The Food and Art of Azerbaijan

This appealing cookbook gathers over two hundred tried-and-true recipes from Azerbaijan, an underappreciated culinary region many Westerners have yet to experience. An excellent preparatory read for the 2015 European Games to be held in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku, The Food and Art of Azerbaijan is the quintessential culinary guide to the region.

Azeri food is Turkish in origin, and this book of family-style recipes includes delectable Azeri national dishes featuring all the traditional elements: meats and fish, such as chicken, mutton, and sturgeon; main vegetables of eggplants, sweet peppers, and squashes; and fragrant herbs like anise, dill, and saffron. Khabiba Kashkay’s favorite pickles and marinades are also featured, offering simple Azeri adaptions of American dishes as well.

The Food and Art of Azerbaijan is helpfully arranged by season, and a tantalizing photograph accompanies every recipe. At the beginning of each seasonal section, Kashkay introduces the cuisine with a personal essay about her country and a showcase of twentieth-century Azeri art. Together, these elements form a visual culinary journey to a land previously unexplored by Western chefs and tastemakers.