Lavash — The Flatbread on UNESCO's List
In Azerbaijan thin lavash is more than bread — it's baked together, given at weddings and treasured as tradition.
Lavash is a thin unleavened flatbread found on every Azerbaijani table. In 2016 the culture of making and sharing lavash was inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list as a shared tradition of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.
How it's baked
Dough of flour, water and salt is rolled almost see-through. It's baked in a tandir — a clay oven set in the ground — or on a saj, a domed metal sheet over a fire. Usually several women work together: one rolls, one bakes, one stacks the finished sheets.
Lavash and tradition
Lavash is draped over a bride's shoulders as she enters the groom's home, wishing her plenty. Dried, it keeps for months; sprinkle it with water and it softens again.
How it's eaten
It wraps kebabs, cheese and herbs, is served with dovga and qutab, and in some regions forms the "lid" of a plov. Try it fresh at a market or village home — it tastes completely different. More ideas in what to eat in Baku.
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