Azerbaijan Cuisine

Sabzi qovurma or lamb stew with herbs is a classic Azerbaijani dish. Its name shows that sabzi qovurma is a blend of Persian and Turkic cooking, as "sabzi" means "green" in Persian while "qovurma" in Azerbaijani and other Turkic languages means "fried meat". The fine, complex flavours of Sabzi qovurma …

Lamb or veal stew with chestnuts and dried fruit is a very popular Azerbaijani dish, served with rice pilaf. It is an Azerbaijani version of a sweet and sour dish, although the various names for the dish usually refer either to the sweet or sour element, but not both together. …

Chicken pilaf is one of the many versions of pilaf popular in Azerbaijan. There are different ways of preparing chicken with rice pilaf in Azerbaijan. We give below a recipe in which the chicken is steamed together with the rice. Preparation time: 60 min Cooking time: 40-45 min Serves: 6-7

Rice with beans and fish is one of the many versions of pilaf in Azerbaijan. It is usually prepared on the last Tuesday before the Novruz spring holiday. The first day of Novruz falls on the spring equinox, the day when the hours of daylight equal those of darkness. The …

Meatballs are popular across the Caucasus and Middle East. The Azerbaijani variety, kofta bozbash, are large, hearty meatballs of minced lamb and rice with a zesty dried plum surprise in the middle. They are usually served in a meat-based stock with vegetables and chickpeas. The name kofta bozbash is a …

Dovga is a soup made from plain yoghurt and herbs, which can be served warm in winter or refreshingly cold in summer. A variety of herbs are used in dovga, according to taste. Coriander, dill and mint are mainstays of the soup. Chervil and mountain parsley, when available, make a …

Piti, a lamb stew with chickpeas, is popular across Azerbaijan and especially in the north-western town of Sheki. Piti is a type of bozbash or meat broth. Long, slow cooking is the secret to a good piti. Traditionally, piti is cooked in individual earthenware pots and tipped out of the …

Levengi (ləvəngi) is a stuffing made from ground walnuts and dried fruit, typical of the southern Lenkoran area. Levengi is used as a stuffing for both poultry and fish. The fish most commonly stuffed with levengi is kutum, a 2-4 kg white fish unique to the Caspian. If you cannot …

The word chigirtma (çığırtma) in the name of a dish means that it includes eggs. Toyug chigirtmasi or chicken with eggs is popular across Azerbaijan. It can be baked in the oven or prepared on the stove top. Preparation time: 30 min Cooking time: 35 min Serves: 3-4 Ingredients

Rice pilaf with dried fruit is a popular Azerbaijani dish, which is thought to have originated in Baku. Shirin pilaf is usually served on its own but can be served with fried veal or lamb. Preparation time: 60 min Cooking time: 40 min Serves: 6-7