Plov as a Philosophy: 9 Key Varieties of Azerbaijani Plov, from Shah Plov to Fisinjan

In Azerbaijan, a festive meal is not really over until the plov arrives. It comes last, piled high on a large platter, glistening with butter and streaked with saffron gold, and it is the dish everyone has been waiting for. At weddings, birthdays, memorial dinners and above all at Novruz, the spring New Year, plov is placed in the middle of the table for everyone to share.

Azerbaijanis often call it simply ash, and they do not speak of plov in the singular. Depending on who you ask, the country has dozens or even well over a hundred varieties, each named after what is served with the rice. Here is how Azerbaijani plov works, why it is different from the one-pot pilafs of Central Asia, and nine key varieties worth knowing before your first trip to Baku.

Why Azerbaijani Plov Is a Philosophy, Not Just a Recipe

The most important thing to understand is that Azerbaijani plov is usually two dishes in one. The rice is cooked on its own until every grain is separate, fragrant and glossy with butter and saffron. The accompaniment, meat, fish, herbs, fruit or nuts, is cooked separately and either served alongside the rice or placed on top of it. The name of the plov comes from that accompaniment, which is why the list of varieties is almost endless.

Azerbaijan's official tourism board describes three classic methods:

• Süzmə ("drained"): the rice is soaked, boiled until half-cooked, drained and then steamed slowly with butter and saffron. This is the most common method, with dozens of variations depending on the accompaniment.

• Daşma ("overflowing"): a simpler and older method, in which the rice is cooked without the elaborate drain-and-steam process.

• Döşəmə ("layered"): the rice and its accompaniment are layered in the pot and cook together.
  

Then there is the gazmakh (qazmaq), the golden crust at the bottom of the pot. Cooks line the pot with lavash bread, a layer of potatoes or a simple dough of flour, egg and butter, so the rice never burns. For many families the crisp gazmakh is the best part of the whole meal, and it is broken into pieces and placed on top of the rice when the plov is served.

Rice matters too. Long-grain varieties are preferred, and the Lankaran region in the south of the country has long been known for growing them.

9 Key Varieties of Azerbaijani Plov

1. Shah Plov: The King of the Table

The showpiece of Azerbaijani cuisine. Saffron rice is layered with lamb or chicken, chestnuts and dried fruit such as apricots, raisins and prunes, then encased in a dome of buttered lavash and baked until the bread turns crisp and golden. It is brought to the table whole, turned out like a crown and cut open in front of the guests. The name means "king's plov", and it is the variety served for the most important occasions.

2. Turshu-Govurma Plov

Turşu means sour, and this is one of the classic festive plovs: pieces of lamb fried with onions and cooked with dried fruit such as prunes and dried apricots, giving a gentle sweet-and-tart flavour. It is usually served next to the rice rather than mixed into it.

3. Sabzi-Govurma Plov

Sabzi means greens. Lamb is cooked with large handfuls of fresh herbs such as coriander, dill, chives and spring onion, plus a little garlic. It is lighter and greener than the fruit-based plovs, and a long-time favourite in Baku homes.

4. Fisinjan Plov

One of the most aromatic varieties, built on a sauce of ground walnuts and pomegranate. The meat, which can be chicken, lamb or small meatballs, simmers in this rich, slightly sour, nutty sauce, which is then spooned over plain saffron rice.

5. Toyug Plov (Chicken Plov)

A gentler, everyday-festive version: chicken cooked with sautéed onions, chestnuts and tart dried barberries, served over buttery rice. It is often a good first plov for visitors who are not used to lamb.

6. Shirin Plov (Sweet Plov)

Şirin means sweet. Here the rice is paired with dried fruit and nuts, typically raisins and dried apricots, cooked in butter. It needs no meat at all and brings a festive sweetness to the table.

7. Chilov and Lobya-Chilov

Chilov is a different style of rice dish in which the rice is cooked together with something green or with pulses, rather than separately. In lobya-chilov the rice is cooked with beans, and in shuyud plov with plenty of chopped dill. Chilov is classically served with fish.

8. Giyma Plov

Qiymə means finely chopped meat. In this hearty plov, minced or finely cut meat is cooked with yellow split peas and onions, and some families add potatoes. It is simpler than shah plov and much loved as home cooking.

9. Sudlu Plov (Milk Plov)

A soft, comforting plov in which the rice is cooked with milk. It is finished with butter and is one of the simplest, most homely members of the plov family.

And many more. Lists of Azerbaijani plov also include döşəmə plov layered with meat and fruit, kishmishli plov with raisins, kuku plov topped with a herb omelette, and plov with red fish (gizil balig). Every region and every family has its own version, so no two plovs in Azerbaijan taste exactly the same.

How to Eat Plov Like a Local

• Leave room for it. At a festive meal plov is the grand finale, served after the starters, salads and kebabs.

• Ask for the gazmakh. The crispy crust is the most sought-after piece on the platter, and it is perfectly polite to want some.

• Take rice and accompaniment separately. Put a mound of saffron rice on your plate first, then add the meat, fruit or herb mixture on top.

• Eat it with what is on the table. Plov is often served with flatbread and fresh greens, and the lavash used in shah plov belongs to a flatbread tradition that UNESCO recognised as intangible cultural heritage in 2016.

• Look for it at Novruz. In late March, plov is the centrepiece of the spring New Year table in almost every home.

Taste Azerbaijani Plov with ORIENTO

The best way to understand plov is to sit down at a real Azerbaijani table, ideally in Baku or in the regions where every family swears by its own recipe. ORIENTO includes Azerbaijan in its Caucasus tours and tailor-made trips, so tell us you would like to try shah plov and we will make sure it is on the menu.