Based on cave drawings found in Gobustan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Baku, the ancestors of the Azerbaijani people were diagraming cuts of meat as early as the 17th century B C.E. Additionally, one of the world’s earliest cookbooks was written in the 15th century by Azerbaijani scholar Muhammed ibn Mahmud Shirvani.
Mainstays of the Azerbaijani meals are tea, or chay, and some variation of herbs, spices, local fruits, and vegetables.
Azerbaijani meals—breakfasts in particular—tend to rely on simple fresh ingredients. Freshly baked bread (tandir chorek), farm-fresh eggs, homemade butter, different types of goat and cow cheese, and preserves (cherry, walnut, feijoa [guavasteen], fig, and quince) are common offerings.
The most popular dishes in Azerbaijan are discussed. Azerbaijani Radio Hour: The Voice of the Karabakh Foundation, October 23, 2011. Access any of the shows of the Azerbaijani Radio Hour: The Voice of the Karabakh Foundation at www.KarabakhFoundation.org.
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