Dishes of the Azerbaijani cuisine

All the cuisines are good in their own way. Azerbaijan cuisine is not as well known as the Georgian or Armenian, but it nevertheless gave the world a lot of delicious dishes, such as special types of pilaf and delicious oriental sweets, melt in your mouth. These dishes can be cooked on its own, you need only know the basic principles of the Azerbaijani cuisine.

Historically, Azerbaijan is very close to Iran, and, accordingly, the kitchen of these countries have much in common. The adoption of Islam has also had an impact on the national cuisine: in particular, the Azerbaijanis do not eat pork, preferring her lamb or veal. Meat must necessarily be young and tender - it is connected with the peculiarities of preparation adopted in the Azerbaijani cuisine.

Until the mid-19th century Azerbaijan was a lot of principalities, khanates, and this led to the fact that in different regions of the country were fixed different culinary traditions. Today the Azerbaijani cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the South Caucasus. In the south, the main dishes are stuffed poultry, baked on an open fire, and fish cooked in the tandoor. In the north, the preference is given to the dishes of meat and dough, for example, khinkali. In large cities since ancient times made oriental sweets Eastern sweets   - Baklava, Shakerbura, kurabe and others.

Features

The main meat in Azerbaijan is the lamb, and the young. But this is not the only raw material for cooking - happy to eat in this country and veal, as well as game and poultry. Meat is often combined with nuts and fruits, especially acidic. For example, to add plum lamb, veal dogwood, and to the game - pomegranate juice. A great place in the Azerbaijani cuisine occupies and river or sea fish: it is baked in the tandoor, prepared in the open window, a steam bath, smoked, stuffed with fruit and nuts.

Very popular variety of vegetables, especially spicy greens. Some meat dishes vegetables play a major role, and the meat is the only accompaniment to them. Most often, vegetables and herbs are used in raw form, but they are often stewed, boiled or fried with the meat.

Potatoes became widely used by Azerbaijani cooks relatively recently: in the middle of the XX century. Before that, as a starchy component used chestnut dishes. The sweet taste of chestnuts perfectly with traditional Azerbaijani spices like barberry, dogwood, plum, pomegranate juice, unripe grapes and juice from it.

The use of root crops for the Azerbaijani cuisine is not typical. Generally prefers classic cuisine herbs, artichokes, asparagus, Nute, green beans, green onions, poreyu. Later, it was used peppers, tomatoes, eggplants. Lots of eating nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts are a part of the plurality of Azerbaijani dishes. Along with vegetables, fruits are used, and their use for the preparation of not only sweet, but also savory.

A distinctive feature of Azerbaijani cuisine is widely used rose petals. Of these, boil syrup, make aromatic liqueur, rose water is added to a variety of desserts. Others spices are used sparingly: black pepper, cinnamon, saffron and cardamom Cardamom: grains of paradise and the king of spices   give the dish its characteristic aroma, but not clog the taste of foods. Salted foods very sparingly.

Azeri plov

One of the most famous dishes of Azerbaijan - is plov. This dish is very different from his Uzbek "namesake". The food is prepared in the Iranian technology: boiled rice separately from the other components. Azeri plov - a dish elegant, sophisticated, festive. There are many of his recipes.

Rice occupies more than half the volume in a dish, and therefore requires special skill of cooking. The problem is that the cook to risinki not stuck and not cracked, and only a uniform increase in volume and become soft. To use special pilau rice varieties, which are boiled in a special way (for example, for a couple). Along with rice is put on the table "Gara" - part of the pilaf, cooked meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits, eggs and herbs. Separately, further served spicy greens.

There are many varieties of Azeri plov - each of them has a special name and special nuances of cooking:

• Kaurma-pilaf made from lamb;
• Turschi-kaurma-cooked lamb pilaf, augmented by acidic fruit;
• Touho-pilaf made from chicken, fried slices;
• Chigyrtma-pilaf made from chicken, drenched beaten eggs;
• Sheshryanch-pilaf is egg-based;
• Shirin pilaf made from sweet fruit;
• Syudlu-pilaf preparing milk-based.

Eastern sweets

Considerable place in the Azerbaijani cuisine devoted to sweets. Oriental delicacies are very sweet, the taste of European even, perhaps, a little cloying. They can not be called light and low-calorie but rich taste makes these desserts very attractive.

Thus, the fame acquired kurabe - crumbly butter cookies with jam. No less known and sweets such as the shekerbura (sand pies Patties. Hospitable dish   stuffed with nuts) or baklava (layered cake with honey and nuts). In addition to the pastry cook and various jams, including quite exotic, such as rose petal or walnuts. It is popular and famous Turkish Delight.

Azerbaijani sherbets a name reminiscent of the Central Asian - here they play a role not dense dessert and soft drink. Most often, sorbets are served as an accompaniment to the pilaf: their gentle refreshing sour taste perfectly complements hearty.

Maria Bykov

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