Oval Useful news from Azerbaijan and Caucasus

Firni is a dessert made from rice and milk, much lighter than the British and North American baked rice puddings. Firni is popular in South Asia and the Middle East. In Azerbaijan, firni is made from rice flour, not grains of rice. Preparation time: 10 min Cooking time: 20 min …

Kebabs – barbecued meat, fish and vegetables – are a perennial favourite in Azerbaijan. They are an obligatory feature on special occasions, such as weddings. Azerbaijanis love to make kebabs at picnics and at their summer houses and, as is the case the world over, it is the men who …

Rice pilaf or plov is the signature dish of Azerbaijani cuisine. Served on special occasions, pilaf is the final savoury dish at wedding feasts, brought in with great ceremony. Known in Azerbaijani as ash (aş) or plov, rice pilaf is thought to have come to Azerbaijan from Iran and India. …

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 …