Tea Traditions: Azerbaijan's Guide To Drinking Culture

Tea is deeply entrenched in Azerbaijani culture, and drinking it is a kind of addiction for the locals. Tea customs reflect ancient traditions and local hospitality. Black tea is often served to guests in pear-shaped glasses called armudu, which is said to keep tea hot at the bottom while helping it cool faster at the top. Tea is sometimes spiced with cinnamon, cardamom leaves, or a piece of lemon or ginger to add some extra flavour. Although Azerbaijanis prefer drinking sweet tea, they do not put sugar directly into the drink; instead, they dunk a sugar cube, then bite a piece off and sip their tea. This method is said to have medieval roots, where rulers who feared poisoning tested their tea by dunking a piece of sugar in the liquid. Tea is also served with various sweets and treats, such as pakhlava, sheki khalva or shekerbura, and a variety of jams, including white cherry, walnut, blackberry, and mulberry.

Tea is served in crystal or pear-shaped ('armudu') glasses

Tea in Azerbaijan is served in crystal or pear-shaped (armudu) glasses. The armudu glass is an integral part of the country's tea culture, and no house is considered complete without a set. The pear-shaped glass is easy to hold due to its wider top, preventing it from slipping out of your hand. It also allows for a more comfortable drinking experience, as the top part becomes less hot, preventing burns. Additionally, the tea in an armudu glass cools down proportionally, allowing the bottom part to remain hot while the top portion cools at a faster rate. This ensures that the tea maintains a constant temperature throughout the drinking process.

The armudu glass is made from various materials, including glass, porcelain, faience, and silver. It is said that the shape of the glass represents the ideal figure of an Eastern woman or an 18-year-old Azerbaijani girl. The glass is also associated with the figure of a hostess in Azerbaijani culture.

When serving tea, it is customary to leave a gap of 1-2 cm at the top of the glass, known as "dodag yeri" or "a spot for the lips." This ensures a comfortable drinking experience.

The tea itself is typically served freshly brewed, hot, and strong, with a bright colour. It is customary to serve tea continuously when there are guests or interesting conversations. Azerbaijanis often drink black tea, but they also consume green or herbal tea made with wild herbs from the mountains.

Tea is served with jam

The jam is usually fruit-based and thick, like preserves. Jam is preferred to sugar for its flavour and sweetness. The most popular variety is white cherry, but there are also jams made from mulberries, quince, rose petals, walnuts, apricots, and blackberries. Jam is not mixed into the tea, but rather used as a sweetener, in the same way that Azerbaijanis will hold a cube of sugar in their mouth and sip tea through it.

The tea served is a simple but strong black tea, and it is usually served in an "armudu" glass, which is pear-shaped. This glass is designed so that the rim remains cool enough to hold and put to your lips, while the tea in the bulb at the bottom stays hot.

Tea is served with lemon, sweets, and fruit desserts

In Azerbaijan, tea is served with a variety of sweets and desserts, including fruit jams, cookies, and pastries. Here are some details and instructions for enjoying tea with these accompaniments:

Fruit Jams

The most well-known way to enjoy tea in Azerbaijan is with fruit jam. This unique practice involves taking a small spoonful of jam and putting it in your mouth, then sipping the tea through the jam. The jam transforms the flavour of the tea, adding a unique sweetness. The thick syrup also leaves behind a tasty morsel of fruit to chew on after each sip.

The type of jam can vary, with popular options including white cherry, black cherry, and apricot. The jam is typically served in a large bowl alongside the pot of tea. If sharing with others, you would spoon some jam into a smaller glass container for yourself.

Cookies and Sweet Breads

Azerbaijani cookies, known as kurabye, are ubiquitous in local bakeries. They are often shaped like flowers and have a dot of jam in the middle. Another variation includes cookies shaped like sticks with a hollow centre filled with fruit jam and powdered sugar.

Sheker chorek, a type of sweet bread, is also a popular choice to accompany tea. The dough is kneaded with melted butter, formed into balls, coated with egg yolk, and baked.

Pastries and Desserts

A wide variety of pastries and desserts are also served with tea in Azerbaijan. Here are some examples:

• Bamiye—a unique pastry made with choux pastry put through a meat grinder with a ribbed nozzle, then fried and submerged in sugar syrup.
• Shirvan puff—a classic tart with a nut filling. The dough is puffed up with butter, creating air pockets, and the nuts and honey are spread on squares of dough, then folded into an "envelope" shape.
• Almond tubules—tiny finger-sized rolls filled with a mixture of almonds, sugar, and cardamom, then dusted with powdered sugar.
• Baku kyata—a triangular or rectangular pastry with jagged edges, filled with butter, sugar, and flour.
• Guymag—a traditional dessert made with wheat, butter, and water, often served warm for breakfast or to patients and new mothers to keep their strength up.

Tea is drunk multiple times a day

Tea is often served to guests, and it is considered rude to let a guest leave without offering them tea. Tea is also served during important ceremonies, such as marriage and childbirth. In Baku, it is customary to serve tea twice during lunch or dinner—once before the main dishes and once after.

The tea-brewing ceremony is a long and unhurried procedure. The tea is brewed in a porcelain pot filled with boiling water from a wood-fired samovar. The tea is then poured into the traditional "armudu" glass, which is pear-shaped. This shape is said to keep the tea hot at the bottom while helping it cool faster at the top, maintaining a constant temperature.

Azerbaijanis typically drink black tea, and they prefer it sweetened. However, they do not put sugar directly into the tea. Instead, they dunk a piece of sugar into the tea, bite off a piece, and then sip their tea. This method is believed to have originated in medieval times when rulers would test their tea for poison by dunking a piece of sugar into the liquid, as it was thought that poison would react to the sugar.

Tea is served continuously when there are guests or an interesting conversation

Tea is an integral part of Azerbaijani culture and hospitality. Tea is served continuously when there are guests or when there is an interesting conversation. In fact, it is customary to offer tea to every visitor, even if they are only staying for a few minutes.

Tea is served from a porcelain teapot into an armudu glass, which is pear-shaped. The tea is poured into the glass, leaving a gap of 1-2 cm at the top, known as "dodag yeri" or "a spot for the lips", to allow for comfortable drinking. The pear shape of the glass has a practical purpose, as the tea at the bottom cools down more slowly than at the top, ensuring the tea remains at a constant temperature.

The tea is served with a variety of snacks and sweets, including fruit jams, nuts, and dried fruits. Jam is served in a large bowl alongside the teapot, and guests can spoon some into a smaller glass container to accompany their tea. The jam is not mixed into the tea but is instead eaten directly off the spoon, with a sip of tea following. This combination of flavours is said to be an amazing taste experience.

Azerbaijani tea is usually black tea, served hot and strong, with no milk. It is sometimes spiced with cinnamon, cardamom leaves, or ginger, and is often accompanied by a slice of lemon. While sugar is not added directly to the tea, it is served on the side, and guests can dunk a piece of sugar into their tea before biting it off and sipping their tea. This method is said to originate from medieval times when rulers would test their tea for poison in this way.

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