National cuisine
Azerbaijan has very rich and high qualified dishes, very high hospitability traditions. Since the old centuries meat and food products were considered the symbol of richness. The more the tables were decorated, the most the forthcoming year would be richer. The facts that 7 out of 11 climate belts in the world exist in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, its fauna and flora is rich, and the geographical position of it is very suitable affect the richness of its cuisine. The dishes of Nakhchivan are very characteristic, but the meals of other regions of Azerbaijan are also included to the Nakhchivan dishes. The dishes of Nakhchivan influenced the dishes of neighbour countries for its richness, unparalleled taste.
It is impossible to imagine any table without bread in Azerbaijan and also in Nakhchivan. In connection with this, the assortment of bread in Nakhchivan is different; the tendir lavash as thin as paper, galin (thick), dastana, komba(ash cake) etc.
The dishes – parcha bozbash, kufta bozbash, cholmak piti, bozartma, chigirtma, dolma, kabab, khash, arishta, umaj, and others are frequently used in the cuisine of Nakhchivan.
Plov is considered the king meal in Nakhchivan. The key content of plov is rice. But the “gravy part” of plov is different, and it is usually prepared from mutton, beef, chicken, dessert (nut, hazel, almond), dried fruit (apricot, plum, alycha (cherry-plum) etc.) vegetables, and other ingredients.
The dishes of Nakhchivan are also famous for their dough meals; noodle soup, umaj soup, the halvas made of wheat and rice flour, khashil, guymaq, and others.
The milk and milky products–milk porridge, bulama, gatigashi, gatiglama, dovgha, ayranashi, gurutashi, and others occupy a very special place in the Nakhchivan cuisine.
The kinds of kabab spread widely in Azerbaijan. The lula kabab, tika kabab, basdirma kabab, tava kabab, sajichi kabab, and other kinds of kababs are roasted (cooked). The kabab is mainly cooked of mutton, beef, and also chicken.
Different sorts of fish live in the lakes and rivers of Nakhchivan. The fish dishes occupy a very honourable place in the cuisine of Nakhchivan. They are served as: fish kababs, roasted fish, fish basdirma, and others.
The Nakhchivan cuisine is also rich with different juice, syrops, broths, salads and so on.
In Nakhchivan usually tea is served with different sweets and jams.
The broadly spread specific sweets of Nakhchivan are the omlet of Ordubad and pakhlava, shakarbura, various cakes, bukma, and others.
As a result of fresh ecology, richness of fresh air and sunrays, and other factors of Nakhchivan, the fruit vegetable and other products growing here are very tasty and qualified. All these and other factors influence the prepared products–meals, sweets, syrops, and juices be tasty and piquant.