What are the national dishes of Azerbaijanis. Azerbaijani cuisine, dishes, recipes, history

It has much in common with the cuisines of the peoples of Transcaucasia. This includes a tandoor oven, utensils and household items, and many taste preferences. But she surpassed them in one thing: over the years of her formation, under the influence of religious traditions and her own cultural customs and customs of neighboring countries, she formed her own unique culinary specialties which have been appreciated by the whole world.

Story

Azerbaijan is an ancient country with a rich history and no less rich cuisine. The latter just displayed all the stages of development that the Azerbaijani people went through. Judge for yourself: today most of his dishes have Turkic names. But in their cooking technology and palatability Iranian notes are guessed. Why did it happen? It's all about the history of this country.

In the III - IV century. BC e. it was conquered by the Sassanids. It was they who subsequently founded Iran and influenced the process of development and formation of Azerbaijan itself. And let in the VIII century. followed by the Arab conquest with the penetration of Islam into the lives of local residents, and in the XI - XII centuries. both the Turkish attack and the Mongol invasion, this had practically no effect on the established Iranian traditions that are still traced in Azerbaijani culture. Moreover, in the XVI - XVIII centuries. he himself returned to Iran, and after a hundred years he completely disintegrated into small principalities - khanates. This is what allowed them to subsequently form their own regional traditions, which are still preserved in Azerbaijani cuisine.

Distinctive features

• The basis of the diet in Azerbaijan is mutton, and, if possible, they always prefer young lambs, although occasionally they can afford both veal and game, such as pheasant, quail, partridge. Love to young meat rather due to the favorite way of its preparation - on open fire. It is always supplemented with sourness - cherry plum, dogwood, pomegranate.
• Widespread use of fish, unlike other cuisines of Transcaucasia. Preference is most often given to red. Cook it on the grill, on the grill or on steam bath with the addition of nuts and fruits.
• Genuine love for fruits, vegetables and spicy greens. Moreover, they are eaten raw, boiled or fried as part of any dish in which they account for at least half of the serving. True, local residents traditionally give preference to above-ground vegetables, such as: asparagus, cabbage, beans, artichokes, peas. The rest are rarely prepared. To enhance the taste of fried dishes, they add leeks and green onions, dill, garlic, lemon balm, nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.)
• The use of chestnuts in the cooking process. It's hard to believe, but before the appearance of potatoes in local cuisine hostesses widely used chestnuts. Moreover, they fell in love with their taste so much that even today some classic meat seasonings are inconceivable without them. This mountain(unripe grapes) sumac(barberry), abgora(grape juice after fermentation), bunk(pomegranate and pomegranate juice).
• Moderate salt intake. It is customary to serve meat here unsalted, since it is not salt that gives it an amazing taste, but the sourness of cherry plum, dogwood or pomegranate.
• Favorite spice is saffron, however, as in ancient Persia and Media.
• Extensive use of rose petals. This feature is called a highlight. Azerbaijani cuisine that sets her apart from the rest. Rose petals are used to make jam, sherbet, syrup.

A feature of Azerbaijani cuisine is the combination of unleavened products (rice, chestnut) with dairy and sour.

Basic cooking methods:

About national Azerbaijani dishes you can talk endlessly. And although in fact many of them coincide with dishes of other cuisines, in fact, the process of their preparation is significantly different. Judge for yourself:

Azerbaijani national pilaf. Its highlight is in its features. The fact is that rice is prepared for it and served separately from other ingredients. Subsequently, they are not mixed even during meals, and its quality is judged by the quality of rice preparation. Ideally, it should not stick together or boil soft.

Ovduh - okroshka.

Lula kebab - fried minced meat sausages served on pita bread.

Dushbara. In fact, these are Azerbaijani dumplings. Their highlight is that they are cooked and served in bone broth.

Kutaby with meat - fried pies.

Dzhyz-byz is a dish of lamb offal with potatoes and herbs, served with sumac.

Piti - lamb soup, potatoes, chickpeas.

Shila - a dish of chicken meat and rice.

Kyufta - stuffed meatballs.

Shaker-churek is a round cookie made from melted butter, eggs and sugar.

The cuisine of Azerbaijan is famous for its high nutritional and taste qualities. Many restaurants around the world serve such dishes as dovga (sour-milk soup with herbs), kyufta-bozbash (broth with meatballs), piti soup, and, of course, kebab and pilaf.

Features of Azerbaijani cuisine

Pilaf is a traditional holiday dish among Azerbaijanis. It is made from rice and can be served with meat, fish, vegetables and even fruits. A variety of seasonings and spices are widespread in Azerbaijani cuisine: cloves, cinnamon, parsley, basil, vazari, saffron, cilantro and others.

Very popular with tourists and travelers around the world are Azerbaijani barbecue and other dishes in tandir. Usage lamb V various dishes- a distinctive feature of the cuisine of this people. Beef, fish or poultry are used by Azerbaijanis to a much lesser extent.

In the cuisine of Azerbaijan, you cannot find pork dishes or drinks containing alcohol. This is due to the influence of Islam on the cuisine of this country. Another one distinguishing feature — unique aroma And spicy taste dishes.

Some dishes in Azerbaijan are usually cooked in special dishes. For example, pilaf is usually cooked in a cauldron, piti soup - in a pit. For cooking Lula kebab uses different skewers.

This unique taste of Azerbaijani pilaf…

Pilaf is one of the most famous dishes national cuisine of Azerbaijan. This dish is presented in several varieties:

• kaurma - pilaf with lamb;

• tyarchilo - with chicken or hen;

• tursu govurma - with lamb meat and sour fruits;

• fisinjan - with game, sour fruits, nuts and cinnamon.

Unlike others Eastern options, Azerbaijani plov suggests separate preparation G ara (meat component) and cereal part. Experts say that this option is more ancient than the others.

• Gara is usually prepared using fruits - cherry plums, plums, pomegranates.
• For rice, one of four cooking options is usually chosen, the most exotic of which is cooking on a ghazmag.
• Gazmag is a flatbread made of unleavened dough, it is lined with the bottom of the dishes in which pilaf is cooked.
• No option is complete without the use of fats. As a rule, it is melted or butter.

Gara and rice are cooked separately, and only when served are combined, but not mixed. In this version, it is customary to serve pilaf spices(tarragon, basil or green onion), as well as gasmag. Usually such pilaf is washed down with cool, sour sherbet. Moreover, unlike other options Asian pilaf, this one is served not hot, but slightly warm, the main thing is that the oil does not freeze.

This dish is very popular in Azerbaijan, there is even a saying: "If I am destined to die, let my death come from pilaf."

Without dessert - nowhere!

National cuisine Azerbaijan suggests a large number of sweet food and all kinds of desserts. Sweets are usually divided into three groups: floury, candy-like and caramel-like. As a rule, they all contain many spices and various additives: poppy, almond, sesame, nuts, ginger, vanillin and others.

National flour sweets there are more than thirty titles. Most Popular - baklava, shekerbura, kurabye, mutaki.

In the spring of 2009, Ganja confectioners prepared a wonderful baklava in honor of the Novruz holiday. The length of the product was 12 meters, the width was 4 meters, and the weight of the sweet was almost 3 tons. Thus, the Azerbaijani baklava set a record and entered the CIS Book of Records.

deserve special attention. Unlike Central Asian dishes with such a name (which represent a sweet dish), here it is a soft drink with a sour taste, which is usually washed down with pilaf. In addition to berry and fruit juices, sherbet is based on infusions of various buds or seeds.

Every tourist should try this

Traditional Azerbaijani the first dish - kelle-pacha - is prepared from lamb's head and legs. The name of the liquid hot soup is translated from Turkish: "kelle" - head, "pacha" - legs. Processed lamb legs, the head and the scar should be washed well and put to boil on medium fire. Cook these ingredients for 6-7 hours, periodically removing the foam. Then the meat must be removed, large bones are separated, the flesh is cut into small pieces and again send to cook in the same broth. When serving with a dish, it is recommended to serve crushed garlic and vinegar separately. Some soup options involve adding tomato paste and olive oil.

Dolma is a kind of Russian cabbage rolls, only the leaves are used not cabbage, but grape. In some regions of Azerbaijan, culinary specialists also use the leaves of quince, figs and other trees that grow here. In the process of cooking, these leaves turn into an appetizing, tender and crispy crust. Stuffing for dolma, except for meat and vegetable mince, can serve fish and even fruits. It is customary to serve sour-milk drinks with or without the addition of garlic to all types of dolma, except for fish.

Doshab

Of the drinks in Azerbaijan, doshab enjoys special honor - concentrated, boiled fruit juice . It can be made from mulberry, apricot or grape juice no added sugar. The consistency of the doshab resembles thick sauce. It is used as a seasoning for meat dishes, salads, and is also used for medicinal purposes.

Azerbaijani cuisine can be found in many restaurants around the world. Be sure to try some traditional national delicacy and you will immediately feel the unique aroma of the East. It is not surprising that there are so many admirers of Azerbaijani dishes among gourmets.

I don’t even know where to start the story about the month I spent in Azerbaijan. The scenery is simply magnificent, the cities are charming, and the people are insanely friendly. The holiday was full of adventures, and everything was not at all what I expected. So where would you start?

I'm still a little confused and trying to digest everything. (Process photos, damn it, I took more than 2000 photos)

So, I’ll start, perhaps, with this ... when I found out that I was going to, I was haunted by only one question: “I wonder what kind of cuisine is there?”:

Food in Azerbaijan

Instead of jumping right into the top 5 dishes I've tried, as I usually do, today I'm going to take a little digression.

First of all, I must say that I was in Azerbaijan for work.

And when I didn't eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel buffet, I used to dine at the stadium, which meant eating a tiny muffin and drinking a bottle of water, if I was lucky I could have a beetroot salad and cold pizza. (But I'm not complaining by any means: many sporting events don't provide free food for the media at all - in London they charged £1.05 for a bottle of water. I was grateful for the free snacks).

I want to say that my understanding of Azerbaijani cuisine is limited. However, I did manage to try a few dishes outside the hotel and get a glimpse of Azerbaijani culture in the process.

What is Azerbaijani cuisine like?

If I were asked to describe Azerbaijani food in four words, I would say: pickles, herbs, lamb and sodium.

Each meal begins with a plate of appetizers, which are eaten with warm naan-like flatbread. Appetizer includes: fresh herbs, cheeses, olives, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and assorted pickles: pickled onions, pickled cabbage, pickled olives. At one restaurant, I even tried pickled mushrooms (It's a little funny that what I call pickled, they call white cucumber).

Herbs are highly valued here; sometimes they bring a whole plate with only herbs. They smell wonderful.

At least one of the main dishes comes with lamb meat. Even those dishes that do not contain it contain a large amount of sodium, which I have never tried before.

I don't like to complain about food. I can't stand doing it and I can't stand those who do it. But I admit that after a month in Azerbaijan, I needed a sodium break (And this happened to me, a man who repeatedly sat down to watch movies with a can of pickles and destroyed it at a time).

Dinner was usually accompanied by tea, an important part of Azerbaijani culture, and something else that I will definitely write more about in another post.

So, now that you have an idea (or at least MY idea) about Azerbaijani cuisine, we can move on to the top 5 dishes I tried in Azerbaijan.

5 best dishes I tried in Azerbaijan

Drink soup from Sheki

Petey. God, drink! Undoubtedly, this is the best thing I have eaten in Azerbaijan. Piti is a soup that is cooked in an individual clay pot, which you 'disassemble' before eating. First, break the pieces of bread and throw them into the pot. Then slowly tilt the pot of piti so that the broth floods the bread; then add the rest of the ingredients to finish cooking the dish - do each step very quickly and you'll be splashed with hot soup :).
The recipe itself is simple: lamb, chickpeas, chestnuts and potatoes. But as a result, you get a hearty and fragrant soup, one of the most fragrant soups in my life - most likely thanks to big portion cooked fat.

Badambura in Baku

Badambura is a well-known Azerbaijani pie. It comes in various forms, with fillings of sugar, cinnamon and finely chopped nuts. I first tried it in the tournament accreditation center. While waiting for my accreditation to be printed, I casually mentioned that I was hungry. The center volunteers immediately took badambur and juice from personal lunch bags and insisted that I eat. I don't know because of the hunger or their kindness, but no badambura was as magnificent as that first one.

Black tea and cherry jam in Baku

As with all the dishes on this list, this tea has a history that makes it unforgettable. But the tea itself was fantastic, which is not surprising, since tea occupies a huge place in Everyday life Azerbaijani; on the streets I often saw men playing board games and sipping black tea from small mugs beautiful shape. There is even a special tradition - to drink it with jam, but I will talk about this in another post.

Sheki halva

We went to Sheki for one day, so the stop at the local sweet shop was no more than five minutes. But even in those few minutes, I saw just how popular this guy's halva was: the tiny shop was filled with locals pushing each other in hopes of buying the latest halva. The boxes disappeared as soon as some person filled them with freshly cut sweets.

By the way, halva is a dessert made from crushed nuts lying between layers of the thinnest fried dough with honey oozing from it - specialty of the house Sheki, so I think we bought the best of the best.

Fish of the Caspian Sea and smoked cheese in the city of Gabala

The fish was not so appetizing, perhaps due to the fact that I had to remove the heads first, then, when I greedily devoured small bodies, I had to remember about the bones.

And again, these dishes - memories of one night - I drank along with local Azerbaijanis who did not know Russian except for "Vodka!" - which is why I put this salty snack on my list (the salt content in it is above the norm, which I need to cope with vodka).

Azerbaijanis love and know how to cook deliciously, but strict religious norms dictate to Muslims certain restrictions. Islam left an imprint on National dishes Azerbaijan. Recipes, for example, suggest any meat other than pork.

Azerbaijani cuisine

A characteristic feature of Azerbaijani cuisine, unlike Russian, is that here in every kitchen there is always a strong aroma of spices. Azerbaijan is usually supplemented with a generous set of spices. fragrant herbs are used in large quantities. These are such well-known plants as basil, mint, dill, parsley, as well as sumac, saffron, cumin, fennel, different kinds pepper, cinnamon, cloves and many others.

The national dishes of Azerbaijan include all kinds of vegetables and fruits. Even in soups and hot meat snacks add fresh and dried cherry plums, grapes, figs, apples, apricots, plums, barberries, pomegranates, citrus fruits, etc.

Azerbaijani chefs know a lot about making desserts. Various dried fruit and nuts are crushed, and together with cinnamon, honey, saffron and mint they improve the taste of original sweets - nougat, Turkish delight, firni, baklava, kurabye, halva. They are also used for stuffing shor-kogal, shakerbura, zeyran, mutaki, kyata and many other sweet products made from dough and without it.

For cooking, housewives take special containers - cauldrons, pits, saji, tandoors and others, but this is not a mandatory requirement, they are just very convenient and, as a rule, have thick walls and special cavities for hot coals or electric heaters.

Baku pilaf

Azerbaijani pilaf with dried fruits and meat - complex dish, which is prepared in several stages.

Rice is cooked separately - 1 kg of cereal should be poured into a cauldron with big amount cold water and put on fire. When it boils, add 2 tbsp. spoons of salt. Boil the rice until half cooked, then rinse hot water and throw it in a colander.

5-6 tablespoons are poured into the bottom of the cauldron ghee, a cake is placed on the oil, and prepared rice is poured onto it. Half a glass of saffron infusion is added, covered with a lid and simmered over low heat for about an hour.

Nar guvruma is prepared separately - this is usually lamb, but chicken can also be used. For the dish, you need to cut 1 kg of meat into pieces, salt, pepper, sprinkle with zira and put in a roasting pan with melted butter. Fry over high heat. At the end, add two heads of finely chopped onions and dried fruits (apricots, figs, prunes, sultanas and barberries). Stir and pour hot water and half a glass of saffron infusion. Simmer until meat is cooked.

During the table setting, lay out the rice with the Gazmakh broken into pieces on big dish, beautifully distribute Nar guvruma and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Azerbaijani pilaf with dried fruits and meat can also be made in a slow cooker. In this case, the cooking time will be significantly reduced.

Dish of lamb giblets

This dish is called jiz-byz. It uses the intestines, heart, lungs, testicles, kidneys, liver and fat tail fat young sheep, as well as 2 onions, potatoes and spices (pepper, sumac, zira, salt).

Jiz-byz, like many national dishes of Azerbaijan, is cooked in a special cauldron.

In a cauldron, it is melted, washed and cut into small pieces of offal, spices and chopped onions are placed in it. Everything is fried over high heat, then potatoes are placed in a cauldron and hot water is added. Everything is stewed for about 40 minutes. Served sprinkled with cilantro, basil, dill and other herbs.

Hamrashi soup

Azerbaijani hamrashi soup is prepared just before serving, as noodles are added to it, which loses their taste from a long stay in the broth. As for the beans, it is better to cook them in advance or soak them overnight.

The national dishes of Azerbaijan are often prepared from young lamb with the addition of legumes. Hamrashi is no exception. For him, the meat should be scrolled through a meat grinder and combined with salt and pepper. In a pot with boiled beans add salt and spices. Bring to a boil, form large meatballs from minced meat, put them in a saucepan and leave to cook.

cook unleavened dough from flour and water, roll into a very thin layer and cut into small strips. Send the resulting noodles to the pan with beans and meatballs. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.

Serve sprinkled generously with chopped cilantro, basil, mint, coriander and parsley.

Azerbaijani okroshka ovdukh

Okroshka in Azerbaijani is made not on kvass, but on fermented milk drink yogurt. The composition of the ovdukh includes boiled eggs, fresh cucumbers, green onion, cilantro, dill and garlic, mashed with salt. All listed components you need to cut, put in a plate and pour matsoni. The ingredients are combined just before serving, and before that they are stored separately in the refrigerator.

Sometimes pieces of boiled lean beef are added to the okroshka.

Chagyrtma

The national dishes of Azerbaijan rarely leave anyone indifferent. This also applies to chagyrtma. The composition of the tasty and nutritious food includes a lot of onions, chicken meat with bones, eggs, butter, bell pepper, fresh tomatoes, fragrant herbs and dry spices.

The chicken must be cut into small pieces, 60 grams each, salt, sprinkle with spices, pour a small amount grape vinegar and leave to marinate.

Dip 1 kg of tomatoes in boiling water and peel.

Finely chop one to one and a half kilograms of onions, salt, add pepper, cumin, saffron infusion and simmer in a cauldron until soft, puree-like. To prevent the onion from burning, add a little hot water, but not oil.

Butter, 200 grams, mixed with onions, 45 minutes after the start of stewing.

After another 5 minutes, put the chicken pieces in the onion and simmer everything together for about 30 minutes.

Break 8-10 eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a whisk to get a homogeneous cream-colored mass. Pour it into the cauldron, stirring constantly.

Cut the tomatoes right after. small pieces and send to the cauldron. Chop the bell pepper and greens there. Bring to a boil and turn off. Serve hot on separate serving bowls.

Lula kebab

Lyulya kebab - a kind To cook it, you need to get special flat skewers.

Minced meat is traditionally made from fatty lamb, onion, cilantro, basil, parsley, salt and ground seasonings- pepper, sumac and zira.

Short thick sausages are formed from minced meat and strung on skewers, and then fried on the grill. To make the minced meat viscous, it is passed through a meat grinder twice or kneaded for a long time in an electric combine with knives. After that, the minced meat is beaten on the table and placed for 30 minutes in a cold place. Even without eggs, after such preparation, it clings very tightly to the skewer without losing its shape. Ready sausages are placed on thin lavash and eat with warm matsoni.

Lavash is made from unleavened dough consisting of flour, water and salt. So that when folding the kebab, cracks do not appear on it, it must turn out to be thin and plastic, therefore Azerbaijani lavash they are not fried in oil, but baked in a tandoor and used for kebab not immediately, but after it has settled down and become soft. Since not everyone has a tandoor, it is successfully replaced Cast-iron pan with a thick bottom.

Dolma

Dolma - very small cabbage rolls that are wrapped not in cabbage, but in grape leaves.

Minced meat is made from lamb, boiled rice, pea puree, onions, salt, pepper and cilantro, basil, parsley and celery. Rice and peas take half as much as meat. Spicy leaves are chopped very finely, and the meat, along with onions, is passed through a meat grinder. All ingredients are thoroughly mixed and put with a teaspoon on grape leaves scalded with boiling water. The leaves are wrapped and dipped in salted boiling water. Cooking time - 30-40 minutes. Dolma is eaten hot, seasoned with matsoni.

Khinkali

Khinkali in Azerbaijani - products made from unleavened dough, reminiscent of noodles, only more coarsely chopped. Nothing is added to the dough except water and wheat flour. In the cuisines of other peoples, khinkali is a cross between dumplings and manti, that is, stuffed. Khinkali in Azerbaijani - simple flat squares of dough. They are added to a variety of first and second courses. Khinkali is also served separately, with some kind of sauce, for example, garuda sauce and guimya meat.

For guilleme chopped meat stewed with spices and grape vinegar until soft.

Garoud is a sauce made from matsoni and garlic mashed with salt.

Boiled in salt water khinkali, on them - giyma, pour garuda on top and sprinkle with chopped herbs.

Kutaby

To make Azerbaijani-style kutabs with meat, you need to prepare the dough and minced meat.

The dough requires wheat flour, a little salt and water. It kneads quite cool so that it can be rolled out. thin flatbread, from which cut out circles, with a diameter of 17-19 cm. Put minced meat in the middle, fold the dough in half, like on pasties, close the edges tightly. Fry in a pan with oil.

Azerbaijani-style kutabs with meat are prepared from lamb, so they should be eaten hot, sprinkled with sour sumac. Onions, pieces of sour cakes from dried apricots and other fruits, pomegranate juice, salt and pepper are added to the minced meat.

Shaker-churek

This is a traditional sweet dish served with tea. It is very easy to prepare it. From 1 kg of wheat flour, two whipped proteins, half a kilogram of butter and the same amount of powdered sugar, you need to knead the dough and roll it into balls. Dip each ball in egg yolk and place on a baking sheet lined with Teflon paper. bake in hot oven before golden color. Put the finished balls of shaker-churek on a dish and sprinkle powdered sugar mixed with vanilla or cinnamon.

Firni

Firni is another dessert dish, very reminiscent of thick jelly or milk porridge. It is not much more difficult to make than a shaker-churek, and its unusual taste and texture will surprise those who are not familiar with Azerbaijani cuisine. Needed for firni rice flour(100 g), half a liter of milk, a tablespoon of ghee, the same amount of sugar, a little salt and ground cinnamon.

If there is no rice flour, then use the usual White rice grinding it in a coffee grinder. Pour rice flour into boiling milk in a thin stream, add sugar and salt and boil for small fire making sure it doesn't burn. At the very end, pour in the butter and mix thoroughly. Serve to guests, pouring into cups and sprinkled with cinnamon on top.

The modern well-known Azerbaijani culinary specialist Tair Amiraslanov expressed the opinion that the cuisine of Azerbaijan is one of the most diverse and ancient in the world. The national cuisine of Azerbaijanis is very diverse, there are dozens of types all kinds of dishes: meat, fish, flour, dairy, sweet, vegetable ... There are also quite a few different ways of preparing and consuming dishes. In the past, Azerbaijani national food was distinguished depending on the social status of people and geographical conditions.

The main and frequently used components of the cuisine determine the natural conditions of the country: the widespread distribution in Azerbaijan of lamb, poultry, sea (Caspian) and river fish, fruits and vegetables predetermined by the mountainous and subtropical climate. Spices, herbs, seasonings are widely used: dill, cilantro, saffron, allspice and bitter pepper, cloves, watercress (vazari), cinnamon, parsley, sumac, green and purple reyhan (or basil), mint, cumin.

Shashliks and kebabs are widespread and popular in Azerbaijani cuisine. dishes cooked in tandoor as well as sweets and drinks. Distinctive feature Azerbaijanis use lamb in cooking different dishes. Much less used poultry, beef, fish. The requirements of Islam had a significant impact on the formation of Azerbaijani cuisine, and as a result, it traditionally does not include alcoholic drinks and pork dishes.

Another one characteristic Azerbaijani cuisine - the unique aroma and spicy taste of food, which give all kinds of the above herbs and spices.

Saffron serves as an indispensable integral part in the preparation of numerous pilafs. For meat, fish and vegetable dishes it is customary to serve sumac - an acidic spice that successfully replaces vinegar, lemon and gives the dishes a ruby ​​color.

Vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, etc.) are widely used in Azerbaijani national food; fruits (quince, apples, lemons, pears, oranges); stone fruits (cherry plum, plum, apricot, peach). Exist various recipes cooking dolma from tomatoes, eggplants, peppers.

Individual dishes are prepared in special dishes. Pilaf - in cauldrons, special cauldrons with a lid into which hot coals are placed, and with a thickened bottom, so that the rice "reprove" evenly; soup "piti" - in the pits. For saj - cold cuts, a frying pan with the same name is used, a tiny brazier is installed under it. There are various skewers for preparing kebab and kebab, for stewing meat - tas (small saucepans), for first courses - cups.

Most popular dish Azerbaijani cuisine - pilaf. In national cuisine, there are some varieties of this dish: with lamb - kaurma-pilaf; with lamb and sour fruits - turschi-kaurma-pilaf; with lamb, chestnuts, pumpkin - chi-doshamya-kaurma-pilaf; With fried pieces chicken - toukh-pilaf; With stuffed chicken or chicken - tarchilo-pilaf; with chicken filled with beaten egg - chigyrtma-pilaf; with game, sour fruits, nuts, cinnamon - fisinzhan-pilaf; egg - sheshryanch-pilaf; dairy - sudlu-pilaf; fruity, sweet - width-pilaf. Azerbaijani pilaf differs from pilaf of other cuisines in its preparation: rice is cooked separately, the basis of pilaf (tare) is prepared separately - meat, vegetables, fruits. Everything is combined in one dish only when pilaf is served on the table. This dish of Azerbaijani national food has its own traditions.

most loved meat dishes Azerbaijanis are lamb dishes. Basdirma is made from fresh beef and lamb, and then barbecue is cooked from it. Common dishes are bozbash and piti ( thick soups with lamb), kyufte bozbash ( meat balls). Finely chopped lamb is mixed with onions and spices, then kebab is prepared. Chygartma - a dish of poultry meat. Chopped lamb with rice and spices wrapped in cabbage leaves- this is kelem dolmasy, in fresh or salted grape leaves - this is yarpag dolmasy, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are also stuffed - these are badymdzhan dolmasy.

Culinary Azerbaijan has a considerable number of original in taste and appearance sweets, conditionally divided into three subgroups - caramel-like, candy-like, flour. They contain a significant number of spices and additives: almonds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, nuts, vanillin, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon. TO flour dishes include shaker-churek, shakerbura, kurabye Baku, baklava, kyata Baku, Ganja, Karabakh, Nakhichevan, Nakhichevan baklava, Shemakha mutaki. There are more than thirty titles flour products, each area has its own branded products. Sheki sweets can be distinguished separately: peshvenk, girmabadam, Sheki baklava, tel (terkhalva), the production of which uses sugar, rice flour, egg whites, butter, nut kernels, spices.

The culinary specialists of Ganja in 2009 prepared a wonderful baklava. Baked in honor of Novruz holiday pastry It was twelve meters long and four meters wide. The sweet weighed approximately three tons. Such indicators helped the Azerbaijani baklava to set a record and be recorded in the CIS book of records.

They have a different purpose sherbets. If Central Asian and Tajik are sweet, then Azerbaijani sherbets are soft drinks, primarily a drink that accompanies pilaf. As the main component, fruit and berry juices. Some recipes use distillates and infusions of aromatic parts of plants (buds, seeds…) and fruit base made from juices sour berries and fruits.

In the diet of Azerbaijanis, a special and important place is occupied by bread. Bake it different ways. In the countryside, bread was baked on an iron, slightly convex saj sheet. Previously, baking in tendirs was common, now they are found in regional and city centers of the country. Churek and lavash are baked in the tendir, and gutab (patties stuffed with meat and herbs) are baked in autumn and spring.

widespread in Azerbaijan custom of tea drinking, and tea is considered a symbol of respect for guests and hospitality. Modern Azerbaijan is a classic tea-drinking country in the Caucasus. There is a tradition to serve tea on the table before the main courses, usually black long leaf tea. Azerbaijanis believe that tea predisposes to easy communication and interesting conversation.

For many years, tea came to the territory of Azerbaijan from China. The first tea bush was planted for the first time in 1896 by M. O. Novoselov in the Lankaran region, and the experimental plots tea tree were laid down by 1900. But the first attempts to grow tea in Azerbaijan were not successful.

Tea business was developed during the years of Soviet power. In 1932-1934, the industrial laying of tea plantations began in the Lankaran and Zakatala zones. The first packs of Azerbaijani tea went on sale in 1937. And in subsequent years, the production of domestic (mainly black) tea increased.

Tea production in Azerbaijan began to fall apart and deteriorate with the collapse of the USSR. Also, the volume of tea production decreased in the 90s due to the military conflict with Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The development of market relations, joint ventures with the United Arab Emirates and Turkey revived tea production in the country. In the Lankaran region, mainly green tea is grown and produced, but black (according to the Chinese classification - “red”) tea is also common. The main tea-growing bases, in addition to the Lankaran region, are also located in the Astara, Lerik, Masalli, Zakatala and Belokan regions. You can buy Azerbaijani tea inside the country, as well as in Georgia, Turkey, Russia (Dagestan).

Azerbaijanis brew tea very strong. Large teapots with a volume of 500 ml or 1000 ml are used for brewing. Pouring ready-made tea from teapot and do not dilute it with hot water or boiling water. Also, if desired, tea is brewed with wild (medicinal) herbs: thyme (thyme), sage, savory, mint. The local population often likes to drink tea with spices: ginger, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon. Sometimes to quench thirst hot weather rose oil is added to the drink.

It is customary for Azerbaijanis to drink tea not from porcelain cups, but from reminiscent vases cups pear-shaped. They are called "armuds". They put these glasses on coasters so as not to burn their fingers, since tea is usually drunk hot. In order not to spoil or change the taste of freshly prepared tea, according to tradition, sugar is not added to it. Tea is served with lump sugar, jam, sweets. tea drink they drink it as a bite: before the first sip, sugar is dipped and bitten off.

All important events in the life of Azerbaijanis are always accompanied by tea drinking. But unlike Japan or China, tea drinking is not some kind of special ceremony. All feasts in Azerbaijan begin with tea and end with it. The drink is served even when the guest has dropped in on business, for a few minutes.

And of course, in every Azerbaijani settlement there is a teahouse. However, if a hearty lunch can be served in the Central Asian teahouse, then in the Azerbaijani teahouse you can only drink tea. It will be served with sweets, sweets, but not food. A teahouse for Azerbaijanis is a kind of men's club, which only men go to. News and business are discussed there, relationships are maintained, plans are made, newspapers are read, and backgammon is played.

In Azerbaijan, tea is an attribute of matchmaking. The bride's parents answer the matchmakers with tea: if tea and sugar are served separately, then this means refusal; and if they put sugar in tea, then the wedding is coming soon.

A culinary tour of Azerbaijan is a very intense and pleasant trip to a sunny country, which will combine an excursion program in medieval cities, metropolitan museums, palaces, reserves and visits to colorful restaurants offering fine dining national Azerbaijani cuisine.