Azerbaijan's art of cookery is popular with folks of other countries as well. And thus sometimes occurs that traditional cuisines of the neighboring Caucasian Nations introduce some Azeri dishes as their own. Titles stay the same, but various national cuisines pretend to be their authors. So are traditional Azeri dishes dolma, bozbash, shishlik, piti, pilaf, qovurma etc. Still, obvious linguistic features of the mentioned titles can be helpful when you want to find true national attribution of these dishes. Turkish words dolma (filled), bozbash (grey head, ball) etc. have the same clear meaning in Azeri, which belongs to the Turkish language group (see Absheron Cuisine). At the same time, there is no chance to find any etymology of the titles of the Azeri dishes in languages of the neighboring Nations.

Kabab or shashlik or barbecue (assortment)

Linguistics also becomes helpful for understanding the word "shashlik". This word is used in Russian and some other languages, which really provide no idea of its meaning. Only in Turkish the word "shashlik" shows a certain sense. The word is a derivative adjective, formed from the Turkish noun "shish" (ramrod) with adding of the derivative affix "lik", which shows being intended or set aside for. So, the word "shishlik" means the meat , set aside for being stringed on a ramrod and then barbequed at a fire (coal), burning without flame. Such cooking turned to be very popular not just all over Caucasus, but far away from this region as well, while usually they just slightly modify this dish's initial Turkish title "shishlik" to "shashlik".

Differing from the majority of Azerbaijan dish titles, the name "qutab" shows not Turkish, but Arabian etymology: "qut" means food, and "ab" means water. Building analogy with contemporary food terminology, the name of qutab can be considered to mean fast-food. Functionally the Oriental qutab can be accepted as our traditional prototype of modern hamburgers and big-Macs. Just look at qutab and you'll agree.

Qutab is a rolled out dough, shaped as a maximum thin circle of a medium or big plate in size, and this circle is folded once in the middle, got inside a thin layer of stuffing, and then the edges of this semi-circle were nipped tightly. Both sides of qutab go fried either in a frying pan in oil, or on the "saj"-griddle, sited on the open fire. Traditional qutab stuffing is either forcemeat, or stewed pumpkin with pomegranate grains, or a lamb stomach, or verdure. Always one can try any other desired stuffing as an experiment. But the practice shows, that the mentioned above four traditional types of qutab necessarily will be better than any supposed qutab innovation.

Qutabs usually are served hot - just cooked on the fire. Traditionally, it must be served not less than two items per a person, and 4-8 qutabs per a person during the dinner is good. Serving the fried qutabs, they bring to the table in a separate small plate some "sumakh" - a seasoning, while serving qutabs with verdure - some yogurt and butter.

Roll-cake of Ordubad

It's obvious, that such a dish, just same as any other kind of the fast-food, must be served along with some drink. Though now in the home conditions qutabs more often go along with the hot tea, it was historically accepted to have this dish with the pure spring water, and whence the title qutab - food-water - had appeared.

By the way, many areas of Azerbaijan are rich with rare mineral water springs. They have about 140 such wonderful springs only in the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomy. Mineral waters like "Tursh-Su", "Isti-Su", "Sir-Ab", "Dary-Dagh" etc. are known for their medicinal effect.