Azerbaijani dishes main courses. What is the national cuisine, traditional dishes and food in Azerbaijan? Vegetables and fruits

The religion of the people has left its mark on the menu: Muslim rules do not allow eating pork, so in Azerbaijan, meat dishes are mainly prepared from lamb, and the fish diet consists of representatives of the sturgeon and salmon families.

Warm, welcoming Azerbaijan is a country with very fertile soil, numerous varieties of fruits and vegetables grow there, which are readily and almost always added to food.

The combination of ingredients can sometimes be overwhelming, but the dishes turn out incredibly tasty and nutritious. A characteristic feature of Azerbaijani cuisine is that various spices, herbs and seasonings are added to all dishes without exception.

In the houses of this country there is always a pleasant aroma that evokes appetite. In addition, in some regions and villages, women still cook in old traditional utensils made of copper. It is believed that such an alloy improves the taste of the dish.

Top 10 popular Azerbaijani dishes

Among several thousand ancient Azerbaijani recipes, it is difficult to single out just a few of the best: all dishes of national cuisine are extremely good, and, importantly, healthy due to the addition of a huge amount of fresh herbs and fruits. But there are several particularly popular dishes that have long become known in Europe.

1. Adjapsandal

This dish is often found in the cuisines of other peoples of the world - Armenian, Turkic, Georgian and many others, but ajapsadal was originally a traditional cold appetizer of Azerbaijan. This is a vegetable dish based on eggplants, tomatoes and sweet peppers. Additional flavor enhancing ingredients include white onions, fresh coriander, garlic and basil. Vegetable oil is used as a dressing.

In European countries, this dish, the name of which translates as “how excellent you are,” would be dubbed vegetable sauté. But in a traditional sauté, eggplants are not a mandatory ingredient, unlike Ajapsandal; in addition, in Europe they use completely different seasonings, so the Azerbaijani dish remains unique and one of a kind in terms of taste.

2. Pilaf

Of course, pilaf is most often associated with Azerbaijani cuisine. There are about 200 recipes for this dish in Azerbaijan. It is believed that this nation prepares pilaf better than other peoples of the Caucasus and the entire population of the world as a whole.

The dish really turns out consistently tasty, no matter what recipe it is prepared in. But there is one remarkable feature: the rice itself and the “filling” are prepared separately from each other, and mixed only in a plate served to the table. Rice porridge is made in a cast iron or copper cauldron, in butter, or using fat tail fat.

Garou is prepared in a separate container - a mixture of pieces of lamb, spices, vegetables and fruits. Even the dish is served in a surprising way: the rice is covered with several triangular pieces of kazmag (unleavened flatbread), sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, and the garou is served in a separate plate. To all this they add a traditional drink - sherbet.

3. Dolma

This dish is somewhat similar to ordinary Russian cabbage rolls, but it also has significant differences. Firstly, quince or grape leaves are used instead of cabbage leaves. Secondly, Azerbaijani dolma can have completely different fillings.

The traditional option is lamb dolma; fresh herbs and clear rice are added to the minced meat; these ingredients should not exceed the volume of the minced meat. As a rule, they take 3 parts of minced lamb and 1 part of rice with herbs.

In Azerbaijan, there are about 10 recipes for dolma with different fillings, including fruits, vegetables, and fish. Each option is popular: in summer, light vegetable dolma is served with a traditional fermented milk drink; in winter, a fish or meat hot dish is appropriate. It is noteworthy that it has not yet been established exactly what national cuisine this dish came from.

Today it is an integral part of the diet of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, but it was Azerbaijan that made every effort to ensure that the dish was recognized as traditional for the Azerbaijani people. It’s interesting that everything worked out: just a year ago, the culinary traditions of preparing Azerbaijani dolma were recognized as the cultural heritage of humanity.

4. Lula kebab

Another must-try meat dish in the country. It is a minced lamb cutlet cooked over coals or an open fire. It is noteworthy that no onions or eggs are added to the minced meat; the minced meat is simply beaten for a long time and thoroughly, after which it is placed on a thin wooden skewer.

There are enough options for preparing kebabs; in common parlance this is kebab, therefore, as in any other cuisine, kebab can be made from fish, vegetables or meat. But the presentation is always the same: meat generously sprinkled with herbs on thin homemade flatbreads.

5. Dyushbara

This dish is akin to classic dumplings, in fact, dumplings in Azerbaijani style. For preparation, minced lamb is made with the addition of various spices and herbs, the dough is kneaded into a stiff dough with a small amount of salt.

A distinctive feature of the national dish is that the preparations are not dipped into water, but into a boiling broth made from lamb bones. Dushbara is served in broth with butter and fresh herbs, which take up at least a third of the plate.

6. Dzhyz-byz

In Azerbaijan, it is customary to eat not only clean meat, but also its waste. Thus, the popular Azerbaijani dish jiz-byz is processed young sheep intestines fried with potatoes. The dish also includes other animal entrails - liver, kidneys, heart. Fat tail fat is always used for frying, and the finished dish, richly seasoned with herbs, is served in sumy.

7. Bozbash

One of the many first courses of Azerbaijani cuisine. Almost all soups of this cuisine have a slightly different consistency from the one we are used to: Azerbaijani soups have much more filling and very little liquid, due to which the dishes are always very high in calories and nutritious. Bozbash is a fatty soup with numerous ingredients.

The main vegetables are: potatoes or chestnuts, sweet peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas, onions, zucchini and eggplants. A distinctive feature is that the traditional recipe always contains mint and apples, which adds some piquancy to the dish.

8. Petey

Another interesting soup that is cooked in the oven. A very thick lamb belly dish. The cooking process takes place in several stages: vegetables (onions, peppers, carrots, eggplant) are first fried in fat tail fat, and then transferred to a clay pot. The mixture is poured with a small amount of liquid and brought to readiness in the oven. When serving, piti must be decorated with coriander.

9. Khash

In Azerbaijani cuisine, almost all hot dishes and soups are made from lamb; only a few recipes include beef or veal. Khash is one of them. Despite the fact that this is a soup and is served hot, it is traditionally eaten exclusively for breakfast.

Khash is prepared without any spices at all, based on beef tripe; in some regions, beef tails and heads are added. In addition, this is one of the few dishes that is not sprinkled with herbs. When serving, spices, herbs and herbs are simply served in a separate bowl, but only to guests of the country. The local population eats khash without any spices at all.

10. Baklava

A traditional Azerbaijani sweet, which is always present on the table on the great Muslim holiday of Novruz Bayram, this dish is also served to all guests. The basis of baklava is yeast dough, hazelnuts, and other ground nuts. Additional and required ingredients are saffron, cloves, sugar. Baklava is something like a sweet multi-layer cake.

To prepare an oriental sweet, roll out a layer of dough, sprinkle generously with filling in the form of nuts and sugar, then cover the mixture with another layer of dough, grease it with butter and add the filling again.

Similar actions are continued until the future dish has 10 layers, the latter is coated with egg yolk and saffron, after which the workpiece is sent to the oven for half an hour. When the delicacy is ready and cooled, it is cut into diamond-shaped pieces, each of which is decorated with whole hazelnuts.

Over the centuries, Azerbaijani cuisine has been influenced by a variety of cultures. However, even today Azerbaijani culinary traditions remain unique and unusual. In general, the process of nutrition itself in Azerbaijan is an important part of the country’s culture, which has deep roots in the history, traditions and values ​​of the nation.

Azerbaijan is a small but unique country in the sense that it contains 9 climatic zones out of 11 known to nature. This contributes to the diversity of crops grown, which, in turn, leads to the enrichment of national cuisine. Today, Azerbaijani traditional cuisine is famous, first of all, for its very abundant use of fresh vegetables and herbs. Almost no dish of Azerbaijani national cuisine can be prepared without fresh herbs - mint, coriander, parsley, tarragon, marjoram, basil, dill and others.

However, the very active use of fresh herbs and vegetables is far from the only features of Azerbaijani national cuisine. For example, in Azerbaijan they love and know how to cook seafood delicacies - the Caspian Sea is home to sturgeon, Caspian salmon, sardines, mullet and many other edible fish. Azerbaijani black caviar from the Caspian Sea remains one of the most sought after delicacies around the world. Dried fruits and nuts are used in the preparation of many dishes. Traditional seasonings are salt, black pepper and saffron.

Azerbaijani cuisine is incredibly diverse. The local cuisine knows several dozen soups alone, and what is important is that all of them are really popular and regularly appear on the tables of ordinary Azerbaijanis. These are piti (national Azerbaijani soup made from pieces of lamb and vegetables), kyufta-bozbash (pea soup with lamb), dovga (yogurt-based soup), ovdukh (cold matsone-based soup) and many others.

One of the national Azerbaijani dishes is pilaf, but it is prepared here completely differently than in Uzbekistan - saffron, a variety of herbs and herbs are added to it, as a result of which Azerbaijani pilaf turns out to be much more spicy and original. However, in Azerbaijan alone there are more than 40 varieties of pilaf; it is prepared from lamb, chicken and even fish, which once again illustrates the diversity of the diet of local residents.

However, Azerbaijanis eat more than just pilaf. Other popular second courses of Azerbaijani cuisine are all kinds of kebabs and kebabs made from lamb, beef, chicken and even fish. For example, balyk (sturgeon shish kebab) is quite popular, served with a tart pomegranate sauce called narsharab. Traditional Azerbaijani dishes include dolma (something like cabbage rolls, only grape leaves are used instead of cabbage), dushbara (small dumplings), lyavangi (chicken and walnut casserole), kovurma (pieces of lamb stewed with onions and tomatoes).

Typical Azerbaijani desserts are sweet pastries such as baklava and halva. The national drink of Azerbaijan is black tea, which is usually served after meals. Tea has great symbolic value and is offered to guests as a sign of welcome. In addition to tea, sherbets (a sweet cold drink made from juice and sugar) and mineral water are widely popular.

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43 min.

Alexander

Azerbaijan is a unique country with an ancient history. This region is unique. Due to its geographical location, it is equally close to the Middle East, Transcaucasia, and Eastern Europe. Over the course of many centuries, this state has been enriched with traditions, sights and historical monuments of different cultures.

The unique climate attracts many tourists here. Here everyone can find nature to their taste - from the alpine snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus to subtropical forests. Numerous hydropathic resorts, the coast of the Caspian Sea, rivers and mountains will not leave indifferent even the most demanding guest.

The country's cuisine combines the best qualities and traditions of the peoples inhabiting it. Thanks to this, Azerbaijani cuisine is considered one of the most delicious in Western Asia and the Caucasus. What dishes should you definitely try in Azerbaijan?

Food in Azerbaijan

The nature and land of this region generously gifts its inhabitants with a variety of vegetables, fruits, spices, and fragrant herbs. All this is used in Azerbaijani cuisine.

Where else will you be offered to try a sweet drink made from rose petals or tomato jam? By the way, “ovshala,” as the pink drink is called, has not only a bright and subtle aroma, but also beneficial properties. And who doesn’t love the well-known Kurabye cookies? It was the shape and recipe of the Baku “kurabiye” cookies that spread throughout the world.

The religious canons of the majority of the population do not allow eating pork. But this is fully compensated by a large assortment of deliciously prepared dishes from a variety of meats. Particularly famous are dishes made from lamb, poultry, river and sea Caspian fish.

Features and traditions of Azerbaijani cuisine

Azerbaijanis are hospitable people; they greet even unexpected guests with cordiality and treat them heartily. Their traditions are original, and their dishes are very tasty and unusual.

The range of dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine is so wide that each of the guests will find something to their liking. Here you can find about two thousand varied and delicious dishes, because pilaf alone has 200 recipe options. But this region is famous not only for its abundance and diversity. According to traditional Muslim laws, food should not only nourish the body, but also the soul. This means bringing aesthetic pleasure.

If we talk about the culinary traditions of Azerbaijan, then every detail and feature of the character of this people is important. Azerbaijani cuisine is very fond of meat dishes made from lamb, veal or poultry. Fish dishes cooked on the grill or tandoor are also popular here. River or sea fish are smoked, dried, fried, baked, making dishes with a unique taste, which give them a lot of herbs and spices. To prepare their famous dishes, the residents of this state use a lot of fruits, vegetables and herbs. They mainly prefer grapes, quinces, chestnuts, dogwoods, cherry plums, tomatoes, eggplants, etc. An integral part of any Azerbaijani dish is fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley, green onions, basil. These products are constant companions of national dishes.

Azerbaijanis also love spicy herbs. They fill the dish with a unique aroma and add piquancy to the taste. Coriander, mint, saffron and other herbs are frequent guests on the local table.

Bread occupies a special place among Azerbaijanis. In rural areas, lavash is baked in a saj or tandoor. According to tradition, the dough for lavash is kneaded by the eldest woman in the family, and the daughter-in-law is entrusted with rolling out the dough. The flatbreads bake in literally one minute. The finished lavash sheets are removed from the tandoor and stacked in large piles. Flatbreads, churek, and kutabs with various fillings are also baked in the tandoor.

Azerbaijanis, like most peoples, are very fond of sweets. They offer their guests a variety of fruit preserves and sweet pastries. The range of sweets is surprising in variety and includes more than 50 different recipes. Among the most famous are baklava, kurabiye cookies and sheker-bura.

The famous “kurabiye” goes well with aromatic Azerbaijani tea. The liver does not require special cooking skills. There is a legend that these cookies were invented by a resourceful servant of the eastern Shah. When the thieves took all the sweets from the palace, he baked round cookies from the food that remained. For beauty and sweetness, he sprinkled them with cinnamon and saffron. Since then, these cookies have become a favorite delicacy among all eastern peoples, and then throughout the world.

The traditional sweet is sheker-bura. These sweet pies are very easy to make and are a favorite dessert for Azerbaijani children. This delicacy, like baklava, was originally prepared for the Nowruz holiday. According to me, it symbolizes the moon, and baklava represents the stars. The pies are baked from regular wheat flour, and grated almonds, hazelnuts and cardamom are used as filling. The pies are decorated with a pattern in the form of ears of corn.

Another famous Azerbaijani dessert is firni. It is made from rice flour and milk, then sprinkled with cinnamon and butter. The delicacy has a light creamy taste.

Of course, how can you eat sweets without the famous Azerbaijani tea? In this country, a tradition of tea drinking has developed for centuries, which requires the presence of this drink at any feast. First of all, it is worth saying that in this country they only drink black loose leaf tea. Brew the drink in a large teapot, and the tea should have a strong, rich taste. Then it is poured into low pear-shaped mugs. Nothing is added to tea or diluted with water.

Special fruit jams and oriental sweets are served with tea. To make the drink even more aromatic, spices are added to it: cloves, cinnamon, ginger, etc. In the traditions of the Azerbaijani people, tea is an integral part of the matchmaking ritual. If the bride's parents serve tea with added sugar, this means the bride and parents agree to the wedding. And if tea with sugar is served separately, then it’s too early to think about the wedding.

List of the most popular and delicious Azerbaijani dishes

Among the large number of traditional Azerbaijani dishes, it is difficult to identify just a few of the best: each dish bears the unique character of the region. They are tasty and healthy, because they add a lot of juicy greens and fruits. But among this diversity, there are dishes that have long become known outside their country.

For most Russian people, traditional Azerbaijani cuisine is associated with pilaf. Indeed, this dish is an integral part of the national cuisine. There are about 200 recipes for this dish in Azerbaijan. It is believed that the most delicious pilaf is prepared in this country.

The dish really turns out very tasty, no matter what recipe it is prepared according to. But there is one common distinctive feature that is characteristic of all recipes for preparing pilaf: the rice base and the filling for it are prepared separately from each other. And only during meals are all the ingredients mixed.

Rice porridge is prepared separately in a copper or cast iron cauldron in butter, sometimes fat tail fat is used for this. The rice should be crumbly. In another container they prepare gharou - a mixture of pieces of lamb, vegetables, fruits and spices. The Azerbaijani pilaf recipe involves not only preparing rice and filling, but also kazmag - a thin flatbread made from unleavened dough. The dough is prepared as for regular noodles.

This dish is even served in an unusual way: the finished rice is sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and covered with triangular pieces of kazmag, and the garu is served in a separate container. This pilaf is consumed with the national drink – sherbet.

National dishes include shah-pilaf, which is prepared according to a special recipe. Pilaf is prepared in a special container designed specifically for it. Most often, a metal cauldron plays this role. An important feature of this pilaf is careful adherence to the sequence of laying out the ingredients. First, lavash or kazmag is laid out, then the filling is placed inside, and the lavash is covered on top. Everything is baked together in the oven until golden brown, essentially creating a pie with rice and meat filling.

Azerbaijani-style pilaf is prepared from a variety of products. A lot of herbs, dried fruits, and nuts are added to the filling. Thus, the result is a recipe for Baku pilaf made from chicken meat, vegetables and a mixture of dried fruits, which give the dish a special aroma and sweetness.

Dushbara is a dish of Azerbaijani cuisine, which is a rich broth with small dumplings richly flavored with spices and herbs. To prepare it, of course, you will have to tinker and spend a lot of time, but it is worth it.

This dish is very similar to Russian dumplings. To prepare it, minced lamb is mixed with traditional herbs and spices. The dough for “dumplings” is kneaded stiff with the addition of a small amount of salt.

A distinctive feature of this dish is that when cooking, the resulting preparations are not thrown into boiling water, but into a broth made from lamb bones. Dushbara is served hot along with broth, to which butter is added, and generously sprinkled with herbs.

All products that are used in dushbara soup are considered dietary. The calorie content of such a dish is much less than the same volume of dumplings without broth, and they are digested much faster. Fatty sauces are not served with the first course, and fluid in the body is replenished with broth. As you can see, “dyushbara” is not only a tasty dish, but also beneficial for health and figure.

This traditional dish is somewhat similar to Russian cabbage rolls, but has a number of significant differences. Firstly, instead of cabbage leaves in which the filling is wrapped, grape or quince leaves are used. Secondly, the filling for Azerbaijani dolma is prepared from completely different products.

The traditional dolma recipe uses minced lamb with the addition of clear, fluffy rice and herbs. In this case, the ingredients should not exceed the volume of minced meat. As a rule, use 1 part rice with herbs to 3 parts minced lamb.

Dolma can be safely called a “culinary monument” of common Turkic ethnic cuisine. It has become so firmly embedded in the ethnic culture of different peoples of the world that it has become a “national dish”. Only in Azerbaijani cuisine there are 381 varieties of dolma.

The Azerbaijani verb "dolamag", meaning to wrap or wrap, is directly related to the dolma of leaves in which meat is wrapped. A synonym for this verb is the word “sarymag”, therefore, depending on the region, dolma is sometimes called “sarma”. Translated from Turkic languages, “dolma” also means “filled”, and “sarma” means “wrapped”.

In Azerbaijan, dolma is mainly prepared from grape leaves. But leaves of some herbs, vegetables and fruits are used. Tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, and apples can be used as filling vegetables. Leaves of grapes, quince, hornbeam and linden trees, white and red cabbage are used. In different regions, herbs, tomatoes, dry mint, nuts, raisins, lemon juice, and various seasonings are added to the filling. The book “Karname” by Shah Ismail Khatai’s personal chef, published in 1521, describes a recipe for an unusual dolma - shish kebab made from grape leaves.

At the end of last year, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage included the Azerbaijani dolma in the prestigious list of the world heritage of mankind.

You can’t go past such a dish as dovga – a light summer soup. It is called the pearl of Azerbaijani cuisine. Although different regions of the country prepare it in their own way, the basis remains unchanged: katyk with rice, sometimes peas and a lot of greens are added. Pieces of meat or pre-boiled meatballs are added to it, then boiled. It is prepared within 20 minutes, and it is considered a special art if the base of the fermented milk product does not curl. The unique delicate taste of this soup will not leave even demanding gourmets indifferent. It is so delicious that it is even served at weddings.

Some drink dovga from large cups, others drink it from plates. Some people like this dish hot, but traditionally it is served cold. On holidays or on everyday occasions, this dish is always a welcome guest on the table.

Another original soup, which is the hallmark of Azerbaijani cuisine. It is prepared in clay pots using a unique technology. The soup is made from lamb with chickpeas, chestnuts, cherry plum and saffron. The preparation process takes a long period of time and takes place in several stages. First, vegetables are prepared: onions, peppers, eggplants, carrots, they are fried in fat tail fat, and then placed in a clay pot. Vegetables and meat are poured with liquid and cooked in the oven. At the same time, the heating of the dishes occurs evenly, which allows the soup not to boil, but to simmer slowly. Then the onions and tomatoes are fried separately. Before serving, add fried vegetables and saffron to the pots. Decorate the piti with coriander.

The soup is usually prepared in several pots in portions, but in some regions of Azerbaijan piti is prepared family style, in one pot. This dish can be found in different Caucasian cuisines, so it is not surprising that it has several types of recipes. In Soviet times, this soup was served in many famous restaurants, but chickpeas were replaced by ordinary peas, and chestnuts by potatoes, and it was in this form that several generations of Russians knew it.

Piti is prepared on holidays for guests or on weekends when the whole family gathers around the table. The process of eating piti is a whole ritual that takes place in two stages. They eat it slowly, enjoying the process and taste, so you should be patient not only while preparing the soup, but also when eating. First, the dried pita bread is placed in a bowl and poured with broth and spices. After the broth is eaten, take out the lamb and chestnuts, sprinkle them with spices and knead them so that all the aromas and tastes combine with each other.

Eating in the Caucasus is a real ritual, which is not only a way to satiate the body. For example, a traditional Azerbaijani lunch lasts 3 hours. It starts with a variety of appetizers, then moves on to fresh vegetables, and only at the end is served hot soup.

Bozbash is one of the traditional first courses of Azerbaijani cuisine. Most soups of this cuisine differ from ordinary Russian recipes for hot dishes. In Azerbaijani soups, more filling is added and a little broth is added. Thanks to this composition, the dishes are rich, satisfying and high-calorie.

Bozbash is a fairly fatty soup with many ingredients. Vegetables are used as a base: tomatoes, sweet peppers, potatoes or chestnuts, zucchini, eggplant and chickpeas. It must be said that in the traditional recipe, mint is used as a seasoning, and a sweet apple is also added to the soup, which gives the dish a special, piquant taste.

In world cuisine, soups, including bozbash, occupy a special place. The preparation of such dishes is treated with special respect and attention. Having made a choice in favor of this dish, you can be sure that it will not disappoint you.

7. Khinkal

In traditional Caucasian cuisine there are two dishes with similar names, Khinkali and Khinkal. They sound the same, but the taste and cooking method are different. Khinkali is a national Georgian dish, similar to Russian dumplings or Asian manti. Khinkal is a traditional dish of the peoples of the Middle and Northern Caucasus. Essentially these are small square pieces of dough that are boiled in a rich rich broth. Place them on a wide dish with melted butter or gatig sauce with crushed garlic. Place prepared minced meat on top of the dough, fried with tomatoes and herbs. Sometimes grape vinegar is added for spiciness, but this is up to taste.

The preparation of Azerbaijani khinkal begins with dough. It is kneaded from flour, eggs and salt, and warm water is added. The dough should be elastic and not stick to your hands. This unleavened dough is perfect for preparing other Caucasian dishes: manti, kurznish and others.

Juicy minced meat is prepared next. To do this, take lamb and beef in equal proportions, add onions and grind them in a meat grinder. Spices and herbs are added to the resulting mixture. Next, the minced meat is stewed in a frying pan along with tomatoes.

Khinkal is served in a wide, deep dish. The minced meat is topped with cinnamon and grated cheese, which gives the dish a light sour taste. Like any Azerbaijani dish, it is generously sprinkled with fresh herbs. This dish is served with sour cream or fermented milk drink in a separate plate.

Many culinary specialists consider Azerbaijani cuisine to be one of the most ancient in the world. It is distinguished by its variety, large amount of herbs, vegetables and spices used. This specificity is determined by the location of a given country.

It is impossible to imagine Azerbaijani cuisine without the dish “Lula-kebab”. It is a meat cutlet made from minced lamb, cooked over an open fire. A distinctive feature from traditional Russian cutlets is that eggs and onions are not added to the minced meat, only spices. The meat is carefully beaten, finely chopped, shaped into small cutlets and placed on a thin skewer.

Lula kebab is considered a difficult dish, and not everyone can cook it correctly on the grill. To prepare it, use a wider skewer, which is preheated in order to better bake the lula kebab from the inside. Fry it on the grill for about 5-7 minutes, constantly turning it over.

There are many recipes for making lula kebab. In essence, this is a barbecue made on coals. The composition of the minced meat can be absolutely anything, depending on the preferences of the owners. It can be made from fish, meat or vegetables. But in any case, lula kebab is served the same way: laid out on a thin homemade flatbread and generously sprinkled with herbs. You can complement the dish with fresh or grilled vegetables.

The name is very similar to the terrible poisonous snake that is found in the East Asian region. The dish does not contain the snake itself, but received its name for its external similarity. Essentially these are dumplings with patterns. It is these decorations that are similar to the pattern on the scales of a snake.

Kurza dumplings are larger than dushbara. And the main thing that distinguishes them is that they put ready-made minced meat in kurza, and raw minced meat in dushbara. This gives completely different tastes. Minced meat for kurza is stewed in fat tail fat with the addition of spices and tomato paste.

The dough is kneaded from flour, eggs and salt, then rolled out in large circles, as for dushbara. Using a mold, circles are cut into which the minced meat is placed. Then comes the moment of truth when you need to make patterns on the dough. Not every woman can boast of the ability to make designs on curze, and the dish will not be considered ready without these decorations. After sculpting, the forms should lie down for a while.

Kurza is cooked in the same way as regular dumplings. Several pieces are thrown into boiling water; there should not be many of them so as not to stick together. Then they are taken out after a few minutes, put into a large wide plate and served hot. The remaining dumplings are thrown into the boiling broth from the first portion, and so on until the required amount is prepared. They should be eaten immediately, without waiting until all the dumplings are cooked. The rich broth from kurza is an independent dish, which is also loved no less than the dumplings themselves.

In some regions, gatig, a fermented milk drink, is served together with kurza. It helps digestion, but allows the dish to cool quickly, which results in loss of juiciness. This dish is usually served during the cold season, but real Azerbaijanis also eat it in the summer.

The dish is prepared from thin, tender dough in the shape of a crescent; in appearance it is similar to chebureks, but unlike them, kutabs are cooked in a very hot frying pan without oil. And only after cooking they are greased with butter or sauces (spicy, cherry plum, pomegranate). Azerbaijanis say that this is a flatbread with a secret, which is a juicy filling. Fillings are prepared from different products: vegetables, meat, herbs and cheese. The cheese filling is prepared from a mixture of soft and hard varieties mixed with dill. For cottage cheese, take Suluguni cheese, mix it with cottage cheese and a lot of herbs.

If you liked the dish with cheese and curd filling, then try the meat one. It is prepared from different types of meat, mainly lamb, to which spices and herbs add pungency and piquancy. For dessert, you can try kutab stuffed with pumpkin and walnuts. Don't stop at just one thing. Be sure to try several types of fillings to determine your favorite.

Each region of Azerbaijan prepares its own fillings for kutab. In the Caspian region, Jorati flatbreads stuffed with camel meat, pumpkin and cheese are famous. The pie is made small and fried over an open fire in ovens. By the way the filling is laid out in the flatbread, you can determine the region of the republic where it was prepared.

It's never too late to eat kutab. It can be consumed for breakfast or eaten in the evening, taken with you on a trip or as a snack during lunch. That is why kutab is so popular among tourists who come to Azerbaijan.

This dish is widespread in the cuisines of most Turkic peoples. It is a vegetable stew, the basis of which is: eggplant, tomatoes, sweet peppers, garlic and onions, and vegetable oil is used for dressing.

Translated from the Turkic language, the name sounds like “how beautiful you are.” For Europeans, this dish is more familiar as “vegetable sauté”, but in this form eggplants are not a mandatory ingredient, while in Ajapsandal they are the basis. Sometimes potatoes are added to it, but this is optional. This dish is tasty and healthy, served hot.

There are many varieties of this dish. Vegetables can be stewed, fried in a high-sided frying pan, cooked over coals or baked. The pleasant aroma remains unchanged, which evokes the sensations of mountain rivers, green pastures with a flock of sheep. And this is very correct, because initially this dish was prepared by shepherds who grazed their flocks high in the mountains. Adjapsandal is considered a dietary dish that is perfect for those who are watching their figure. This dish will be appreciated by everyone who tries it at least once.

12. Jyz byz

Jyz byz is a dish of shepherds. Ease of preparation, fresh ingredients, healthy qualities and extraordinary taste have made this dish very popular not only in Azerbaijan, but also in other Caucasian cuisines.

In Azerbaijan, it is not customary to throw away any parts of lamb meat. Thus, the popular traditional dish jiz-byz is prepared from processed young sheep intestines with fried potatoes; you can also add onions and tomatoes. Lamb kidneys, heart, and liver are also added to the dish. For pre-frying of these products, fat tail fat is necessarily used. The finished dish is served in sumy, generously seasoned with herbs. It is worth warning those who are on a diet that this dish is not for them. Since it is very high in calories, filling and tasty.

In traditional Azerbaijani cuisine, most hot dishes and soups are prepared from lamb meat, and only a few recipes are based on beef or veal broth. Khash is one of these dishes. Despite the fact that this dish is served hot, it is usually eaten for breakfast.

Khash is prepared from a broth made from beef tripe; in some regions of the country, beef heads and tails are added to it. The peculiarity of the soup is that, unlike most Azerbaijani dishes, no spices or herbs are added to it. When serving, herbs and greens are served in a separate container, but only for guests. Locals eat khash without spices.

This dish is mainly eaten in winter to allow the body to get the necessary energy reserves and keep warm. Housewives serve the soup with small pieces of white bread, white radish and hard cheeses. Thin lavash or bread is crumbled into the khash until it completely absorbs the broth. They eat it with a spoon or with their hands. The only alcohol that is served with this dish is vodka, with which they make toasts and good morning wishes.

Khash is not only a satisfying dish, but also very healthy. For example, gelatin and garlic contained in the soup help with diseases of the musculoskeletal system, strengthen the immune system, and preserve the youth and beauty of the skin.

14. Azerbaijani Saj

Saj is one of the most delicious dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine. The name of the dish comes from the container in which it is prepared. Saj is a large frying pan with a concave bottom, which is designed for cooking over an open fire. In Azerbaijan, it is used on both sides: on the convex side it is convenient to prepare traditional lavash, on the other - meat, fish and vegetables. The saj dish itself is cooked inside a frying pan over an open fire.

What is it like? In general, everything is simple and tasty. Meat and vegetables are cooked in a frying pan. The meat, of course, is lamb, sometimes beef or chicken. For a side dish, take a mixture of vegetables from potatoes, eggplants, sweet peppers, tomatoes and onions, all seasoned with spices and a variety of fresh herbs.

First the meat is cooked. Fry it in oil or fat tail fat, then add vegetables. Vegetables produce juice that mixes with fat and meat. Thus, the products exchange aromas and tastes, and the result is an incredibly tender stew with meat that literally melts in your mouth.

The dish is served directly in the pan in which it was cooked. In this case, they place it not on the table plane, but on a small frying pan, which heats the dish. Saj is best eaten with a large group. It is generally accepted that as long as you communicate with friends, saj will never cool down.

As can be seen and said, Azerbaijani cuisine is distinguished by a wide variety of tasty and healthy dishes. Each of them carries national features and a unique range of tastes of this Caucasian region. Azerbaijanis have managed to preserve many original recipes for dishes that have been passed down for centuries from their great-grandfathers who lived on this land. All this made it possible to preserve and diversify the range of dishes of national cuisine, which convey a unique national flavor. This is what unique Azerbaijani cuisine is like.

Baklava has become the number one gastronomic sweet in Azerbaijan. It is always present on the table on the great Muslim holiday of Novruz Bayram. It is also served to guests on holidays. Baklava has been prepared in Azerbaijan since time immemorial. In the beginning, it was served only for the celebration of Novruz. Baklava had a ritual meaning, symbolizing a tongue of flame.

Over the years, many more traditions related to baklava have emerged. For example, elders, going to woo a girl, carried 21 baklava with them to the house of their chosen one along with other delicacies, and for the engagement they increased the number to 101.

Classic Baku baklava is made from 12 layers of thin dough. It is believed that the name of the dish comes from the word “okhlov”, which means rolling pin. The thickness of the dough should not exceed 0.5 cm. The basis for baklava is yeast dough, grated nuts, saffron and sugar. Baklava is a multi-layer pie with a sweet filling. According to culinary history, this dish initially had only three layers, but then their number reached 12.

To prepare this sweetness, roll out a large layer of dough, sprinkle generously with nuts and sugar, then cover this with another thin layer of dough, greased with butter, and so on up to 12 times. The last layer is brushed with yolk for a golden brown crust. After all the steps, the workpiece is sent to the oven for 30 minutes. When the sweet pie has cooled, it is cut into diamond shapes and decorated with a whole nut. The diamond-shaped shape of baklava comes from ancient times, where the diamond symbolizes femininity, kindness, family, and correctness.

Every housewife in Azerbaijan has a family recipe for making baklava. In addition, each region prepares baklava differently; for example, Ganja baklava is baked over coals in a special copper pan. Guba and Sheki are prepared from rice flour. In general, preparing baklava is a long and labor-intensive process, but the delicate sweet taste of this sweetness is worth the effort.

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The Novruz holiday is approaching, which is loved from young to old in Azerbaijan. Housewives greet spring with the most delicious national sweets, and preparations for the holiday begin several weeks in advance.

As Day.Az reports, “Moscow-Baku” decided to compile a list of the most popular recipes for flour products that will certainly appear on every holiday table. In fact, preparing them is not that difficult, the main thing is to believe in your culinary abilities.

Shakerbura
This delicious delicacy is made from yeast dough filled with hazelnuts and sugar. The name comes from the Turkic “Sheker-borek”, which means “sweet pie”. The shape of the shakerbura resembles the moon and is decorated with a pattern in the form of ears of wheat using a special “maggash” tool.

Recipe:
1 kg of hazelnuts and granulated sugar, 2 kg of flour, 10 eggs, 800 g of sour cream, 750 g of butter, 1 glass of milk, 10 g of yeast, 8-10 pieces of cardamom.

Soak yeast in 1/3 cup milk, add 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of granulated sugar into the flour, then add the remaining milk and softened butter. Knead the dough and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes. Grind nuts and cardamom, mix with granulated sugar. Make round cakes from the dough the size of a tea saucer, put the filling in them, make a curly seam, decorate the top with patterns, bake at 180°C for 30-40 minutes.

Baklava
The name of baklava is associated with its appearance - rhombuses, symbols of fire, which are called “bakhla” on Azerbaijani carpet patterns. Baklava is prepared in each region of Azerbaijan according to its own recipe and therefore there are various versions of it: Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Sheki, Guba, etc. In addition, baklava has different fillings - walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and peanuts.

Recipe:
1.5 kg of nuts and granulated sugar, 500 g of butter, 2 eggs, 800 g of flour,
2 g saffron, 600 g water.

Knead the dough from flour, eggs and butter, divide into 10 parts. Grind the nuts and mix with granulated sugar, divide the filling into 7 parts. Roll out one part of the dough into a thin layer, spread it over the entire bottom of the baking sheet, grease with oil, add a layer of nuts and repeat. Cut the compacted baklava into diamonds. Brush the entire surface with saffron infusion and press half a nut into the middle of each. Bake in the oven at 180°C for an hour. Prepare syrup from granulated sugar and water, boil it and immediately pour it over the finished baklava.

Shor gogal
Shor gogal is a round, bright yellow bun that resembles the sun. Gogal is baked with a savory filling consisting of various oriental spices. This salty, crumbly pastry is traditionally eaten with sweet tea.

Recipe:
Dough - 1.5 kg flour, 30 g yeast, 500 g milk, 100 g butter, 6 eggs, salt to taste. Filling - 500 g flour, 1 teaspoon each of anise, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric and salt, 3 tablespoons of ghee. Separately - 1 kg of butter, 1 egg and 100 g of poppy seeds or caraway seeds.

Make a dough (dissolve yeast in warm milk and add flour), place in a warm place. As soon as the dough increases in size, add butter and the remaining flour. Mix well until smooth and place in a warm place for another hour. For the filling, crush the spices and add butter. Divide the risen dough into 10 parts, roll out each part thinly, generously grease with melted butter, and place on top of each other. Cut the multi-layer dough into strips 6-7 cm wide, then divide into parts of 10 cm. Twist each part into a spiral, flatten on both sides, make a funnel in the center, put 1 teaspoon of filling, seal the funnel, flatten again into a flat cake the size of your palm , brush with beaten egg and bake at 180°C for 30-40 minutes.

Mutaki
These cookies are shaped like regular bagels, but have a very special taste. It's all about the combination of a unique crumbly dough with oriental filling. By the way, in Baku these tubes are prepared with nut filling, and in Shamakhi - with apricot jam.

Recipe:
Dough - 500 g flour, 100 g butter, 2 eggs, 200 g milk, 10 g yeast. Filling - 200 g ground walnuts and 1 glass of sugar or apricot jam.

Dissolve the yeast in warm milk, beat in the egg, add salt, sugar, melted butter and mix. Add sifted flour to the mixture in parts and knead the dough. Cover the dough and place in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours. Prepare the filling: mix crushed nuts, sugar and cardamom or take apricot jam. Divide the risen dough into 4 parts, roll it out, cut it into squares, add the filling, and wrap it in the form of a roll. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes.

Kurabye Baku
"Kurabiye Bakinskoye" was a popular cookie in the USSR, and its recipe has remained almost unchanged since then. The main thing when baking cookies is not to overcook them in the oven, they will be dry. The correct kurabye is golden yellow in color.

Recipe:
2 cups flour, 200 g butter, 1 egg white, powdered sugar, apricot jam.

Beat softened butter with powdered sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy. Add protein, mix, add flour and knead into a homogeneous dough. Place the dough in a depositing bag and squeeze the cookies onto the baking sheet through a serrated tube. Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes at 200°C. When the cookies have cooled, put some jam in the middle.

Badambura
Badambura resembles a pie with nuts, but in a very beautiful puff shape, sprinkled with powdered sugar. This is a very delicate, soft pastry, with a nutty taste and an unforgettable note of cardamom.

Recipe:
Dough - 150 g butter, 1 glass of milk, half a tablespoon of yeast, 4 glasses of flour. Filling - 300 g chopped almonds, 250 g sugar.

Beat the yolks with a pinch of salt, add butter, yeast diluted in warm milk, flour and knead the dough. Send to a warm place for 30 minutes. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling: grind almonds with sugar and stir. Divide the dough into 10-12 equal parts, roll them into a thin layer, grease each of them with softened butter and stack them on top of each other. Roll into a roll and cut into pieces 3 cm thick. Press each piece with your fingers - you get something like a bowl. Place the filling in the cavity and pinch the edges well. Bake in the oven at 170°C for 25 minutes. Sprinkle the cooled badambura with powdered sugar.

Kyata Baku
Azerbaijani cuisine has several types of kyata, among them the most popular are Baku, Karabakh and Nakhchivan. They differ in their preparation recipe, shapes and soft filling that literally melts in your mouth.

Recipe:
Dough - 3 cups flour, 1 egg, 1 cup sour cream, 150 g butter, 1 tsp. yeast. Filling - 1 cup sugar, 0.5 cups flour and 100 g butter.

Knead the dough, cover it with cling film and leave it in the refrigerator for half an hour. During this time we prepare the filling. Grate the butter from the freezer, add flour and sugar here. Grind the mass into crumbs. Divide the dough into 3 parts, roll each into a layer onto which we spread the filling. Carefully roll it up and cut it into portions. Place everything on a baking sheet and brush the top of the kyata with yolk. Prepare in an oven preheated to 180°C for 30 minutes.

Sheker cherek
Sheker churek cookies occupy one of the honorable places in Azerbaijani cuisine. Easy to prepare, very tasty and tender cookies you just can’t help but like. Despite the fact that sheker churek translated from Azerbaijani means “sweet bread”, it is not bread at all, but a very tasty, crumbly cookie with the aroma of melted butter and very easy to prepare.

Recipe:
1 cup butter and sugar, 2 eggs, 4 cups flour.

Mix granulated sugar with lukewarm melted butter, add eggs, gradually add flour. Roll the dough into small balls, place them on a baking sheet, and press down slightly on top. Make a small depression in the middle of each cookie and brush it with yolk. The sheker churek is baked in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cookies "Fruits of Azerbaijan"
These are probably the most colorful cookies baked by Azerbaijani housewives. They are prepared in the form of apples, pears, and peaches, each “fruit” being colored yellow-red with natural dyes.

Recipe:
5 cups flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 4 eggs, 200 g sour cream and butter, 1 tsp. soda For decoration - cloves, saffron, beets and granulated sugar.

Eggs are beaten with sugar and butter is added, while soda is mixed with sour cream and added to the whipped mass. Then add flour in small portions and mix the whole mass. The dough is made into round and egg-shaped balls of different sizes and baked at a temperature of 190-210°C for 10 minutes. Hot cookies are glued together in pairs using beaten egg whites, and the top is colored with saffron infusion (peaches and apricots), beet juice (plums and peaches) and breaded in granulated sugar. To form pear sepals, stick one clove at a time into the dough before baking. Pears are colored on one side with saffron infusion, and on the other with beet juice and breaded in granulated sugar.

Koke Nakhchivan
Keke is a delicious pie that is prepared for Novruz Bayram in Nakhchivan. It is not sweet at all, the filling looks like meat, but in fact it is onions prepared using a special technology.

Recipe:
Dough - 1 kg flour, 350 g butter, 2 eggs, 2 tsp. yeast and granulated sugar, 1.5 cups of milk, salt. Filling - 450 g walnuts, 2 onions, salt, pepper, turmeric.

Mix half a glass of warm milk with sugar and yeast, after 15 minutes add melted butter, eggs, remaining milk and flour. Knead the dough and leave it for 2 hours in a warm place. Meanwhile, prepare the filling - fry the onion in butter until golden brown, add turmeric, pepper, salt and nuts. Form the dough into 50 flatbreads, roll out, add filling to each and wrap in the shape of a Shakerbura. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes.

Azerbaijani cuisine is considered one of the most ancient in the world. The cuisine of Azerbaijan, which has quite a lot of traditions common to all Caucasian peoples, at the same time combines some features that give it a unique flavor.

Features of Azerbaijani cuisine

• Despite the abundance of different types of meat available, Azerbaijanis prefer to use lamb for preparing main dishes (for example, pilaf).
• The favorable sunny climate of Azerbaijan is also reflected in the cuisine of local peoples: vegetables, fruits and berries (pears, plums, cherry plums, eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, quinces, citrus fruits) are widely used in preparing dishes.
• The originality of Azerbaijani cuisine is in the types of utensils used by local people: pitishniki, cauldrons, saja frying pan, kassa cups and others.
• Azerbaijani dishes have a spicy, pungent taste, and their delicacies are truly sweet.
• Among the traditional recipes of Azerbaijani cuisine you will not find dishes with pork or recipes for alcoholic drinks, since the cuisine of this country is largely influenced by Islam.

Popular Azerbaijani dishes

It is impossible to talk about the cuisine of Azerbaijan without mentioning its famous pilaf. It is believed that the Azerbaijanis cook pilaf best in the Caucasus. They usually use lamb, but variations with beef and even fish are possible. Azerbaijani pilaf is flavored with a mixture of spices from saffron, cloves, cinnamon, cilantro and ground peppers. According to ancient Azerbaijani traditions, the rice part of the pilaf is served separately from the meat filling and herbs.

The second most popular Azerbaijani dish is rightfully considered lula kebab- minced meat cutlets, strung on thin wooden skewers and cooked over an open fire. Also, Azerbaijanis cannot imagine a summer feast without barbecue - they are real masters in preparing various marinades.

While in Azerbaijan, it is worth trying another traditional dish - dolma. This is a kind of analogue of Russian cabbage rolls, only smaller in size. The filling can be meat, fish or vegetable, and instead of cabbage leaves, grape or quince leaves are used.

A significant part of Azerbaijani national dishes is sweets and desserts, which can be divided into three groups depending on the method of preparation: dough products, caramel treats and candies. To enrich the taste of desserts, Azerbaijani chefs use sesame, cardamom, ginger, various types of nuts, and poppy seeds. The most popular Azerbaijani sweet is baklava, which is made from dough, honey, sugar, caramel and nuts.

Many Asian and Caucasian cuisines have in their arsenal such a delicacy as sherbet. In Azerbaijan, this is not the name for a sweet, but a soft drink based on berries and fruits with added sugar, which is usually served with pilaf and other main dishes. Another popular national drink of Azerbaijan is doshab, which is similar to sweet fruit puree.

The main drink in Azerbaijan is black tea. It is brewed strongly and then drunk from special small pear-shaped jugs called “ormud”.

People in Azerbaijan love and know how to cook, and therefore, to receive guests. Azerbaijanis love long feasts, during which they can try many traditional dishes. If you are lucky enough to visit Azerbaijan, do not look for a cafe where to have a snack - better go visit the locals: only after tasting home-cooked dishes will you be able to truly appreciate the culinary traditions of this country.