Lavangi (food)

Lavangi is a national dish of Azerbaijani and Iranian cuisine. It is a fish or chicken stuffed with walnuts, onions and various condiments and baked in the oven. Lavangi is most prevalent in the Absheron peninsula of Azerbaijan and in Lankaran, Masalli, Salyan and Neftchala districts.^[1]

Stuffed fish (Balıq Ləvəngisi)

Stuffed fish (Azerbaijani: Balıq Ləvəngisi)

Stuffed fish (Azerbaijani: Balıq Ləvəngisi)

Stuffed fish, also called "Balıq Ləvəngisi", is usually prepared for Nowruz; The preferred fish is the Caspian kutum, or carp of the Caspian Sea, but white fish-Beluga (sturgeon) can also be suitable.

The other condiments for filling are sour prune or sour cherry or a pomegranate juice syrup called "narsharab" ("nar" is the local name of pomegranate in Azerbaijan).

These condiments are added to the mixture with walnuts crushed and onions chopped, if the fish has caviar, these are also used in the filling.

After the roasted fish, it is served with pieces of lemon, bread and "narsharab".^[2][3]

Stuffed chicken (Toyuq Ləvəngisi)

Stuffed chicken or (Azerbaijani: Toyuq Ləvəngisi)

For stuffed chicken, "lavangi pilaf" the stuffing is prepared by making a puree with onions, which is squeezed into a cloth, to remove the liquid, and mixed with crushed walnuts and prune puree (probably of the sour plum type).

The chicken is first wiped with the plum puree, mixed with salt and pepper and then stuffed with the mentioned mixture and baked in medium oven until turn red.

Then it is served with lemon pieces and simple rice-pilaf, in which the rice is fried in butter and then cooked in chicken broth with sesame, ginger, salt and pepper and served with roasted almonds.^[4]

See also

• Dolma
• Pilaf

References

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