Azerbaijan is an amazing land where various beauties are collected

Garabagh cuisine - it’s more than just tasty dishes Azerbaijan is an amazing land where various beauties are collected: from a rich history and fascinating nature to a tasty and unforgettable cuisine that does not leave anyone indifferent.Azerbaijani cuisine  one of the ancient, rich and tasty cuisines in the world. İt  is a spectacular fusion of flavours whisked together by the different cultures that once travelled along The Great Silk Road. The country’s unique geography has also given rise to some of the world’s most flavoursome produce: sumptuous fruits and vegetables, nuts and honey, juices and sweets. 

Ministry Culture of Azerbaijan noticed that the Azerbaijani cuisine has been created by the genius of the Azerbaijani in today’s Republic of Azerbaijan, Southern (Iranian) Azerbaijan, Iravan Khanate, Zangazour, and Goyja provinces, where Azerbaijanis were forced out of their homes, in the territories of districts (Borchaly) where Azerbaijanis of Georgia have lived since the old times, in the territory of Dagestan, including Darband, which had been the centre for former Azerbaijani people, and surrounding territories. 
Eight climate zones exist in the territory of Azerbaijan, and these conditions, in its turn, the diversity and richness of the flora and fauna of this region creates favourable conditions for the lives and development of all animals and plants. And they are the basis for the creation of rich cuisine. 

Therefore, each region of Azerbaijan has its own dishes, pickles, dried fruits. In this regard, Karabakh (Garabagh) cuisine is distinguished by its richness.

Karabakh cuisine stands out for its taste and variety

The fabulous range of scenery in Karabakh, from towering mountains to forests, steppes and semi-deserts, not to mention its rich culture, has historically made it one of Azerbaijan’s top gastronomic destinations.There are many well-known local dishes, such as sheshrangi (literally: ‘six colours’), made from dried fruits, mutton, rice, onion and eggs; plov made with dill; and a sweet bread called  ‘Garabagh’s kata’. There are some excellent fish dishes due to the abundance of rivers, and meat, especially lamb, often in the form of kebabs, is an inseparable part of the cuisine of this region.

According to Jeyran Asgarova, General director of Azerbaijan National Culinary Center of Azerbaijan under the State Tourism Agency, dishes specific to the Karabakh region are distinguished not only by their taste, but also by their diversity: "The specialty of the cuisine of Karabakh is the predominance of dishes made from meat. You know that the Karabakh sheep breed is distinguished by its fat tail and sweet meat. This adds a special taste to the food. Karabakh doheme plov, boyanali plov, yogurt plov are very popular. Also, dishes prepared from edible herbs, greens, especially wild plants are the basis of Karabakh cuisine”. 

Shusha cuisine is one of the cuisines that has a special place in the Karabakh region. Shusha’s markets traditionally offered a wide selection of spices and herbs due to its role as a vital trading hub. Many of these ingredients, including saffron, cinnamon, cloves, barberries, cumin, safflower, sumac, basil, coriander, mint, dill, parsley, fennel and tarragon, also found their way into the signature aromatic dishes of local Shusha cuisine.

Perfectly seasoned plovs and kebabs are the undisputed highlights of Shusha cuisine. ‘Boyanali’, ‘shuyudlu’, ‘giymeli’, ‘chighirtma’, and ‘turshugovurma’ are among the most loved plovs, traditionally accompanied by pickles for irresistible fusions of flavours. Mostly made from Karabakh lamb, ‘tike’, ‘lyulya’, ‘tandir’ and ‘saj’ kebabs from Shusha are also highly renowned.
The most popular sweets of this region are fasali and kata. Fasali is a flaky flatbread which is infused with spices and often sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with honey after serving. Kata is a traditional sweet pastry with a filling made from butter, vanilla, sugar and flour. The dough, meanwhile, is whipped up from butter, milk, eggs, flour, sugar and salt. 

“Shushali dish” by Worldchefs President

Last year President of the World Association of Chefs Societies (Worldchefs) Thomas Gugler has visited the city of Shusha, Azerbaijan’s cultural capital. During the trip, Thomas Gugler viewed the preparation process of Boyanali plov, which belongs to Karabakh region, as well as “Shah Plov” - the King of Azerbaijani cuisine. Worldchefs President, inspired by the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, prepared a specially designed “Shushali dish” with a creative recipe, symbolizing Shusha.
It should be noted that during the Karabakh conflict, Armenia, which occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's land for 30 years, t also attempted to grab its glorious history, culture and cuisine. 

According to Sakina Asgarova, the Director of the Gastronomy Department at the Reserved Management Center, in order to prevent such situations, it is very important to introduce Karabakh cuisine to the whole world. Multidirectional works are being carried out by the State Tourism Agency in the direction of protecting our national cuisine samples and promoting our country as a gastronomic destination. 

S. Asgarova also noted that a number of works related to the promotion of Karabakh cuisine have been done: "In 2022, the 1st International Culinary Festival was held in Shusha, the cradle of our culture, and last year an event themed "Common Turkic Cuisine" has got underway in Shusha. Dishes of Turkic-speaking countries’ national cuisine are presented at the event. At the recently held "Shusha Days" in Morocco, samples of Karabakh cuisine were prepared, including stuffed pip, kebab buryan, firni, dyenali ash, Karabakh keta.
In addition, it is planned to hold the "Common Cuisine of Islamic Countries" festival in Shusha this year. The guests will be informed about the local cuisine and historical recipes of Shusha and Karabakh in general."

Dolma and Lavash are on the Representative List of UNESCO

In order to prevent continuous attempts to appropriate the dishes of Azerbaijan's cuisine and  to protect its own cultural heritage, Azerbaijan sending its own application to the UNESCO. Thus, in 2016 “Flatbread making and sharing culture: Lavash, Katyrma, Jupka, Yufka” was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity  as a multinational nomination (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey). In 2017, "The tradition of making and sharing dolman, which is part of the cultural identity" presented by Azerbaijan was included in the Representative List of UNESCO. It should be noted that in Karabakh, many types of dolma are prepared - apple, quince, dough, tomato, eggplant, grape leaf, cabbage dolma. There are more than 25 varieties of this dish, including vitamin full vegetables. 

The government of Azerbaijan presents rich culinary traditions of country and especially Karabakh at prestigious international exhibitions. Culinary Education Center will be established in Tugh village of Khojavend district soon. The famous Bread Museum will be restored in the Aghdam. In the near future, a number of examples of Karabakh cuisine are expected to be included in the Representative List of UNESCO.
Fidan Aliyeva