What To Eat In Azerbaijan
By far the least visited of the three Caucasus nations, Azerbaijan stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It’s cuisine takes strong influence from Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and its most recent conqueror, mother Russia. This leads to a diverse cuisine which both surprises and delights. Knowing what to eat in Azerbaijan makes decoding those complex menus much, much easier.
Eating in Azerbaijan you will run into the language barrier at some point since English is not widely spoken outside of Baku. The majority of the dishes below can be found in almost any restaurant. So in the event you can’t communicate or read the menu this guide should help!
Naturally we cannot cover everything that’s available in this fascinating country, but these were certainly some of our favourites.
Feeling hungry? Here’s some of the best things to eat in Azerbaijan
Breakfast
Many guesthouses include breakfast in their nightly price and almost all of them have it as an option to pay for if they don’t. Breakfast here is very similar to Armenia. Expect bread, pancakes, jams and butter, a wide variety of cheeses and a couple of eggs. All washed down with plenty of tea.
Kebabs
Definitely the most common food you will find in Azerbaijan. In Baku it seems that there is a kebab stand, restaurant or cart at almost every corner. Small cafes and carts tend to serve various varieties of donner kebabs and schwarmas. Most of these kebabs are made with lamb, but its not uncommon to find beef and chicken kebabs as well. Some places will have lamb and beef mixed together, although it still tastes like lamb. In restaurants the most common kebab is a lule, made from minced lamb and spices. They either come wrapped in lavash (very thin bread sheets) or in a bread. An excellent option for cheap, quick eats.
Shashlik
If ordering a kebab at a restaurant it usually comes “shashlik” style, either still on the skewer or the hunks of meat served on a plate, usually with red onions, pomegranates and a purple salt and pepper mix on top. The choice of meat here is generally pretty large, especially in some of the outdoor street side affairs. Expect to pay anything between 3 and 5 manat per shashlik. Naturally the quality of the meat here is infinitely better than the donner kebab and shwarma stands. Particular favourites for us would be lamb chops and lule kebabs. Cheap as chips and absolutely delicious.
Shashlik style kebabs can be found in outdoor food stalls, especially in smaller towns or quieter districts of Baku. Its not uncommon for these types of eateries to have a wider variety of shashlik than most restaurants. With all manner of meat, veg and fish skewered and grilled on an open fire.
Grilled Meat
Like Georgia and Armenia to the west and Central Asia to the east grilled meat makes up a large part of the diet. Since Azerbaijan is a muslim nation lamb is the centre piece here.
Grilled or fried lamb chops with a spicy pomegranate sauce are a traditional delicacy. Lamb is extremely cheap here, even more so when compared to most western and European countries.
The town of Quba in particular has a huge number of open air restaurants serving all kinds of grilled meat, veg and fish. If you’re unsure about what to eat the locals are usually very happy to give you some advice.
Soups
Like Georgia there a wide variety of soups on offer in most eateries. These are usually a mixture traditional flavours and Russian style soups.
A particularly delicious soup is dovga, one of Azerbaijans national dishes made with yoghurt, dill, mint and other herbs. Restaurants will sometimes add chickpeas or rice.
Qutab
Either a snack or an appetiser, a qutab is meat or vegetables wrapped in a very thin pancake and then lightly fried. Usually garnished with purple salt.
Salads
They come in all shape, sizes and varieties. You can find common western salads, middle eastern style platters, traditional Azeri and of course Russian influenced cuisine. If eating at a street side place a salad usually consists of cucumbers and tomatoes with no dressing. Restaurants will usually have a wider choice.
Bread
A central part of the Azeri diet, bread often accompanies most meals. Do be aware that most restaurants will bring bread even though you haven’t ordered it, however the bread is not free. If you don’t want it, just tell the waiter or waitress.
Dolma
Azerbaijan and Armenia will be arguing over who invented dolma until the end of time. Dolma is in essence, vegetables stuffed with minced meat, usually lamb. The most common dolma available seems to be minced lamb wrapped in grape leaves. Not really a meal in themselves, but they are a fantastic accompaniment. Occasionally they will come with a yoghurt dip.
Saj
This is an absolute must in Azerbaijan. Saj is a large plate containing a mixture of grilled vegetables and meat, although vegetarian options are available. The edge of the plate is covered with grilled aubergines and potato along with a couple of lavash. In the centre there is a mixture of tomato, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and meat. This is definitely one of the best things to eat in Azerbaijan.
Piti
A soup made from lamb and potatoes that is found in most restaurants and cafes. Usually the lamb is quite fatty which adds to the flavour. It’s an excellent accompaniment to a few shashliks. We’ve seen this called Bozmarsh in some restaurants too and they may be different dishes but the certainly tasted very similar.
Restaurant Scams
Do be aware that not all eateries, especially small street side ventures have menus with prices or even menus at all. Check the price of everything you buy otherwise an additional 1 or 2 manat may be added to some items. Whenever we asked the price, the bill that came at the end was what we expected. It does feel a little rude to check how much everything is when ordering, however you will avoid a scam.
If you liked this article on what to eat in Azerbaijan check out our article on some of the off the beaten track things to do in the rarely visited country.
