The culture of baking and sharing thin bread: Lavash

In the morning, Azerbaijani people put butter and cheese on lavash and wrap it up to make a durmek to eat with sweet tea. Lavash is served accompanying lule-kebab in restaurants and cafés, and ehsan halva is also wrapped in lavash.

Lavash is also used for cooking pilaff and the name lavash can be found in various culinary recipes. This is an indication of people's rich imagination. In many regions, lavash is dried and kept in storage for long periods.

Dry lavash can be ready to eat at any time by sprinkling it with water.

Lavash is made in traditional ovens on the tandoor and, if cooked very thin, it can be cooked on a saj. Baking lavash is a collective activity; all members of the family, as well as neighbours and friends in some settlements and villages, participate in the process.

During communal work joking prevails, a jovial mood and friendships, and hospitality traditions are strengthened. Perhaps this is why lavash has become a symbol of tradition with deep roots in Azerbaijan.

Lavash is cut during many important events - in weddings, marriage ceremonies, and mourning rituals. Thus, the tradition of preparing and cutting lavash is the basis of Azerbaijan cuisine. In archaeological excavations carried out in the country’s territory, artefacts used for the preparation of lavash and belonging to the Bronze Age have been found.

This shows that the method of preparing lavash has remained unchanged over the centuries. And this fact is the embodiment of the Azerbaijani people's commitment to their centuries-old tradition.