Czech cuisine is a real treasure trove of traditions and flavours that reflect the historical development and geographical conditions of the Czech Republic. It's renowned for its richness, variety and deliciousness, and at the same time it can surprise foreign consumers by the fact that it is based on ingredients that can be grown at home. Typical dishes include dumplings, a wide range of sauces and soups, and a plethora of sweet dishes and desserts.

The Week of Czech Cuisine, organised by the Azeri Home Chef community, reached its conclusion with the final of the competition, which took place on 29 June at the Yaban Bulvar restaurant. The event was opened by the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan, Mr. Milan Sedlacek, who noted that learning about Czech cuisine by Azerbaijani amateur and professional chefs helps to foster closer ties between our nations and expressed interest in making the event a tradition. The main organiser of the event, Mrs. Fakhranda Hasanzade, then offered her best wishes to the contestants. The event was also attended by the EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mr. Peter Michalko, who expressed his delight at the activities of the Azeri Home Chef community in introducing national cuisines to the Azerbaijani audience. He extended an invitation to the second edition of the European Cuisine Week, which is scheduled to take place in September 2024.

The jury, comprising Ambassadors Milan Sedlacek and Peter Michalek and the chef of Yaban Bulvar restaurant, as well as representatives of Azeri Home Chef, considered the dishes based on a number of criteria, including their authenticity, taste and presentation. It was a challenging task to select the winners, as the 20 finalists presented dishes of remarkable quality that were on par with those prepared by Czech chefs. Based on the scores, five winners were selected and presented with gifts from the sponsors and the Embassy.

1st place - Kamilla Nagieva with the dish "pork knee";

2nd place - Irada Mirjavadova with the dish "sirloin on cream";

3rd place - Yegyana Qashqai with the dish "pork-dumpling-cabbage";

4th place - Rena Selimova with a traditional 'bublanina' cake; and

5th place - Adelina Rzaeva and her "caramel větrník".

We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and look forward to welcoming them again next year.