Azerbaijan has been at the crossroad of various civilizations. Every civilization has left its influence on the food lifestyle in Azerbaijan in cultural continuity. Besides, the country has diverse climate zones and terrains that differ in many aspects from mountains to deserts, lowlands pastures to round hills, arid steppes to sub-tropic forestry and the Caspian coastline ecosystem, and so on. Moreover, the South Caucasus has been one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the World. Wines are made of both indigenous and introduced grape types. Therefore, it has also industrially produced wines that taste as good as French or Georgian wines. All in all, Azerbaijan has a rich culinary history. Traditional dishes, street foods, tea, wine, and sweets of Azerbaijani cuisine must be part of your culinary travel itinerary when in Baku and other regions.
Azerbaijani Breakfast
You should begin your day as the locals would on a weekend in Baku with the most significant meal of the day. Azerbaijani breakfast is simple and modest. It represents the unity with nature itself. It is all about sweet tea, tandir (təndir – clay oven) bread, with homemade white salty cheese, butter, cream, and honey. You also need fasali (puffy layered buttery bread) to add more layers to all these tastes and flavors. No breakfast set is complete without the main dish, pomidor yumurta (tomato and egg). Top your Azerbaijani breakfast with scrambled eggs mixed with organic tomato for the ultimate enjoyment. Alternatively, you can also try Kuku (kükü – eggs mixed with greens).
Plov
A rice-based meal called plov is served during feast days. The communal celebration over food is crowned by Plov. It is always centered at the top of the table. Thus, plov is one of the most important traditional food of Azerbaijani Cuisine. It has to be made with care and love meanwhile preparation involves several stages until a unique taste is achieved. In order to get the perfect blend of savory flavors, the stages include adding saffron as well as layers of dried fruits, plums, chestnuts, and raisins. Other variations of plov get their name from the toppings that are offered. Shah plov is cooked within crust and steam; fisinjan plov has a topping of meatballs with pomegranate sauce mixed with spices and nuts; the topping of sabzi plov is marinated greens mixed with beef. When you travel for food in Baku, make sure you don’t miss tasting Azerbaijani plov as the most delicious part of your food travel.
Dolma
Dolma, aka yarpag dolmasi, is one of the defining dishes in Azerbaijani cuisine, much like plov. The tender grape leaves (fresh or canned) are wrapped around a savory filling made with a mix of ground meat, onion, rice, fresh herbs such as coriander, and seasoning. Azerbaijani version of dolma differs in size and shape from dolma made in the Middle East and elsewhere. Azerbaijani dolma is much smaller and has a round shape, the smaller and tinier the dolma bundles are, the better taste. As a central culinary practice in all regions of Azerbaijan, it is enjoyed on special occasions and gatherings and expresses solidarity, respect, and hospitality. Above all, the dolma-making and sharing tradition, a marker of cultural identity has been included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Kabab
As per saying “Kabab qanlı, igid canlı” (Kabab is eaten juicy (bloody), brave man must be lively). Kabab is a dish prepared from small pieces of ground meat or entrecôte accompanied by tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants and threaded onto skewers and grilled over charcoal. For your ultimate kabab feast, choose from a variety of kababs, including tika kabab, entrecôte kabab, lula kabab (minced meat), bastirma kabab, and sabat kabab (rib cage of lamb). On a side note, Kabab-making traditions are processes when new friendships are born and strengthened. Serve yourself a juicy, medium-cooked, tender kabab to experience the orient’s nomadic cattle breading culture.
Qutab
Qutab is one of the summer’s most delicious flavors in Azerbaijan. It resembles a quesadilla but has a different filling. Qutab is formed into a crescent shape and covered in a thin layer of dough (flatbread) composed of flour, water, eggs, and salt. They are folded over and cooked on both sides on the flat pan (aka saj). They are stuffed with cheese, pomegranate, pumpkin, or greens. The popular types of Qutab are: et qutabi (meat-based), göy qutab (greens-based), and borani qutabi (pumpkin delicacy). When it’s done, sumac, yogurt (qat), and buttery Qutab are served (spice). The stuffing and the size of Qutab may vary from region to region i.e. if you are in Jorat village of Baku, they will serve hand-sized jorat qutabi with camel meat stuffing.
Piti
Piti is a sort of soup and stew. In one serving, there are two portions. The ingredients include lamb meat, chickpeas, chestnuts, dried plums, onions, saffron, potatoes, and sheep tail fat. Since the lamb meat cooks for eight hours at a very low temperature, it requires multiple separate cooking cycles to add all of the ingredients. Piti is prepared in clay pots (saxsi qab) and flavored and colored with saffron water. Piti should be consumed as a two-part meal. First, you produce a soup by adding the pot’s liquid over cubes of bread, onions, and sumac. Next, the other ingredients are mashed in the pot and served as the main course. A local dish from Sheki, a city in the northern-west of Azerbaijan, it is worth paying a visit to the region to taste flavors from regions.
Levengi
Levengi is another essential dish of Azerbaijani cuisine. The dish is made with stuffed fish or chicken. Walnuts, onions, and dried fruits like albukhara and alcha are used to make the filling. Traditionally, the Levengi is enjoyed best when combined with plov throughout the holiday seasons, especially the Novruz Holiday. The tastiest Levengi is staffed kutum, an endemic fish to the Caspian Sea. Moreover, the dish originates from Lankaran, a city in the south of Azerbaijan. The city has been recognized as UNESCO’s creative city in gastronomy. If you can’t make it to Lankaran, try visiting one of the local bazaars in Baku, where the Levengi is freshly prepared in a tandir, a type of traditional clay oven, and served right away.
Manqal salatı
Fresh vegetables and salads are an inseparable part of the food lifestyle in Azerbaijan. Manqal salat is one of the most delectable salads. It is a delicious, nutritious, and well-balanced salad. The salad must have eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs like coriander, dill, and basil, as well as spicy peppers and spring onions. In order to keep these veggies’ vital vitamins and freshness, they are gently cooked on skewers in mangal (Azerbaijani-style BBQ cookout). They are afterward peeled off, diced, and combined with fresh herbs, olive oil, and minced garlic. The salad is typically offered as an appetizer to go with the Azerbaijani kabab. Choose a little bread, put a spoon of manqal salati on it, and top it with some motal cheese, then enjoy it.
Khingal
Khingal or yarpaq khingali is one of the popular pasta dishes in Azerbaijan. It is extremely popular on rainy and cold days. The dish is made of homemade pasta (eggs, flour, water) that is sliced diamond-shape resembling leaves. The yarpaq khingali is then topped with ground lamb, which is browned in butter, and golden color-cooked onion and butter spread over it. The dish is accompanied with garlic mixed yogurt and selected herbs. When visiting Baku on chilling winter days, Khingal, a carb-rich meal that is both heartwarming and satisfying, should be on your dining itinerary.
Dushbara
Even though there are not many soup dishes in Azerbaijani cuisine, a few stand out. Dushbara may resemble dishes made with dumplings in many cuisines, but it is unique due to its technique and Azerbaijani-only components. It consists of meat-filled dumplings and lamb bone stock. The filling is made with ground lamb, onion, salt, and pepper, whereas the dough for the little dumplings is made with flour, eggs, salt, and water. The dumplings are cooked in lamb stock in the last step. For optimal flavor extraction, it is typically served with vinegar and mint. Make sure to count the amount of dumplings in the spoon since they taste better when they are smaller.
Dovga
Dovga is perhaps the healthiest food in Azerbaijan if that were to be requested. It is a soup full of fiber, protein, and carbohydrates. High-quality yogurt (qatiq), egg flour, rice, and fresh vegetables including dill, mint, cilantro, coriander, spinach, and parsley are used to make the soup. All of the fresh veggies are added, and the yogurt is continuously swirled to prevent curdling until it begins to bubble. It is a four-season soup that is served chilled in the summer to offer a calming refreshment with all nutritious elements to fend off the heat. However, it is served hot throughout the winter to warm, richly nourish, and fortify your body and spirit.
Tea with Jam
In Azerbaijan, a well-known song goes, “Whoever has an aching body, bring him tea.” For people, tea serves as a panacea, to put it another way. The tea-drinking culture is a symbol of hospitality, with all visitors being welcomed to join in. Black tea leaves are steeped for around 3-5 minutes in a teapot full of hot, boiling water. Then, a mix of brewed tea and hot water are poured into a pear-shaped tea glass. Sugar cubes are typically offered with tea. The Azerbaijani people, however, adore drinking tea with homemade jams like strawberry, cherry, or even walnut. Azerbaijanis also love their tea if served with pastries like pakhlava, shakarbura, or badambura to sweeten their festivities, especially during the Novruz holiday.
Baku Food and Wine Tours 