Azerbaijani delicacies delights foodies in London [PHOTO]

By Laman Ismayilova

The National Geographic Traveler Food Festival is back in London, Azernews reports, citing the British Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Food Festival offers a great opportunity to discover authentic international cuisine.

The London Food Festival includes everything from expert panel discussions to demonstrations and interviews with famous chefs, cookbook authors, experts and enthusiasts.

The Traveler Food Festival brought together chefs from different corners of the world including Spain, Portugal, Nepal, Sri Lanka, etc.

For the first time, Azerbaijani chefs will take part in the Food Festival.

The national cuisine received well-deserved attention at the London Food Festival.

During the Food Festival, talented chefs Javid Hasanov and Ruslan Aliza shared the secrets of delicious dolma and cabbage rolls at the master class.

Dolma is traditionally filled with ground lamb and/or beef, rice, onions and herbs. In different regions of Azerbaijan, dolma is made from leaves of vine trees, linden, quince, beech, sorrel, bean leaves, pennycress and other plants.

The country annually hosts the International Dolma Festival, where gourmets enjoy different types of this incredible dish.

In 2017, Azerbaijan’s dolma was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

As part of the festival, gourmets had an opportunity to try delicious qutabs and pilaf.

The people of Azerbaijan cannot imagine a dining table without qutab and pilaf.

Qutab is a type of pancake filled with many ingredients such as herbs, meat, cheese, squash and beans.

Every region of Azerbaijan has its favorite types of qutabs. You can try Shamakhi qutab in the north of the country and Jorat qutab in the settlement near Baku.

First, cooking qutab may seem like a complicated task that requires a lot of manual dexterity. But once you’ve tried it and most importantly enjoyed eating it, it becomes your favorite homemade fast food.

Azerbaijani cuisine offers a large number of pilaf dishes. The traditional cuisine includes over 40 rice recipes.

Each region is famous for its own culinary masterpiece. Shakh pilaf (crown pilaf) is the hallmark of the national cuisine.

The name of this dish derives from its shape, which resembles the crown of a medieval Eastern ruler. Pilaf is traditionally presented as the main dish at wedding ceremonies in Azerbaijan.

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Laman Ismayilova is a journalist at AzerNews, follow her on Twitter: @Lamiva993