National culinary team delights foodies in Tatarstan

Azerbaijani cuisine is strikingly diverse and offers a unique blend of flavors and spices. From savory kebabs to sweet pastries, this cuisine is a true delight for foodies.

The guests and participants of the Russia-Islamic World: Kazan Forum 2023 have highly appreciated mouthwatering national food within Days of Azerbaijani cuisine.

The Festival of Cuisines of the World was also held as part of the event.

The culinary competition was held at the Kazan Expo IEC with the participation of chefs from 13 countries, who presented their culinary masterpieces in different categories: Seafood Dishes, Student Team Competitions, Meat Dishes, Restaurant Dessert Dish, Poultry dishes", National dishes - dough products, National dishes - main dishes, as well as Black box and Children with disabilities cook with chefs.

Cooks from Tatarstan won the Chefs Cup, while the second place was shared between the teams of Azerbaijan, Algeria and Russia. Meanwhile, the third place went to Uzbekistan, Turkiye and Iran.

In total, Azerbaijani culinary team won one Cup, 13 gold, 12 silver and one bronze medals.

Within the framework of the events, general director of Azerbaijan Culinary Center, Honored Cultural Worker and jury member Tahir Amiraslanov also presented the book "Pearls of Karabakh Cuisine".

Earlier, Azerbaijani culinary team claimed three bronze medals at European Grand Prix 2023: Global Chefs Competition.

Azerbaijani chefs competed in four categories: head chef Sarkhan Mammadov and his assistant chef Abdulla Abdullayev won a bronze medal in the Global Master Chefs Competition, head confectioner Gulnar Rasulova and assistant Zinyat Akhundova showed their best in the Global Pastry Chef category, and the head chef Nijat Babayev and assistant Leyla Valiyeva won bronze medals in Global Vegan Chef competition.

These victories qualified the members of the Azerbaijani team for the final stage of the "World Chefs' Congress 2024 event, which will be held in Singapore next year.

Note that Azerbaijani cuisine offers a wide range of spices, meat dishes and vegetables. Fresh herbs, including mint, coriander, dill, basil, parsley, tarragon, leek, chive, thyme, marjoram, green onion, and watercress are very popular and often accompany the main dish.

Dolma, bozbash, bozartma, Shish kebab, piti, pilaf, and govurma are unique dishes of the national cuisine.

Shah Pilaf is the signature dish of the national cuisine. The name of this dish is derived from its shape which resembles the crown of a Medieval Eastern ruler. It is traditionally presented as the main dish at wedding ceremonies in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan attracts all those who have a sweet tooth. There are more than 30 varieties of Azerbaijani pastries that use unique ingredients such as poppy seeds, walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, ginger, and cardamom, which make the treats spicy and especially tasty.

Pakhlava, shekerbura, and badambura, symbols of the Novruz holiday, are among the most famous Azerbaijani sweets.