Welcome to AZCookbook

 

Feride Buyuran

Photo: by Raffael Dickreuter

 

Hi there. I’m Feride. I live in sunny Long Beach, California.

I am the recipe developer, content creator, and food photographer behind AZCookbook, my bi-lingual (English and Azerbaijani) food blog. I am a cookbook author (more in a bit). I’ve done lectures and presentations about Azerbaijani cuisine and culture and my book at various venues (check out Schedule & Events for upcoming events). I also organize and lead unique, small-group food and culture tours to Azerbaijan and Georgia.

This blog has been up and running since January of 2008 and here, I share my love of food and culture.

My passion lies in the cuisines that I love and am most familiar with and this is what I mostly blog about – the food of the Caucasus and Turkey. Here you can find many recipes for both sweet and savory Azerbaijani and Turkish dishes. However, because I love exploring cuisines in general, I also publish recipes I find particularly interesting, regardless of their origin (like Guyanese butter-flaps and Indian mango lassi)

I can’t wait for you to try my recipes and share them with your friends and family! I encourage you to subscribe to my blog so I can send you recipe updates straight into your inbox.

Why AZCookbook

A lot of people ask me if AZ is for Arizona and if yes, then why. The truth is, AZ implies all kinds of foods from A to Z and is also short for Azerbaijan, where I am from. And since this blog is mostly a compilation of recipes, I thought “cookbook” fit right in. Hence the name AZCookbook.

Why Pomegranate in the Logo

First and foremost, for my love of it, which is not random. I grew up in a country where pomegranates are as common as apples. They are used extensively in traditional cuisine.  They appear in folk tales, stories, poems, paintings, architecture, and other designs. Why not in my logo, too? Check out my recipes with pomegranates.

Recipes

Recipes on AZ Cookbook come from various sources: my personal recipe collection, my Azerbaijani mom and my Turkish mother-in-law, relatives,  friends, numerous cookbooks, magazines,  websites, and other food blogs.  I meticulously test all the recipes before publishing them here. They absolutely have to work and my readers often report that they do. Browse the Recipe Index by Category, by Ingredient, and by Monthly postings. All posts are also featured in the Picture Gallery. Also, check out my Shop for kitchen items and ingredients you can use to cook up my recipes.

My Book

Yes, I published a book! It is called Pomegranates and Saffron: A Culinary Journey to Azerbaijan. I had a unique idea, I dreamed about my own book, and published it after 7 years of hard work and obsessive determination. But it was so worth it. I am happy to share with you that my book won 5 major awards:

1) Gourmand World Cookbook Award – Best Eastern European Cookbook in the U.S.
2) Gourmand Best in the World Cookbook Award –International Jury’s Choice.
3) Living Now Book Award – Silver Medal in Ethnic Cookbooks category.
4) National Indie Excellence Award – Winner in International Cookbooks category.
5) Best Books Award – Finalist in International Cookbooks category.

You can get your copy of the book on AZ Cookbook store (U.S. and international shipping available) or on Amazon (U.S. shipping only). I would be happy to sign your book if you request so during checkout (option available on AZ Cookbook store only).

Gourmand World Cookbook Awards,Yantai, China

Here I am with my cookbook in Yantai, China, right after we won the Best in the World Award.

Press

Saveur listed AZ Cookbook among the 55 Great Global Food Blogs.  My work has been featured on radio programs, print publications, websites, and blogs. I am beyond thrilled! Please see my Press section of the blog for the full list of nods and mentions.

Photography

Unless stated otherwise, I style and photograph all the pictures for this blog. I did most of the photography in my book as well. I am not a professional photographer but I am constantly working on upgrading my skills. There is so much to learn! I use Canon Digital Rebel XTi. I dream about upgrading it to Canon EOS 6D. The lenses I use:  Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM macro lens and Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM standard lens. I am very happy with both. I edit my photos in Photoshop Elements, which works great for me, but I am also keen to try my hand at Photoshop Lightroom one day as I hear good things about it.

Copyrights

All text and photography appearing in this blog is the exclusive property of AZCookbook. Please respect my work and do not copy, display, or distribute any text or photo from this blog without my permission. Contact me if interested.

Use of My Recipes

If you like a recipe on my blog and would love to try it in your kitchen then post it on your blog, I am all for it. But please do not just copy and paste the recipe. Try it, write about it, and link back to its original source on AZCookbook. It is so rewarding to see my recipes tried and mentioned on other websites and blogs.

Advertising and Amazon Links

Some of the links on this blog are affiliate links to products on Amazon or other websites. I only recommend products and services that I believe will be of value to you and help you in some ways. AZ Cookbook receives a small commission if you click on those links and  make a purchase.  Your price doesn’t change whether you buy a product or service via affiliate link or not.  I also display ads on this blog. Any fees that I receive from running both the affiliate links and ads help me keep the blog running so I don’t stop sharing great recipes with you for free.

Comments

I love reading your comments! Please keep them coming. I welcome constructive feedback. If you leave a question about a particular recipe in your comment, I will try to answer it as soon as I can. You can also email me but keeping your questions in the comments section may be helpful to other readers who may share the same concern or have the same question. In that way, we’ll learn together.

Never Miss a Recipe

Subscribe to AZ Cookbook and receive updates to your email. As a token of appreciation for your subscription, you will receive my e-Cookbook with top 20 recipes from this blog for FREE!

Connect With Me On Social Media

Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

Thank you for visiting! Come back again soon!

173 Comments

Leave a Reply

  1. My family & I loved the eggplant rolls, stuffed grapeleaves & (not yet posted) sweet & sour chicken! Thank you so much for sharing these timeless recipes Farida!

    Fariba in Columbus, OH

  2. Post more!
    I have to send the link to those who are fond of Azeri cuisine (and learn myself too:-)).
    Ellerine sahlik:-)

  3. Hi Farida! Congratulations with your exciting website! How is your daughter? Murad? I recognized you when saw your picture. I am Anar’s sister, Sevinj.

    Waiting for new receipts.

  4. Hey!! I have a very good azeri friend who is guilty for my addiction to baklava I wonder If you can share the secret of this magic sweet

  5. Thank you, guys! To Pakhlava (Baklava) lover:) I will post the recipe as soon as I am done with it. It is going to be in my book too, no book without Pakhlava!!:))

  6. Farida,
    This is very good idea!!!
    I want to share link that has so many good Azeri recipies. May be you can contact Gulya and see if you can use some of her recipies. She has ??????????????? ????? 1-9 with at least 50 different items from Azeri cuisine. I have tried them and they are excellent

    http://www.citykitchen.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=131&hl=

    Good Luck!!!

    Kama V

  7. Kama, thanks a lot. I will look at Gulya’s site.

  8. Hi!
    A friend of mine with name that gives us HOPE, has advised me to surf this site. It’s great. For me it showed our national dishes from a different angle. Do you think of adding special section devoted to Azeri dishes, which could be prepared in microwave oven? It’s very important for single men who are tired of pizza and frozen fish 😉

  9. Elshad, your message left me wondering if microwaving is an option in Azeri cuisine:) I am in dilemma now! Honestly, I am not pro-microwave, but if a good idea strikes me, I will let you know:)) In the meantime, try some of the easy recipes I have posted or will be posting soon. Single men should eat healthy too:))

  10. Thanks a lot, Farida! It’s nice to have these recipes when you’re 19, far away from home, and desperately trying to learn to cook Azeri food! I’ll go get started with a couple of your recipes, some Azeri friends are coming over tonight 🙂 thanks again, allarina sagliq!

  11. Aytan, thanks for visiting. I hope the recipes turn our just fine for you and you impress your friends:) Nush olsun! Visit again!

  12. Hello Farida! How come I didn’t try these recipes when I was in Long Beach! You’re such a great chef and this cooking book is brilliant. Pictures are also very nice. I like it very much 🙂 >>> jinna

  13. Thank you, Jinna! I didn’t have time to cook fancy stuff when I was a student:) Come to LB now, and I’ll cook for you! Missed you!

  14. Hey Farida,

    great site, I am impressed – and not only by the recipes but also the design etc. However, I am also amazed that despite having an US MBA, you have not Americanized: no ad’s or fees on any recipe :):).

    Keep up the good work :),

    Cheers,
    -Jan

  15. Welcome, Jan and Thank you! Now you have to promise you will print out the recipes from this blog and cook for Ayse:) We missed you guys!

  16. Farida khanim! Thanks a lot, your recipes make us feel like back home. It’s really encouraging me. I’m wondering wheather you can make Baki Quymasi))) U know what I’m talking about))) It’s different from the Regional Quyma.

    Take my huge greetings to your sweeties.

    Ellerinize saghliq!!!

  17. Alida, thanks for visiting! Do you mean Quymaq? I am not a big fan of it, but I have the recipe. Will try to post it when I get a chance. I now have a long list with requests I am trying to accommodate:) Take care:)

  18. Yaseminle seni bulduk. Harikas?n. Seninle gurur duyuyoruz.

  19. Hi Farida!
    It was a wonderful coincidence receiving an e-mail from you because I was finally looking at your wonderful website! The recipes sound delicious and the pictures tell me that they are. What a beautiful layout, and you have captured your voice perfectly in the writing that you do. I plan to prepare a few of the recipes. I was so happy to see your smiling face in that delightful photo of you! You should be very proud of this project. Please stay in touch.
    With love,
    Sandra

  20. Dear Sandra, thank you so much for your wonderful words! You are an inspiration to me with your writing which I can’t beat:) I am happy to hear you’ll try some of my recipes. Missed you.

  21. Farida, thank you again. I have sent your blog all my friends. It is really wonderful to share your recipes with everybody.

    Thank you very much.

    Jamila

  22. Hi Farida,
    Nice blog, seeing “Azerbaijan” just came to check..
    loved your recipes.. 🙂

  23. Hi Seena, thanks for stopping by. The name Azerbaijan attracts, doesn’t it:) Please do visit again. I love your blog too!

  24. Thank you for visiting my blog, Farida! And I will be adding you to my blogroll as I do like what you are doing and hope your cookbook really turns out well!

    Barbara

  25. Farida, nice to know more about you…wish you all the best with your cookbook.

  26. Barbara, Sunita: Welcome and thank you!

  27. Our family just moved to Baku and I am very interested in learning how to cook here. This site is very helpful to me because it is in English and I don’t speak Azeri very well yet. Thank you for all the work. It is so well done.

  28. Hi Farida!

    I’ve tagged you for a Six Word Memoir. If you choose to play, and you don’t have to, but if you do, you can see the rules in this post:

    http://ellesnewenglandkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/04/thai-chicken-saute-and-six-word-memoir.html

    Cheers!

  29. Hi Farida
    Thank you for the lovely comment on my blog. Of course I don’t mind you adding me to your blog roll. I will do the same.

    George x

  30. Nice to put a face to the chef. It’s nice to see that you make time to enjoy cooking. I love to cook, been doing it for 20 yrs, I’m 33. I like your site’s set up. You ever thought of putting some group posting blog party thing together, like the cheese cake lolipop idea. Whatcha think?

    Erik

  31. COX BEYENDIM HELAL OLSUN BELEDEKI BIZIM CANIMIZDA VAR YARADICILIK OZUNE YAXSHI BAX SENE UGURLAR!!!!!!!!

  32. Hi Farida! Check out my blog to see what I made! I guess I am hired as a tester! That is just a start, I am sure to try more… 🙂

    Can’t wait for your cookbook, keep us posted!

  33. YAY! A cookbook! Let me know if you need some help!

  34. hi ferish.hw r u? yemeklerin eladiiii.tak derjaatttt

  35. Xaricdeki Azerbaycanin uz aglarindansiniz Tebrikler..

  36. Hi Farida,

    Your picture of the this recipe is outstanding! I wan to try it, but I am not sure what you mean by white cheese (part skim milk cheese). What cheese would be comparable in the US?

  37. You’ve got extraordinary talent in cooking, Farida. The pictures look great and make me feel hungry instantly. And I’m sure they taste great as well. I hope my future wife will be as talented in cooking – what a life that would be. 🙂
    Enjoy your day,
    cheers,

    Igrar

  38. ??????,?? ???????,????????? ? ??? ?? ????

  39. strong!

  40. Hi!
    How are you? It is the first time that i’ve been here. it is very good. I am proud of you!:)

  41. Dear Farida,

    My name is Kemal and I live in Midwest. I’m a student and I love azeri food. However, I’m too lazy to cook them and I don’t know how to cook. I stumbled upon your blog in desparation of trying to find what to cook that is easy, doesn’t require to go out of your way here in Midwest in terms of finding ingridients. So, I found your blog. It is great. However, I’m afraid that it is too professional for me.
    Now, lutfen mene bu amerikada sade, asan basha gelen azeri yemekleri bishirmek ucun bir meslehet verin. Neyi bishire bilerem ki, sade olsun, cox vaxt aparmasin ve ingridientlerini tapmaq asan olsun.
    Onceden meslehetiniz ucun cox sagh olun.

  42. Salam Farida,

    do u know how to cook Fisinjan Pilow??

    davno ishu recept 🙁

    thank you

    Allah razi qalsin

  43. Hey Farida

    You must be very proud about Azerbaijan making it to the rhythmic gymnastics finals. Well done and congratulations. I watched the finals on TV this afternoon and it was so beautiful.

    Warm regards
    Lorna (New Zealand)

  44. Bonjour ma chère amie Farida,

    je te félicite de tout coeur pour tes démarches dans ce domaine infini.

    tes recettes sont magnifiques.

    bonjour à toute ta famille de ma part et de gros bisous

    afa

  45. Hi Farida..
    Thanks loads for your great website!
    One day if you have the time, I’d love a recipe for Napoleon and directions for the rice crust on a classic Azeri plov

  46. Salam Farida!
    Very interesting and delicious posts 🙂
    I have one small request, if possible, can you make dzhiz-byz?

  47. beutifull site great job continu with your great work.

  48. HEy FARIDA!!! This is a very great idea! Having your own website and sharing recipes wow :)!!!!!! My name is Madina, and I`m from Massachusetts. Originally from sunny Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Just wanted to say hi!! And good luck, now I know a lot about Azerbaycanian cuisine 😉

  49. Feride,sayt ucun cox sagol. Qeyd olunan xosh sozlere men de qoshuluram. Ugurlu olsun,xeyrini goresen ,Inshallah.

    Odlar Diyari Azerbaycan,Kulekler sheheri Bakidan Sevgilerle *Guler*

  50. Farida! Great to find such website. You are one of my favourite links. Also nice to see how you improvise the traditional food with a modern touch. I look forward to following your recipes and keeping in touch! Wish you all the best and good luck!
    from Germany
    (korenay bakinka) Zuleiha

  51. I wish you have all the success you wish. I’ll be available if you need some help with Greek food and recipes!!!

  52. Hi Farida. I live in Long Beach also. I am anxious to try some of your recipes. AND, if you ever need someone to try some of your dishes (as a taster), I will immediately become available, lol.

  53. Farida, what a wonderful blog you’ve got here! And the impressive collection of recipes! I’m in line to buy your book. Good luck!

  54. Hi Farida,

    I came across your site and have been loving browsing through it since. Part of my family lived in Baku and I still absolutely love the food from that region. While my mom has given me a load of recipes to work with, I can always use more. 🙂

    Kasey

  55. Your blog layout is very neat and inviting

  56. Farida, for me this is the best discovery I have ever made. This website looks amazing!!!! I also live outside Azerbaijan and have been longing for recipes for so long. A friend of mine has recommended me this site. I am so proud of you! and I am sure many Azeri women too. Teshekkurler! xxx Lale

  57. Hello Feride,

    I found your website by chance today, and happy to know you now.

    Best wishes from Istanbul!

  58. Dear Farida! Your site is absolutely great! Are you on facebook? I will post a link on my profile, but please register the cookbook and we’ll become your fans!!!

    Cheers from Baku

  59. i felt like going back home and eat whatever my mom cooks. im really fed up eating fastfoods here. i better marry azeri girl to eat tihs kinda stuff.
    P.S. do u guys think she has an angelic smile, huh? 🙂

    nush olsun

  60. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS!

    Welcome to my blog. I usually reply to my About Me comments personally, so check your emails. Cheers:)

  61. Dear Farida,
    Congratulations on your magnificent website!!! I liked it very much indeed. Not only pictures are great, but also your step-by-step instructions and explanations. I can’t wait for more recipes..

  62. RUHIYYA: Thank you for stopping by and for your nice words. I am glad you like it here. Please do come back often as there are more recipes to come .Cheers.

  63. Hi Farida
    boy you must have had a busy Christmas not being back yet:-) We missed your recipes and looking forward to some new ones:-)

    X Matin

  64. MATIN: Thank you for thinking of me, dear friend. These past two months have been hectic for me, but I am slowly coming back to blogging. Will be back in a few days, to be exact:)

  65. I am in search if a Shaki Piti recipe. My boyfriend is here from Baku-he has not been able to make it home for 6 years and desprately missed his fathers Piti. I understand the basci ingriedants: Chick Peas, Potatos, Lamb (should be leg ot breast) and saffron. I am sure that there are more items thatn this and to what quantity. I have already obtained the clay pot suitable for cooking this amazing dish. I just need the specifics. I wish to surprise him and bring a little bit of his culture here to America for him. I have already obtained some Halva for desert 🙂

  66. SHELLY: Welcome to my blog. Sheki Piti is one of my favorites too. Azerbaijanis love that dish. It is going to be in my cookbook (printed one), but i will make an exception and share the recipe with you. Hope your boyfriend likes it. Check your email.

  67. when is your book coming out

  68. ????? ????? ????? ??? ??????? ?????? ??????????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??

  69. salam farida necasan man alisqa from k .s . a

  70. salam

  71. ????? ????? ????? ??? ??????? ?????? ??????????? ?????? ????? ?????? ??????????? ??? ???? ??? ????????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ??? ALISQA ?? ??????? ??????? ????????

  72. I was wondering if you have any recipes for Kutab stuffed with greens. I’ve been looking all over for that.

    Thanks,
    MM

  73. Farida,

    Just spend about 45 minutes planning my Novruz meal on your site! Thanks for helping us have an authentic taste of Azerbaijan.

  74. Hi Farida, I was in Baku way back in 1993 and seem to remember having a wonderful meal of what I call black-eye pea soup or stew. It did not have any meat. Have you ever heard of this and do you know of a recipe? thanks!

  75. I’m an American living in Baku — and I love your website. Thanks so much for all of the great recipe ideas!

  76. Hey farida! I was so happy when i found your site! 🙂 My boyfriend comes from Azerbaijan and we now live in sweden Stockholm.. i love your countrys food and enjoy to cook it! You sure did help me a lot by this site! 🙂

  77. Hi Farida!!!

    I discovered your blog today, and was quite happy about my own discovery!!! I have been looking for a cookbook and recipes that give out a step-by-step instructions on how to prepare Azeri dishes, photos of that is an absolute pluuuus!!!. I myself am from Baku, and will be getting married this July. As my husband is also Azeri, he will be delighted to know that I will be able to indulge him into all your tasty recipes!!! Thank you so much for posting, and I will be looking forward when you get your cookbook out!!
    Cheers from Toronto! 🙂

  78. p.s.: Pls post a recipe for Sebzi :))

  79. Hi, my name is Farida too. I am an exchange student in Wisconsin. I used your baklava recipe to make some for my host family, and it worked very well, they loved it. With your directions it was very easy to make it.

  80. Faride, your site is incredible! I can’t wait to buy your cookbook when I get back stateside. Your pictures are gorgeous and your directions are detailed and really helpful. But what’s even more wonderful are the comments people leave here: you have helped so many Azerbaycanlilar (actual and honorary) to create a little piece of home when they feel far away. And your yarpaq dolmasi recipe helped me remember when I had an ana standing over me insisting “Gotur ye, da!”. Thank you so much.

  81. hey i was just searching for some azerbaycani recipes and landed on your site 🙂 i’m living in germany but my parents are from baku too 🙂 i really like your site and i’m willing to try my best to do some of these recipes 🙂 wish you the best. hugs farah

  82. hi azerbaycani foods are very interesting and your web site is very good but we want to know a lot about you. Can you write more about you and how you decided to do tis web site

  83. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS. I usually reply to my ABOUT comments in person, but still wanted to thank you here too.

    Fusun, you can read more about my idea for this blog and more about me:) in the interviews to Arab Times newspaper and Paritet newspaper. Look here https://azcookbook.com/page/press-and-awards/.

  84. Dear Farida,

    I loved your website. I like Azeri cuisine very much. I’m originally from Moscow, have been in the states for 20 years but enjoy Azeri food every time I go to Moscow. Do you know any good Azer restaurants in New York?

    Regards,
    Larissa

  85. LARISSA:

    Welcome to my blog. I am so happy that you are a fan of Azerbaijani cuisine. Stay tuned for my upcoming cookbook. There will be lots of Azerbaijani recipes for you to enjoy!

    In the meantime, my friends in NY told me there are three Azerbaijani restaurants there: Baku Palace, Absheron and Chinar.

    Here’s the web site for Baku Palace. I hear it’s a good one.

    bakupalace.com/main.htm

    I don’t know where exactly Absheron and Chinar are located, but I will try to find out.

    Enjoy!

  86. salam farida, i got through your website by chance and by your name i got imprsson that you r from pakistan or from india. but i have little knowledgwe about country called azarbaizan. i want ot know more about this country-people-culture-habits – events etc. hope i will get it thorough your website. thanks

  87. Salam, Farida

    Thank You very much for the pakhlava recipe.

    Lena

  88. salam Napalon xahis ediram cox sagol mani basa dusdun azizim .FERIDE

  89. Hi, I’ve tried to leave you a comment and it did not worked on your Meat Stuffed Blinchiki (Crêpes) .

    Love the picture, it’s so nice. Never heard of blinchiki. So glad you blogged about it 🙂

  90. hi, my name is Tarana..my mother is from Azerbaijan and we live in South America now. We go and visit there as many summers as possible and i always love when my grandmother ( nene) cooks.
    i stumbled on this site looking for a recipe and im so happy that i can now cook all the things my nene does. Thank you 🙂

  91. Hi there,

    I can’t wait to see how you make cake ” Napoleon” on bakunian way.

  92. Hi Farida! I am helping an Azerbaijani organisation put some materials together for an Azerbaijani Arts Festival in London. We need some images of Azerbaijani cooking and I think yours look really tasty.
    I am trying to make contact to ask you if we can use them.
    Thanks Mike.

  93. Keep up the good work! Look forward to reading more from you in the future. I think it will be also nice if you add “send to email” tool so people can forward the articles to their friends easily.

  94. I am a HUGE fan….and i have an award for u..its on my blog…

  95. Farida, Baklava recipe is fantastic!!! I am going to try to make Heftebejer next. I have never cooked at home and never paid attention to my mom or my grandma. I’ve started cooking after i moved to Austin, TX!! My husband loooves certain Azeri dishes and being able to reproduce them with American ingredients is a so great!
    One thing I miss though is dried sour zohal and Japanese xurma (some people call it black xurma). Do you know where I can get those?

    Thank you and keep posting great recipes!

    Lala.

  96. Hi Farida!!! Happy New Year!!! I LOVE the new look….wonderful….simply fantastic!!!!

    Look forward to following and being inspired by you!!.

    best,
    Paula Laurel

  97. Very good website. I love the photos! Well done! N

  98. Wonderful site, thanks much.. will be using it often now..

    Philly

  99. Thank you!!! Cox Sagoluz!!! )))

  100. Hi, I hope it’s OK to contact you here, We came across your blog and We’d like to invite you to appear on our Foodie site – Foodierama. Have a look at foodierama_com and send us a note on our contact form or through the email in this comment if interested. Thanks and sorry to intrude , Dave

  101. Farida, you are amazing and you have done wonderful job! I think you are my soulmate, because cooking is my passion too.Thank you so much!

  102. Feride, Thaks a million for this blog. It”s very useful. In US I’m studying since february 2009. In our College exist international programm, where we have to give presentation about our country, Azerbaijan, and after that we have to hosted our guests with our national foods. So, the problem was that I had never before prepared this kind of foods. But because of your blog, I was rescued. I decided use your blog to prepaer “Ease paxlava” and “Stuffed Eggplants, Peppers and Tomatoes / Badimjan, Biber ve Pomidor Dolmasi”. The guests ate all foods fast and completly. So I and my guests were happy. Bay the way, ease paxlava is not so “ease”. Now I understood how much our mathers, sisters and wives love as, because prepearing paxlava demand tremendous amount of patient and love

  103. Feride Han?m merhaba, sayfan?z? rastlant? ke?fettim. Elinize sa?l?k, tüm tarifler çok çok güzel.
    Sevgilerimle…

  104. Would you please let me know if your recipes are available in a cook book for purchase. Thank you.

  105. Ok, this website was recommended to me by love of my life, and after checking it out for quite a bit (and my salivary glands going crazy) I decided to get out of work and proceed to the closest grocery store. I am very happy that someone at last brought our food culture online, so azeri guys in their 20’s living alone can get on look it up and cook.

    I usually stay away from cooking anything too complicated as I dont have much time and I dont know the recipe to make it fast, I am glad i can get on this web site look it up and cook within minutes.

    Thank you very much, Farida for this outstanding work.

    Vugar,

    Kansas City, MO

  106. Feride, I really loved your blog! Your recipes and pictures are amazing! You are doing very good job introducing your cultural cuisine to the world. I myself also have a blog about my cultural cuisine- Uzbek cuisine https://www.uzbekcooking.blogspot.com
    There are many likeness in our cuisine and culture. Thank you for your site!

  107. my husband is from azerbaijan and iam mexican and ur website is awesomeeeeeeeeeeeee my husband is soooo happy when iam make something from his country thank u so much

  108. !!!!? ???? ????????!!!
    ??????? ??????!!

  109. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
    Dear FARIDA!!!
    We LOVE you and wish you all blessing in the world!!!!
    May all your wishes comes thew!

    Tetya Lusya, Vika and kids

  110. Thank You!! Finally! love it!

  111. I made the savory potato carrot loaf for my daughter’s going away party. Everyone there loved it! She left with the Peace Corps in September and is living 70 miles from Baku for the next 2 years. She is enjoying the meals made by her host mother and will soon be making this herself to share with the family!

  112. Dear Farida
    Your Food Blog is excellent. You are rich in Beauty Like your food recepies. I like so much your recepies as well as your beautiness.

  113. Hi Farida,
    Just want to tell you that this is the first time I see your recipes and I love them, especially because you put the pictures of the process. It easier to picture how the recipe will turn out to be.
    Good enjoyable cookbook !

  114. Selam Feride,
    Ellerine saglik.

  115. Hi Farida!

    I’m Samira. I’m vegetarian and that’s why I always searched for the meals and salads without meat, chicken, fish and egg. And now I connect to the Internet to read your new recipes. And Thanks so much. When I read about you, I remembered the Korean Cartoon named Jangeum’s dream. Jangeum’s dream was to make people happy with her delicious meals. Many, many thanks dear Farida.

    Kindest regards

    Samira

  116. Hello, Farida –

    My name is Heather Gonzales and I am researching recipes for my first book on cheeses (personal, classic, international & comfort food cheese recipes). I have a 2nd book that’s mostly finished on international cuisine and culture. I can discuss more if we can speak more privately.
    At the least, I would like to ask for your permission to include some of your delectible recipes that include cheese in my first book, and of course I would be happy to promote you and your blog, and other cuisne and/or peace related efforts you may be involved in.
    I am looking forward to trying some of your recipes as well. Take care and best of luck.

  117. I think you have a beautiful blog. I am Indian and so it becomes a little difficult to find international recipes which go with our Indian palate read ‘spicy’. But you have a great range. I too put up some recipes from time to time but India has so much diversity that it is impossible to cover all or even a small part effectively. Anyway, you are doing a brilliant job, keep it up.

  118. Hi Feride,

    Just wanted to say how brilliant your blog is. I was drawn to it after Azerbaijan won the Eurovision Song Contest last weekend. I always try to cook a meal from where the event is broadcast from and, all being well, that should be Baku in 2012. Your recipes are so inspiring that I don;t think I’ll be able to wait until then. You may be interested to know I mentioned your blog on my BBC radio show last week. Keep up the good work.

    James Churchfield, Presenter, BBC Radio Cornwall.

  119. Dear Farida!

    I was very happy to find your blog and I already read some of the recipies and now I’m even happier! 🙂 I’m very new to blogging ( I just did my blog and it’s still empty) and not that new to cooking – I do enjoy it! I’m still not sure of all the things I’ll post but there definitely will be a cooking section:) I’m already eager to try out some of your recipies and I hope you won’t mind if I post links to the original recipies from your blog when I re-cook them! You have done a marvellous job! Thank you for sharing!

  120. hi hve studied in moscow,and always used to rush hunt for azerbaijan and related foods.
    pls give us more traditional recipes.
    thanks for the medov tort
    would like to request recipe for plyushki

  121. Farida I must congratulate you on this beutiful site, thanks for sharing all these wonderful recipies I cant wait to try each one of them. I am from Zanzibar,an Island in East Africa and I grew up in India and Dubai and now I live in Dallas Texas. I have travelled the world and love to try varieties of food. My favourite is Mediterranian which is a theme for this Ramadhan in my kitchen so am glad to find some of the Turkish dishes and Azer dishes are not too far from it. Thanks for taking the time to put this together. I can tell you that am already addicted to your site!

  122. my personal thanks, Farida, for such a beautiful, well-designed, and, not less importantly, grammatically correct recipes in both Azerbaijani and English. I tried couple of your recipes and have to mention that all worked perfectly smooth. Looking forward to new ones!

  123. Hi Feride, you run a wonderful blog. I mentioned your website on my blog re: your meat filled blinchiki. It’s under the post: “From Russia, With Love… from Brighton Beach”. Keep up your great work! Marina

  124. Hi Faride,

    Thank you for providing such a great website. I have questions about your Zebra Cake.

    What brand of all-purpose flour do you use? I will be measuring by weight on my digital scale to insure recipe accuracy. Volume measurements are inaccurate for more than one reason. For example, there is no industry standard for measuring vessels, i.e., each manufacturer has a different idea of what a cup equals, and so forth. Not only that, but the procedure used to measure flour by volume will determine how much flour you are actually measuring (fluff, spoon, and level, vs. scoop and level). Perhaps, these are reasons why people sometimes have problems with baking recipes.

    Where did you get the figures for the ingredient weights in your Zebra cake recipe? My figures for flour are different than yours, and I am wondering whether you actually weighed the ingredients. For example, King Arthur lists its all-purpose flour as weighing 4.25 oz per cup of flour vs. your measurement of 5 oz.

    Thanks in advance for you help. Keep up the excellent work!

    Jeff (Culinary Institute of America 1980)

  125. JEFFREY – answers emailed to you.

  126. Eziz Feride,

    You have a great website! I’m interested in Azeri food because I lived in Azerbaijan for two years — I taught English in Ismayilli as a Peace Corps volunteer from 2008-2010. During my time in the Ismailli rayon, I ate some really good xengal in Lahic. Now that I’m back home, I am looking for a recipe to try making it myself. I looked in your index but I didn’t see anything for xengal. I know some Azerbaijanis prepare xengal similarly to how Georgians make khinkali but the xengal in Lahic was special. You should post a recipe if you have one, or let me know if you have any suggestions!

    Cox sag ol,
    Marina

  127. MARINA – Salam:) Thank you for stopping by. Could you please give me more details about the xengal you tried there? Is it like a dumpling? Shape? Size? Stuffed? Not stuffed? Any other details. I have several xengal recipes, maybe I have what you need.

  128. Salam Farida,thank you so much for all those recipes,I tried some of them and LOVE them,easy,healthy and tasty .I’m from Morocco and love to try new food ,my next door neighbor is from Azerbidjan and she gives me your website:)
    Take care and thank you again 🙂

  129. Hi Feride. I’m a fan of your website and I’ve already made a few dishes from here, which were delicious =) An Azeri friend of mine asked if I’ve ever had Khingal. I searched your recipes and couldn’t find one that matched that. It’s a winter meal for them. If you do have a recipe already, could you point it out to me? Or if it isn’t too much trouble, could you try making one for everyone to enjoy? Thanks!

  130. AMAL – Thank you.

    STEVE – Thank you. I have a recipe for khengel. Will try to post it hopefully not before the end of winter.

  131. hi, farida.i am proud of you.cause u represent our national cuisine in all over the world.that’s very great.i live in iran.its cusine is very awfull.i really missed our meal of dolma and plov.opurem seni.ellerine salik

  132. I would like to compliment you on your creative vision and the success of your blog. It is refreshing and inspiring to see such individuality in these times, and the courage to express it. Your personal connection to your readers is delightful.

    I am, Samantha Song, the owner of Neighborhood CookBooks, a one of a kind cookbook publishing company. Reading your blog has made me wonder at the idea of our two companies coming together to form a community partnership.

    We are seeking community partners that value recipes as more than just a means to a meal, that can connect with our customers on a personal level, that can welcome them and make them feel part of the larger cooking community….where they can explore their passion of cooking and what recipes mean to them personally. If this is something you believe in then I think there is an opportunity for a mutually beneficial partnership.

    First, let me introduce Neighborhood CookBooks so you can get a clearer picture of how this partnership can benefit you. We are a one of a kind cookbook company with a social responsibility first business model, founded on three principles. 1) preserving America’s multicultural culinary heritage and the cultural traditions and values inherent in these recipes. 2) creating positive self images in society 3) charity – $5 from the sale of every cookbook is donated to charity. What makes us truly unique is that we are a contributor based cookbook company… which I am sure you already know…means that all of our recipe content is submitted to us my the public. What we try to accomplish with our cookbooks is to create a living time capsule of recipes that bring the reader a complete cooking and lifestyle experience by having each contributor include note/tips, a story about their experience with the recipe, or cultural/historical background information about the recipe.

    Now, how all this benefits you. We right now, we have a cookbook event called cookbooks for Breast Cancer, in honor of Mother’s Day. We are seeking recipe contributors for this cookbook. If you would offer your readers the opportunity to participate in this event and submit their recipes by mentioning the event in y our blog and newsletter… then we would provide the following to you: 1) reciprocation on our website of a special offer or event you a re hosting 2) a press link from our website to your blog 3) in the favorite places section of our website we would post a feature paragraph about you and your blog with a link to your website and you could write this feature. 3) For every 15 people who submitted a recipe and purchased a cookbook we would give you a free cookbook to give away on your website.

    Please let me know your thoughts as soon as possible, the recipe submission deadline for this cookbook event is March 4, 2012.

    Sincerely,

    Samantha Song
    Owner

  133. Farida, bu uzun yolda size ugurlar!!! Heddsiz derecede beyendim, hele nari simvol secmeniz lap cox ureyimce oldu. Azerbaycanimin Shah meyvesidir O.

  134. Hi Farida,

    I am also a native from Baku Azerbaijan and enjoyed checking out your blog. I think it is very important to note that not only that AZ cooking is delicious, it is also very healthy. Longevity of the people from the Caucasus region is documented to be in the 130 years and beyond.

    I am also trying to instill the importance of using Pomegranate in cooking, aside from being delicious its antioxident and nutritional values are immense.

    I am the owner of a dormant domain called NarSharab.com and would like to revitalize it for the purposes of promoting Pomegranate Molasses in USA.

    Let me know if you are interested in helping.

    Good Luck,

    Russ

  135. Hi, Farida, my name Leon and I live in Los Angeles. I was born in Baku and lived there 25 years and I am missing Azerbaijan cusine very much. I have some ideas about it, how I can contact you so we can speak about it. Please e-mail to me. Thank You, Leon

  136. It’s my first experience with blogging. There are so many interesting things on your website! Anna

  137. Farida,

    You are doing a huge justice to all of us born and raised in Baku and currently living in the United States. I have been a solo ambassador of promoting Azerbaijani culture and cuisine back when nobody even heard about Azerbaijan. Well, with internet now available the mission becomes possible. I am glad you found the engine to share the beauty of our country, its abundance of delicious foods with people in this country and all over the world. Keep up the great work!

    Stella

  138. hello feride thanks for your blog
    I want to go to Baku …do you know stores of Baku? can you recommend a place to me for buy bakery tools? thank you very much

  139. Good afternoon. I would like to inquire if the images on the page above are copyright protected? I would like to request the use thereof for a food column I am writing for sabc.co.za/news. I look forward to your feedback.

  140. Thanks for the blog. I studied in Baku for five years and after 26 years I visited Baku, the city change for the better ,i love the Azeri food and thanks to your blog I find many receipt .

  141. Dear Farida, you said to contact you before using any information from your website. Can I share it on my facebook? I would like to promote your website as I find it really outstanding! Sincerely, Bakhtiyar

  142. BAK – Thank you for your nice words. Of course, you can share the links from my blog on your facebook. I would be honored. Thank you.

  143. Hello Farida,

    great web-site! Thank you for doing this. Is there any chance that we also can provide/share Azeri recipies? For the last 2 Thanksgivings I was preparing Turkey-levengi and I’d like to share a pictures and recipe.
    Sincerely,
    Haji

  144. HAJI – Thank you! To answer your question – not on this blog since here I only post recipes I personally test myself, but I can post your pics and recipe on AZ Cookbook’s facebook page. Please email them to feride at azcookbook dot com.

  145. I am wondering if you have the recipe of the authentic Azeri pakhlava made with yeast (not phylo dough)? I really do not think that Turkish baklava is any good-I made it many times, and never really enjoyed eating it. Thanks and I look forward to receive the recipe and make this delicious dessert,
    Ayaz

  146. AYAZ REFAK – Yes, I have the recipe for Azerbaijani pakhlava. Will post it one day after I make it again and take pics.

  147. Merhaba Feride han?m!

    Çok güzel ve faydal? siteniz var. Ellerinize sa?l?k. Bir çok azerbaycan yeme?ini sitenizden ö?reniyoruz.

    Sayg?lar

  148. I’ve come over from Sonya’s blog- Girl’s Guide to Guns and Butter- and love a bunch of your recipes. I can’t wait to try some soon and come back for more look/see! I enjoyed learning a little about you and am glad I am not the only one who has clipped recipes since my teenage years and still has yet to try many of them. Someday I will get them organized and thinned out and cook them.

  149. GONCA – T???kkür edir?m.

  150. SARAH @ Homestyle Cooking Around The World – Thank you for stopping by. So glad you like it here!

  151. Hi Faride,
    My name is Krista, I am from Minnesota and I have been living in Baku for 3 years. I have very much enjoyed trying your recipes and following your blog. I would love to meet you. I have also started a blog, cookinginbaku@blogspot.com. It is mostly for foreigners learning how to shop and cook meals in Baku. please email me if you are interested in meeting!
    Krista

  152. Dear Farideh, please when your book is going to be published, I can not wait.My grand mother is from Baku, love the Food . Good luck Love Zizi khodadad.

  153. Hi Az!

    I’m so happy that I’ve come across your blog today 🙂
    Great work!

    Fariba

  154. Love the website! Trying parca bosbaz today 🙂 Very excited to introduce my non-Azeri family to our cuisine. A lot at stake! No-pressure :))))

  155. Hi Farida! I ran into your blog and I just love your recipes.
    I will be visiting often! 🙂

  156. Hi Farida, great job. Very happy for you and wish you all the best!!! I was trying to find some recipes from my childhood:))) and found your blog. Thanks!!! Good luck!!

    • Thank you, Leyla, and welcome to my blog!

  157. Hi!It’s my first week in Baku and I am to live here for 2 years.Being a Malaysian who comes from food paradise,you can imagine how tricky it is as many of the food stuff and food I am used to isn’t really available here.However,I am one who loves to experiment and I hope your page will give me lots of great ideas on recipes I can use that work with the veggies etc that are available in Azerbaijan:D

    • Welcome to Baku, dear Anusha! Hope you enjoy your stay and the local culinary scene:)

  158. Hi Farida, as many of my friends received a copy of your book (I saw how thrilled they were to get it, so I became quite curious about it!) – and you’ve announced a second edition coming, I was wondering if I can get it shipped to Europe? It’d be great to have a copy!

    • Thank you, dear Farah. Yes, you an order the book from https://azcookbook.com/ and have it shipped to Europe.

      • I did, just after writing my first comment 🙂 Unfortunately, the shipping options to Europe are quite expensive. So I’ll have to do without your wonderful book for now and perhaps hope that some day it will appear on Amazon so that more people outside US could get it!

        • Farah, if you have a family or friends in Baku, you can ask them to get you a copy in Ali and Nino bookstores, or in Kitab Evi Bookstore on Fountain square. Better price than with shipping from the U.S.

  159. I have just read your introduction and found it very professional. Alongside professionalism, it is full of inspiration and humor sense. You are doing perfect! Just keep it up!
    P.S: And the word “pomegranateholic” exist, like “AZCookBookholic”;)

  160. subscribe to newsletter

  161. MADAM
    You are doing excellent service for the readers
    Wish you all the best

  162. Salam Feride x.Men ingilisce bilmirem.Ona gore azerice yaziram Size.Ancaq çox isterdim ki Sizinle yazıb danışım.Mende Ordubaddanam.Ancaq Bakuda yaşayiram.

  163. Good job

Leave a Reply