Sheki is remembered for the Khans’ Palace, the caravanserai and the streets of the old town. But the taste of the city stays in a small clay pot with steam rising from under the lid. This is Sheki piti, a thick lamb stew that many travel stories call a dish you must try in Sheki.

Sheki Cuisine: What Is Piti

Sheki cuisine is known not only for the sweets from the shops in the old town. The main hearty dish here is piti. It is made from lamb with chickpeas, potatoes and onions. Cooks usually add saffron and dried alycha (a kind of cherry plum), and in the Sheki version they also put in chestnuts. Everything cooks slowly in a small clay pot, often one pot for each guest.

How to Eat Piti

You eat piti in two steps. First, you pour the broth into a bowl, break bread into it and eat it like soup. Then you mash what is left in the pot and put it on a plate. This is the second course, with the meat. So one pot gives you a whole meal.

Where to Try Sheki Piti

If you are thinking about where to try Sheki piti, the easiest way is to do it in Sheki and the area around it. On these tours, guests have lunch in the village of Kish, next to the Albanian church, and they can try this dish there. Lunch is paid separately, so everyone chooses what to order. These stops are part of different tours around the regions of Azerbaijan: you can make the trip short or stay for two or three days and see the nearby towns.

Tours in Sheki with Sheki Piti