Azerbaijan Cuisine

Borsch is another Russian dish that Azerbaijanis have adopted wholeheartedly. Borsch can be made with lamb or beef or as a vegetarian soup. The key ingredient is beetroot, which gives borsch its distinctive, red colour. Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 3 hours Serves: 4-5

This simple but tasty chicken salad takes its name from a popular spot in the heart of Baku, Fountains Square. News.Az is grateful to Gullu Cahangir for allowing us to use her Fountains Square salad recipe and photograph, taken from her informative website Azerifood.com. Preparation time: 30 min Cooking time: …

Aubergines (eggplants) grow in abundance in Azerbaijan in summer and are used in an array of traditional and more modern dishes. This aubergine recipe makes a tasty lunch or breakfast dish. News.Az is grateful to Gullu Cahangir for allowing us to use her badimjan qalyanaltisi (badımcan qəlyanaltısı) recipe and photograph, …

Chicken liver pâté is a popular dish in Azerbaijan, often, though by no means exclusively, served on special occasions. News.Az is grateful to Gullu Cahangir for allowing us to use her chicken liver pâté recipe and photograph, taken from her informative website Azerifood.com. Preparation time: 30 min Cooking time: 60 …

Rich red pomegranates are a much-loved part of Azerbaijani cuisine in the autumn and winter. Pomegranate kernels are often added to salads to give extra taste and tang, while they are one of the main ingredients in this salad. News.Az is grateful to Gullu Cahangir for allowing us to use …

Mutaki (mütəkkə) are a popular pastry across Azerbaijan. The pastry takes its name from a traditional Azerbaijani bolster, the mütəkkə, with which it shares its shape. News.Az is grateful to Gullu Cahangir for allowing us to use her mutaki recipe, taken from her informative website Azerifood.com. The pastry for mutaki …

Lamb or mutton broths and stews are very popular in Azerbaijan. The traditional ingredients of saffron, fresh or dried alcha (a plum similar to a greengage but less sweet) and chestnuts give this broth a distinctly Azerbaijani flavour. Preparation time: 40-45 min Cooking time: 45 min Serves: 3-4

Saffron lends this Azerbaijani rice pudding a beautiful colour and aroma. A traditional yayma is made with rice, milk, water and saffron and served with cinnamon, butter and honey. If you have a sweet tooth, you may prefer to add sugar to the rice pudding during cooking. News.Az is grateful …

Bread is a staple food in Azerbaijan, served at every meal. Bread is treated with great respect. Even in the city, stale bread is not thrown away with the household rubbish, but set aside next to the rubbish bins so that people can collect it to feed to their animals. …

These light, tasty biscuits are an Azerbaijani version of shortbread or the biscuits known in Britain as Viennese whirls. Buttery Baku biscuits (Bakı qorabiyyəsi) are sold in most cake shops in the Azerbaijani capital, but the home-made biscuits are even tastier. News.Az is grateful to Gullu Cahangir for allowing us …