From kebabs cooked between stones to ‘screaming stews’, sticky seasonal preserves and mouth-watering grilled salads, discover the culinary treasures Azerbaijan has to offer
If you’re looking for a short-haul foodie destination that has not yet been discovered by hordes of hungry tourists, head to Azerbaijan.
This intriguing country sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and its cuisine will impress and surprise you with its distinctive blend of Turkish, Iranian, Georgian, and Russian flavours.
Led by local guide Alish Ismayilov, I recently ate my way around the country over the course of a long weekend. We started in the coastal capital of Baku, with its UNESCO-listed ruins and sleek 21st-century architecture, before going further afield to rural villages backed by the soaring Greater Caucasus Mountains.
Four days is just enough time to get a taste of the country’s rich culinary culture. You certainly can’t eat everything, but follow the tips below and you’ll be off to a good start.
Lavish beginnings
Breakfast in Azerbaijan is an important affair. Wherever you find yourself in the country, you’ll soon realise that the star of the show is always a straight-out-of-the-oven slab of tandoor-baked bread, around which a variety of components orbit.
Spreads usually include bowls of honeycomb, a white goat’s cheese that tastes a bit like feta, smoked cheese, sour cream, olives, butter and berries. Kuku, a frittata-style omelette that’s packed with herbs, is generally served in a skillet, as is pomidor-yumurta or scrambled eggs and tomatoes.
If you visit the mountain region, head to Gabala Khanlar restaurant in the morning. There, a trio of lovely ladies called Gulsare, Natavan and Zulhujja make some of the crispiest, golden flatbreads from scratch.
On the go
The ultimate street food has to be qutab (pancakes), which are always savoury and eaten with a salty yoghurt sauce and a sprinkling of tangy sumac. They’re wafer thin, shaped like half-moons and lightly stuffed with an aromatic minced lamb mixture, herby greens (spinach, coriander, dill, mint, spring onions and many more), sweet pumpkin or melted cheese. These ubiquitous snacks work well at any meal and, as I found, are simple enough to make. I recommend taking a masterclass with Gular at the banquet-style restaurant, next to Baku’s ancient Ateshgah or ‘Fire Temple’ – within 15 minutes, you’ll be rolling, filling and frying your own qutab over a piping hot saj.
Tea time
Perhaps one of the most endearing elements of Azerbaijan’s culinary culture is its tea-drinking rituals. Whether I was in an Azeri home, at a café in Baku’s old city, or at a pitstop overlooking the undulating Caucasus Mountains, a pear-shaped glass of perfumed black çay was always popped in front of me.
The tea tends to be brewed in a samovar, over a wood fire, which leaves a sensational smoky aroma and it’s always served hot and strong. Alish’s theory is that “the stronger you take your tea, the more intelligent you are”.
An assortment of healing herbs (sage, oregano), spices like cinnamon, dried flower petals or rose water can be added to the black tea, with most local women guarding their secret infusions like gold.
I also learnt that it’s traditional to bite into a sugar cube before sipping your tea through these lumps of sweetness. The reason? In medieval times, paranoid rulers lived in fear of being poisoned and it was believed that sugar would react to any contaminated water.
If you’re wondering how many cups of tea is too many, this Azeri saying, translated by Alish, has the answer: “One is the rule; two is good for your health; you can’t stop at three; and four is just right. Should you go over five cups, well, you may as well have 15.”
Sweet dispositions
Tea isn’t poured without murabba – preserves and compotes – being present. Azeri women pride themselves on their delicious conserved concoctions, made from just about anything that’s in season – from walnuts to watermelons, aubergines to apricots.
I’d travel back to the country simply to have another spoonful of the white cherry compote made by Alish’s mother Saida (more on her delicious food later). This will be necessary, when I run out of the jar of intoxicatingly fragrant rose petal jam that was gifted to me by Araz Manafli, a charming waiter whom I met at the Old Tea House in the village of Lahic. His mother made it, and he swears it’s good for the heart.
On the grill
The Azeri take on kebabs sees chefs and home cooks thread chicken pieces, liver, beef strips, loin chops and mouth-watering minced lamb onto long silver skewers, flame-grilling the meat over coals in a mangal.
After a visit to Azerbaijan, Alexandre Dumas wrote about them in The Three Musketeers, saying: “Any selfish person would keep this recipe secret – but I will provide you, dear reader, with the recipe of kebab: follow it and you will be thanking me for this gift forever.”
They are indeed good, but it was in the picturesque town of Gabala, amid a collection of road-side, al-fresco eateries surrounded by forest that I found something really special: dasharasi kebab, which translates literally as “kebab between stones”.
Azeri shepherds invented this dish – living high in the mountains meant finding innovative ways to cook lamb and one solution was to sear it in between two hot, weathered stones.
Yakub Shefiyev and his father Fazil are among the few locals who still cook this age-old delicacy, serving it at their riverside restaurant, Gulluce Ailevi Istirahet Merkezi (find Yakub on Instagram for directions: @shefizade_yaqub).
Visitors can watch the cooking process in the open-air kitchen. Following traditional methods, Yakub starts by frying pieces of sheep tail fat over a big, black stone. Chunks of fresh lamb – so flavourful that no seasoning is necessary – sizzle alongside the fat before he places sliced potatoes, peppers and aubergines onto the ‘grill’. An already-heated second stone goes on top of the ingredients and, after 20 minutes, a heady, meaty meal is ready to eat.
Go-to guides
To arrange a group or private tour in Azerbaijan, get in touch with Baku Sightseeing (bakusightseeing.com). Ask for Alish Ismayilov, if he’s available.
Where to stay
For sumptuous accommodation, world-class restaurants, a sky-lit pool and a penthouse spa and fitness centre, head to the Beaux-Arts-style Four Seasons Hotel (fourseasons.com/Baku), which holds a stately position on a tree-lined boulevard in the heart of central Baku.
Alternatively, if you’re after spectacular views of the Caspian Sea and the chance to stay in the city’s famed, flickering Flame Towers, book a room at the luxurious Fairmont (fairmont.com/baku).
Meanwhile, local Azerbaijani brand Qafqaz Hotels & Resorts (qafqazhotels.com) offers a variety of properties in Baku and further afield in Gabala. Qafqaz Sahil Baku Hotel is set near the coast, in the centre of Baku White City – a major urban redevelopment project. The Qafqaz Resort Hotel Gabala is surrounded by forest and is set against the backdrop of the Great Caucasus Mountains. Its sprawling spa complex is the size of a small village and there’s an on-site cinema and bowling alley.
For more information about Baku and beyond, visit azerbaijan.travel or follow @experienceazerbaijan on Instagram and facebook.com/ExperienceAZE.