Cuisines of the Caugasus: Azerbaidzhan

Many Azerbaidzhani dishes carry Turkish names and are sometimes similar to dishes found all over the Near East and Central Asia; methods of preparation and the predominating tastes most closely resemble those of Iranian cooking. In the eighth century Azerbaidzhan was conquered by the Arabs, but the introduction of Islam did little to change the traditional culture with its Persian affinities dating from the sixth century BC –nor did the subsequent Turkish and Mongol invasions. Persian influence was further strengthened in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries when Azerbaidzhan became part of Persia.