Baku 
Gyanja 
Naxcivan 
Ask Azerbaijanis what their most important dish and, undoubtedly, they'll tell you "plov", the king of Azerbaijani cuisine. In Southern Azerbaijan (in Iran), rice is served on a daily basis. In the Azerbaijani Republic, however, plov (often referred to as "ash") is presented as the grand finale to special meals, such as at weddings, birthday parties, special dinners, family gatherings and even funerals. In the Republic, pilaf is not just an accompaniment to other dishes. The pilaf is served on a large platter and topped with melted butter. Rice mixed with saffron provides a bright golden decorative garnish on top. In the Republic of Azerbaijan, it's very popular to serve pilaf with meat, prunes, raisins and chestnuts.
There are more than 100 different kinds of plov. Some of the most popular kinds include: chicken plov, shuyud plov (chopped dill), kishmish plov (raisins), sudlu ash (milk), giyma plov (finely chopped meat, potatoes and yellow split peas), sabzi plov (greens) and fisinjan (pomegranate syrup, walnuts and chicken).
Making the perfect plov requires care and experience - like a fine science. There are many variables: timing, temperature, the proportion of rice to water, the size and thickness of the pot and the quality of the rice. The type of rice used is usually the long-grain basmati-style rice, which they are starting to grow again in the Lankaran region, in the south of Azerbaijan. To keep the rice from burning, some cooks place a thin layer of lavash bread or potatoes in the bottom of the pan. This becomes gazmag ("tadig" in Farsi), the crunchy delicacy that many consider to be the best part of the plov. In this photo, the rice has been garnished with pieces of gazmag made of dough.
Sabza-Govurma Pilau
Mutton - 221 g; rice - 150 g; butter oil - 50 g; onions - 50 g; greens (kyavyar, coriander, spinach, sorrel) - 150 g; abgora (juice of unripe grapes) - 5 g or citric acid -0.1 g; saffron - 0.1 g; pepper -0.2 g; salt to taste.
Cut mutton flesh into 35-40 g pieces, sprinkle with pepper and salt and brown. Add abgora, simmered onions and coarsely chopped greens and stew until cooked. Cook rice separately and colour part of it with saffron infusion. Lay the rice out on a plate and the cooked sabza-govurma next to it. Pour butter oil over the dish.
Shirin-Pilau
Rice - 150 g; butter oil - 5 g; raisins - 30 g; dried apricots - 30 g; sugar - 40 g; dried plums - 30 g; wheat flour - 10 g; egg - 116; salt to taste.
Stew fruit with sugar in butter oil for a while. Make a dough cake from wheat flour with the addition of egg, put it on the bottom of a kasan (a special cooking pot). Cook rice until half-done, mix with the stewed fruit, and cook until ready. Heap pilau on a plate and put kazmag (fried crust of rice) around it and plums at the top.
Toyug-Pilau
Chicken - 207 g; rice - 100 g; onions - 20 g; shelled almonds - 10 g; butter oil - 50 g; lavashana (rolled thin tablets of dried cherry plums) or cornel - 10 g; raisins - 50 g; caraway seeds -0.1 g; saffron -0.1 g; pepper -0.1 g; salt to taste.
Boil chicken in water until cooked. Simmer fruit in oil separately, add simmered onions and caraway. Put separately cooked rice on a plate, place a piece of chicken and cooked fruit and kazmag on top of it and pour butter oil over the dish.
Giymya-Pilau
Mutton - 221 g; rice - 100 g; butter oil - 50 g; raisins - 30 g; dried cornel -20 g; onions - 40 g; chestnuts - 30 g; saffron -0.1 g; wheat flour - 6 g; egg -118; cinnamon - 0.2 g; pepper -0.1 g; salt to taste.
Make a dough cake from wheat flour with the addition of egg. Mince mutton and fry in oil. Brown washed cornel and raisins and cooked and peeled chestnuts in oil separately and add to the minced meat. Cook the mixture (giymya) until ready. Put separately cooked rice on a plate, garnish with giymya, add kazmag, pour butter oil over the dish and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Parcha-Doshamya Pilau
Mutton - 221 g; rice - 150 g; butter oil - 50 g; raisins - 30 g; dried apricots -25 g; chestnuts - 50 g; onions - 20 g; saffron -0.1 g; caraway seeds -0.1 g; cinnamon -0.1 g; pepper -0.1 g; salt to taste.
Brown a chunk of mutton and separate the bones. Add simmered onions, fruit, peeled chestnuts, caraway and a small quantity of meat stock. Stew until cooked. Heap separately cooked rice on a plate and put the cooked mutton, fruit, chestnuts and kazmag on top. Pour butter oil over the dish and sprinkle with cinnamon.
