Last Updated on December 6, 2019 by Audrey Scott
Given that Azerbaijani culture and language is Turkic in origin, it's not surprising that its cuisine also carries a strong Turkish influence. Doner kebabs are so prevalent on Baku's streets that you'd swear they were Azerbaijani by origin.
One thing is certain though. Azerbaijanis like their meat, with shashlik (barbecue) as the style of choice. One meal took us on the tour of the animal kingdom with seven different types of shashlik – ground meat, sturgeon (served with narsharab, a pomegranate sauce), beef, veal, lamb, pork, and even vegetables. As our friend joked, “See, we Azerbaijanis can make shashlik out of anything!” Although the meat was perfectly grilled, we were thankful for the plates of vegetables and fresh herbs to help balance our intake of flesh.
Luckily for our bodies, there's more to the Azerbaijani table than shashlik.
Favorite Azerbaijani Foods
Dovga
A warm soup made from plain yogurt, cucumbers, spring onions and occasional bits of ground meat. Although it's meant to be a starter, we found refuge in it as a light dinner.
Manti
Think large, Turkish-style ravioli stuffed with ground lamb. Served with plain yogurt – and if you are fortunate, a light chili pepper sauce – they are delicious.
Dolma
Grape leaves or vegetables stuffed with ground lamb, rice and spices, eaten with plain yogurt and ground pepper. Our best dolmas experience: the small, grape leaf variety served by our home stay family in the hills of Lahic.
Caviar
Beluga caviar is still king. Although its quantities are dwindling in Azerbaijan, caviar is still a big industry. The government controls the caviar business, but somehow a little bit always escapes and finds its way onto the black market. The best place to find it is at Taza Bazaar in Baku. From the moment you enter the market, you'll hear hushed whispers of “caviar, caviar” from the shadows as middlemen sidle up to you. Follow them to small makeshift tasting rooms whose coolers are filled to the brim with caviar tins. Sample 5-6 varieties at different prices. The 113 gram pots run from $25-$55, depending upon the type of fish and grade. Our favorite was Beluga caviar – smooth and the least fishy of the lot. No small wonder it's the most expensive.
Ayran
Refreshing, thinned-out yogurt drink, often flavored with dill and other herbs. It's pronunciation is similar to the favorite neighborhood theocracy, Iran. So much so that when a young boy in the market asked Audrey “Do you like ayran?” she responded, “I don't know. I haven't been there yet.”
Kutab
A thin pancake whose varieties come stuffed with meat or with spinach and greens. Delicious alone, but if you find yourself at Chudo Pechka, get creative and team the green-stuffed with the baklijan (eggplant and garlic in sour cream) for your very own Azerbaijani veggie wrap.
Sheki Halva
Not the traditional dry halva you are used to, this regional variety resembles a pie with crunchy layers drowned in a sweet syrup.
Bakhlava
Although Turkish in origin, bakhlava has made its way to Baku, with some of the best served up by the local outpost of the Turkish bakery Gulluoglu. The rolled cylindrical variety are full of pistachio nuts, inside and out. Not too sweet, incredibly fresh, and terribly addictive.
The following traditional Azerbaijani dishes evaded our taste buds, either because of short supply or the wrong season.
Dushbara
Azerbaijani-style miniature manti. Teaspoon-sized mutton, onion and coriander filled ravioli served in a stock. This dish is common in the spring, so we just missed it during our summer visit. Travelers headed further to Central Asia, don’t despair. You'll get your fill of dushbara in Kyrgyzstan, where they are called chochvara and served in a spicy, tomato-based broth.
Piti
Potatoes, chick-peas, vegetable and fatty-mutton stewed with fresh tomatoes or saffron. We're told that you are supposed to soak the juice up with the bread first and then mash the solids into a paste before eating. For some reason, every cafe we tried seemed to be out and offered us shashlik instead.
Word of caution: Some restaurants, especially in the regions, will present an extensive menu, leaving the customer excited by the possibilities of choice. Tame your excitement. More often than not, the only things actually available are shashlik or dovga. For some reason, waiters don't find it necessary to explain “we only have 3 of the 600 things on the menu” up front. Only when they take your order, do they deliver the bad news, leaving you grasping for alternatives.
Photo Essay – Azerbaijani Food and Markets
Recommended Baku Restaurants
- Chudo Pechka: Next to Sahil Metro station on Bul Bul street. An international chain that is Turkish in origin, Chudo Pecka churns out savory and sweet pastries, kutab, pizzas and doner kebabs all day. Pay at the cashier first and then take your receipt to one of the half dozen or so food counters to collect your grub. Extraordinarily inexpensive compared to every other food option in Baku…a blessing for budget travelers.
- Anadolu: On Rasul Rza Street #5 at the corner with Azerbaijan Street. Probably the best street doner kebabs in the city. Inside, Turkish and European dishes are on offer for reasonable prices.
- Anur Restaurant: E. Elizada Street #3, close to the old town on the same street as Mozart Cafe. Good manti.
- Gulluoglu Bakery: Istiqlaliyyet Kuc #35. Heavenly and addictive bakhlava!
- Restaurant “PLANET”: Mehseti Sreet #3, tel.: (+99412) 4234378. A ways outside the city center. It has a nice garden setting with delicious shashlik and live music.
Hello there! I just found your web site. Nice article about Azerbaijani cuisine. I’m glad you had a chance to try the tasty Azeri dishes first hand. I recently launched my blog site with Azerbaijani recipes. Please visit and enjoy! I will be posting more.
Hmm.nice,but not very descriptive article about Azerbaijani cuisine. You were shoked by menu in restaurants.Dunno,but may be You went to the wrong places,because,the situation is not so bad. And if you visit Baku next time, find some locals to show You right places to go to eat and enjoy a big variety of cuisine.and don’t go to Chudo Pechka,You won’t find really tasty kutabs there. if You want to eat kutabs,go to specialized places where You can get tendir bread,kutabs and levenqi chiken))
And let me explain situation with kabab, almost all women in Azerbaijan
cook very well,they spend even too much time in the kitchen,so when Azerbaijani families go to eat outside ofcourse they’ll want to eat something that they don’t eat very often,and that’s hard to make at home. And almost everybody there loves kabab very well,so they go and order it)
Hope You’ll visit this country again)
@Cheryl: We had local Azerbaijani contacts both inside of and outside of Baku who took us to their favorite local places. When we visit Baku next, we’ll be sure to contact you…would be great to meet and have your guidance in re-navigating Azerbaijani cuisine.
Right this is an EXCELLENT post and a great website – myself and my girlfriend are heading to Azerbaijan and Armenia in a few months and don’t know a lot about it! Really glad to hear they have some local dishes we can try! Safe travels, Jonny (also a travel blogger).
@Jonny: How exciting that you’re headed soon to Armenia and Azerbaijan! If you are a big meat eater, you’ll love the kebabs in Azerbaijan. But one of our favorites was the manti. Really delicious!