebab traditionally is served in a form of “Assorti” including Tika-Kebab (pieces of lamb), Lyulya-Kebab (meatballs of lamb minced meat), Dana-Bastirma (chopped veal cooked in the oven), Khan-Kebab – (liver wrapped in a thin sheet of fat tail on a ramrod).

Chicken, turkey on a ramrod, or quail, baked in a traditional Tandir oven, are the most typical representatives of poultry shish kebabs in Azerbaijani cuisine. Standing on a separate culinary pedestal – is a sturgeon fish kebab, which is marinated before cooking for two hours in onions, black pepper and tomato juice. A side dish usually serves … kebab. Tomato kebab, eggplant kebab baked on a ramrod with a fat of fat tail inside and a simple baked jacket potato in its jacket … which can be more harmonious for combination with aromatic meat. And the best sauce for all types of kebab is, of course, thick pomegranate semi-sweet and semi-sour sauce Narsharab.

Sweets and dessert. There are many sweets in the cuisine of Azerbaijan. These include Shekerbura, Baklava, Sheker-Churek, Kurabiye, Mutaki, and many more. A special place is occupied by Sheki sweets – Sheki Baklava, Peshvenk, Tel, Gyrmabadam, in the production of which the use rice flour, sugar, nut kernels, butter, eggs and spices.

Sherbet (Sorbet) drinksUnlike Central Asian sherbet, those made here are primarily a sweet, or a dessert. Azerbaijani sherbets are soft drinks, and play the role of bevarage to accompany pilaf. In addition to fruit and berry juices, they also use tinctures and distillates of aromatic parts of plants — seeds, buds, and others as the main component, and the fruit base consists of juices of acidic fruits and berries.