Plov, Kebab and Dolma: the food you must taste in Azerbaijan

Among the variety of reasons for visiting Azerbaijan, one of the most remarkable ones is its rich and tasty cuisine. There are thousands of dishes in Azerbaijani cuisine, one more beautiful than the other. However, I would like talk about several noteworthy meals that you definitely must taste during your visit to Azerbaijan.

The bests

Plov is known as the “king of the meals”, as it is considered as the most special one in the cuisine. It is a dish of rice flavored with spices, herbs and other ingredients. But the most special ingredients are saffron, cinnamon and caraway that make Azerbaijani plov unique. What’s more, plov is served with a dish called “Gara”, which contains beef or chicken and dried fruits.

The next on the list is kebab. Although many countries have kebab, the Azerbaijani kebab is unique with its various ways of cooking. It has several types such as tika, lyula and chicken. Tika is mainly lamb, whereas lyula is made of beef. In addition, many vegetables like tomato and potato are cooked as kebab besides meat. Kebab is also one of the essential meals that is cooked on a special occasions.

One of the interesting meals that will grab your attention among the others is dolma. There are three types of dolma that differ slightly from one another. The first one and my favorite is called “Yarpaq dolmasi” (Stuffed Grape Leaves). It is a mix of ground beef and some other ingredients wrapped into grape leaf. The second type of dolma is called “Kelem dolmasi” (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls). The main difference between yarpaq dolmasi and kelem dolmasi is that ingredients of kelem dolmasi are wrapped into cabbage. The third one is called “Uch baji” (three sisters), as its main ingredients are three vegetables (tomato, eggplant and pepper). All three types are served with yoghurt.

Where to eat

After you got information about the best meals, now it is time to have a look where to eat these delicious meals.

I would recommend you to visit Sumakh restaurant in Baku, as the restaurant is specialized in national cuisine. Besides its tasty food, Sumakh has remarkable design that contains traditional motives which creates nice atmosphere.

Another nice restaurant that offers all types of local food is Sadaf, which is located in Baku Boulevard. Sadaf is one of the restaurants that have astonishing design and delicious meals. Besides that, it also has an incredible view, as it is located on the seafront.

I hope the reason that I gave you would be enough to inspire you to visit Azerbaijan. :)