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// Azerbaijani cuisine
Kuku
Kuku is an Azerbaijani dish close to an omelette or frittata: eggs are beaten with a large amount of chopped herbs, then fried in a pan under a lid or baked in the oven. There is usually more greenery than egg, so the taste is fresh, herbal, with a light sourness. It is served warm or cold, cut into triangular portions; plain yoghurt or sour cream with garlic, fresh tomatoes and lavash go well with it. Sometimes nuts, dried barberries, beans or vegetables are added.
Kuku shows well how a simple home dish can become a reason to gather all the greens of the season at the table.
// Ingredients
- Eggs
- Greens
- Dill
- Coriander
- Spinach
- Green onion
- Butter
- Walnuts
- Barberries
// Allergens
// Historical background
Kuku is a name that came from Persian (kookoo) and spread across the whole Eastern world, from the Arab countries to Spain. Close analogues exist in other cuisines too: the Italian frittata and the French omelette. In the Azerbaijani tradition the dish was considered ritual and was prepared at the very beginning of spring, marking the awakening of nature; the green colour symbolises spring.
In the past, melted lamb fat was poured over the finished dish, but today clarified butter is more often used. Clarified butter has long been widely used in Azerbaijani cooking, and for kuku it is especially prized. In recent years kuku has become known far beyond the region: it is named among popular breakfasts and linked to the trend for green and healthy food.
