12 Facts About Azerbaijani cuisine

Azerbaijani cuisine refers to the cooking styles and dishes of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The cuisine developed significantly due to its diversity of agriculture, from abundant grasslands which historically allowed for a culture of pastoralism to develop, as well as to the unique geographical location of Azerbaijan, which is situated on the crossroads of Europe and Asia with an access to the Caspian Sea.

The location, which was contended over by many historical kingdoms, khanates, and empires, meant that Azerbaijani cuisine was influenced by the culinary traditions of multiple different cultures, such as Turkic, Iranian, and Eastern European.

Azerbaijan's national Azerbaijani cuisine is closer to Middle Eastern Azerbaijani cuisine due to the taste and preparation of the dishes, as well as adding a dark spice and flavor additives.

Azerbaijani cuisine dishes have traditionally been cooked with copper utensils and cookware.

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Azerbaijani cuisine utilizes fruits and vegetables such as aubergine, tomato, sweet pepper, spinach, cabbage, onion, sorrel, beet, radish, cucumber, and green beans.

One of the basic dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine is plov prepared with saffron-covered rice, served with various herbs and greens, a combination distinct from those found in Uzbek plovs Other second courses include a variety of kebabs and shashlik, including lamb, beef, chicken, duck and fish kebabs.

Azerbaijani cuisine breakfast is heavy in dairy products such as butter, various types of white cheese, and cream, as well as honey, tandoori bread and eggs, traditionally prepared into kuku, but alternatively, scrambled.

Azerbaijani cuisine has a number of light snacks and side dishes to open or accompany the main meals: a plate of green leaves called goy, pieces of chorek, choban, white cheese or qatik and turshu.

Typical Azerbaijani cuisine desserts are sticky, syrup-saturated pastries such as pakhlava and Shaki halva.

In March 2009, Azerbaijani cuisine bakers achieved an entry in the CIS book of records for baking the biggest and heaviest pakhlava in the CIS, weighing about 3 tons.

An Azerbaijani cuisine sherbet is a sweet cold drink made of fruit juice mixed or boiled with sugar, often perfumed with rose water.