Piti is the signature dish of the northern city of Sheki and is widely called the national soup of Azerbaijan; it is traditionally prepared and served in individual crocks.
The broth arrives golden and intensely meaty, perfumed with saffron and softened by the slow-melting tail fat. When you mash the second course, the chickpeas turn creamy and the sour plums spark against the rich lamb, while raw onion and sumac add a sharp, tangy lift.
Cooking each portion in a narrow clay crock traps steam and concentrates the broth, while the very long, gentle simmer breaks down collagen in the bones for body; the two-stage service separates the delicate broth from the hearty paste.
Variations
piti with extra chestnuts, version with quince added, Tabriz-style piti, piti without tail fat for a lighter broth
On the Palate
Where Piti Azerbaijani sits in the Azerbaijani flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 110 min
Soak the chickpeas overnight, then drain.
- 28 min
Place bone-in mutton pieces, soaked chickpeas and a whole onion into individual clay crocks.
- 35 min
Cover with water, add a pinch of salt, and bring slowly to a bare simmer.
Watch outBring it up slowly to a bare tremble, not a rolling boil — hard boiling turns the broth cloudy and toughens the meat.
- 4150 min
Simmer very gently for two to three hours until the meat is meltingly tender.
Watch outHold that faint simmer for hours; it's done when the mutton falls off the bone at a nudge and the broth has real body.
- 530 min
Add chestnuts, dried plums (alycha) and a pinch of saffron and a knob of tail fat in the last half hour.
- 64 min
Tear flatbread into a bowl, pour over the clear broth as the first course, and dust with sumac.
Watch outPour off the clear broth first while it's still amber and clean — that's the first course, before you mash anything.
- 73 min
Mash the remaining meat, chickpeas and plums into a thick paste for the second course.
- 82 min
Serve the paste with sumac, sliced raw onion and fresh herbs alongside.
