Azerbaijan

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

Alcoholic Drinks in Azerbaijan

Despite being nominally a nation of Shiite Muslims, more than 160 years of Russian presence have left Azerbaijan with strong taste for alcohol.

SHORT INFORMATION

People of Azerbaijan

According to the 1999 population census, the ethnic composition of the population is: 90.6% Azeris, 2.2% Lezgins, 1.8% Russians, 1.5% Armenians (almost all live in the break-away region of Nagorno-Karabakh), 1.0% Talysh (disputed as too low by Talysh nationalists), 0.6% Avars, 0.5% Turks, 0.4% Tatars, 0.4% Ukrainians, 0.2% Tsakhur, 0.2% Georgians, 0.13% Kurds, 0.13% Tats, 0.1% Jews, 0.05% Udins, other 0.2%. Many Russians left Azerbaijan during the 1990s.

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

Non-alcoholic Drinks in Azerbaijan

The national drink is chay (tea), which is drunk Turkish-style from small tulip-shaped glasses. It is normally taken with sugar but no milk.