Thread by @DrAlakbarov

By popular demand: A lot of Scottish and Welsh friends often ask, why I never post Azerbaijani food related topics. Here we go.

Azerbaijani cuisine has dozens of different types of plov (pilaf), but Shah Plov always creates a lot of buzz.

Shah plov is actually invented by popular Azerbaijani chef Shahhuseyn Karimov.

It's usually served on special occassions and accompanied by a different govurma (garnishes). Garnishes can be made of meet or sweet dried fruits and nuts.

If you are vegan or vegetarian, try dovgha.

This sour milk soup is made with gatygh, a fermented milk product similar to yogurt, as well as eggs, rice, and herbs including coriander, dill, mint, and spinach.

P.S Do not confuse with jajigh (tzatziki)

A lot of my Scottish friends love saj.

It is actually the name of the pan in which the dish, of the same name, is cooked.

Tomatoes, green peppers, and eggplants are perfectly combined with lamb and herbs to make this dish.

When preparing dolma Azerbaijanis use young grape or cabbage leaves, which get filled with minced lamb meat mixed with herbs and spices.

Also do not forget to try badymjan dolmasi, a summer version of dolma that is cooked with eggplants, tomatoes and green peppers.

Considered winter dish, dushbara are a bit like Russian dumplings, but much smaller in size – they say a good cook should fit 12 pieces of dushbara on a spoon!

These mini-dumplings are boiled in water and served with dried mint or a wine vinegar infused with garlic.

Piti is not for the rushed and hurried, as it takes between eight and 12 hours to cook.

Piti is cooked with lamb, potatoes, peas, onions, garlic, chestnuts and herbs. The ingredients are combined in a small clay pot filled with water and then placed in an oven for a slow cook.

Lavangi is a stuffed chicken or fish with walnuts, onions and plum paste. The most delicious lavangi are made in a tandir or tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven in which food is cooked on coals.

P.S It might look ugly but tastes like heaven

Qutab is to Azerbaijanis what pizza is to Italians.

Thinly rolled, the unleavened dough is filled with meat, herbs, pumpkin, pomegranate seeds, cheese, onions, and chestnuts, then cooked on a saj, a flat pan made of cast iron.

P.S Just like mamma used to make 😉

Khangal should not be confused with khinkali, which are dumplings stuffed with meat and are found in Georgia.

Azerbaijani khangal is made by rolling and cutting the dough into thin, small squares, and then boiled in a meat broth.

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.

I'm not going to post any Azerbaijani kebab related topics as it needs a separate thread.

Let's move to heavy artillery...by that I mean sweets.

There are several styles of pakhlava in Azerbaijan, the most popular of which is multilayered pakhlava.

It is a festive dish made for Novruz, the traditional celebration of the coming of spring in Azerbaijan.

Shakarbura is a pastry, with a filling of sweet almonds or nuts, mixed with sugar and cardamom and wrapped in dough. The dough is then pinched shut with an intricate design, and the outside is decorated with special tweezers. The slightly crescent shape symbolizes the moon.

Shor-goghal is a round yellow bun, filled with fennel and anise seeds, and seasoned with turmeric, salt, and pepper.

Though they’re more savory than sweet, shor-gogal are cooked for Nowruz alongside shakarbura and pakhlava (holy trio), since their round shape symbolizes the sun.

In Azerbaijan, there's a town named Shaki, famous for its halva.

In a country renowned for its sweet tooth, Shaki halva is the most sugary of confections.

P.S This is the sweetest dessert that I've ever eaten

Azerbaijan could easily be called "The Land of Jam". People make jam from almost anything - walnuts, watermelon and even rose petals. Jam varies from region to region according to the availability of fruits.

P.S Seriously you can say goodbye to your diet after these

And finally, I'm going to use @baldhiker's quote on local bread:

"On every trip I make to Baku, Azerbaijan, there is one thing I ‘must’ do. That is get myself to Old City Baku to get me some taste of the local, traditionally made Tandir bread."

I hope you enjoyed the thread. Any questions, feel free to ask.