10 Mouthwatering Dishes You Must Try in Azerbaijan

The food in Azerbaijan blends regional influences from Iran, Turkey and the Mediterranean. Dishes tend to be meat-based, especially mutton, with recipes passed down generations to give distinct flavours. If you’re visiting Azerbaijan, sample some of these traditional meals.

# Plov

Plov, or Pilaf, is a traditional food in Azerbaijan as well as other places in Asia and Eastern Europe. Azerbaijani pilaf uses saffron-flavoured rice cooked with aromatic herbs, fried meat and vegetables. Different restaurants have their own styles, meaning you won’t get the same taste twice. Most restaurants serve Plov. Consider sampling it in Baku.

# Kebab

Kebab is a favourite of Azerbaijan cuisine, having similarities to Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Various kinds of seasoned meat and vegetables are skewered and barbequed. If you go for a meal with a local, more likely than not, you’ll have a kebab.

Lyulya Kebab is a particular type of kebab that consists of mouth-watering barbequed minced lamb on skewers.

# Halva

If you have travelled around Eastern Europe and the Middle East, you’ve probably tasted halva. Azerbaijan’s version is different and is produced only in the mountainous region of Sheki. Few people know the secret recipe for this sugary confectionery, making it somewhat unique to the area.

# Kufta Bozbash

Large meatballs boiled into a delicious broth with potatoes, peas and mutton bones make Kufta Bozbash one of the national soups of Azerbaijan. Depending on the region, chefs add different types of ingredients and spices to the broth, and sometimes include a dried plum.

# Roast Chicken

Walk around the streets of Baku and you’ll probably pass a few shops barbequing and roasting chicken. Roast chicken costs a few dollars and is wrapped in thin sheets of bread with a handful of raw onions. Locals take away and eat at home.

# Piti

Sheki’s signature dish, piti, provides a hearty meal for local workers. The lamb stew cooked with vegetables comes in a traditional clay pot, and fills stomachs for hours.

# Dolma

Minced lamb meat and rice infused with herbs and spices wrapped in either cabbage or vine leaves make Azeri Dolma. This type of Azeri food has more than 25 varieties depending on the region and the season. Dolma uses vine leaves in the winter and spring, eggplants and peppers during the summer and cabbage leaves in autumn.

# Dushbara

Azerbaijan’s version of dumplings, dushbara, are small balls of stuffed dough served in a lamb broth. Typical fillings include minced meat, tomatoes and onions served with dried mint, wine vinegar and garlic.

# Baliq

The Caspian Sea provides an almost endless supply of fresh fish. Grilled fish, or baliq, on a skewer is a favourite food in Azerbaijan and is eaten with a sour plum sauce.

# Dovga

Dovga, a traditional Azeri dish, is a type of yoghurt soup with rice, chickpeas and herbs. Locals eat it either warm or cold.