Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani cuisine, being one of the most ancient and multifaceted in the world, offers a great variety of dishes.

The Azerbaijani cuisine is appealing both for meat eaters and vegetarians, those abiding by dietic nutrition and people that are fond of good, delicious and satisfying meal. Cooking techniques are very different and diverse, too depending on people’s geographic locations.

Throughout the year, Azerbaijani cuisine uses potherbs, vegetables and fruits. Combinations of spices, seasonings, dried fruits and herbs used in various dishes provide Azerbaijani meals with unusual flavor and beautiful appearance. Olive oil, lemon, herbs, cinnamon, cloves and parsley are among the most loved flavors here.

Qutab remains one of the most beloved national dishes. Qutab is a sort of pancake with different stuffing.

Different kinds of meat, spinach, cheese, pumpkin are among the most popular staffing. It is wrapped into a thin layer of dough made of flour, water, eggs and salt, into a crescent-shaped form patties, and then the patties are fried on both sides. Qutab is usually served with herbed yoghurt, greens and sumac.

Each region of Azerbaijan has own favorite qutabs. You can taste Shamakhi qutab in the north of the country and Jorat qutab in the settlement near Baku. Tourist destinations, like Sehirli Tendir and Manqal traditional cafes in the Old City, are specialized on this meal.

Cooking qutab may seem like a complicated thing to do, requiring much craftsmanship. But once you've tried your hand at it and most importantly enjoyed eating it, it will become your favorite homemade fast food.

More than 200 tourists have already joined a workshop held in "Karvansara" complex in Icherisheher to learn cooking qutab.

A professional chef showed the tourists how to cook the delicious Azerbaijani qutab. The culinary workshop aroused great interest among foreign guests.

The project, jointly organized by the Baku City Main Department of Culture and Tourism and "Karvansara" complex, aims to promote Azerbaijani cuisine and show the tourists the ways of cooking national dishes.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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