My Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.
Today, I thought we’d take a look back more than 11 years to lunch I had on Azerbaijan Airlines.
Lunch on Azerbaijan Airlines
This flight ended up occurring a day late. Long story…
After being booted off my Newark – Istanbul flight, I flew Newark – Washington – Kuwait – Istanbul and ended up in Istanbul nearly a day later. Thankfully, I was able to book a last-minute ticket on Azerbaijan Airlines, also known as AZAL, to my final destination of Baku.
The flight was operated by a 767-300 and lightly filled in economy class. Lunch was served after takeoff.
Right upfront, I was sure glad I had stopped for lunch in the lounge because this had to be one of the worst airline meals I have ever had.
It started well with a bag of hazelnuts, but quickly went downhill with a mustard chicken and rice plate that literally had only two chunks of dry chicken and dried-out rice. A side of sour cherries and green olives, a side of cheese slices (the only edible part of the meal), and a tasteless slice of cake rounded out the meal.
What a contrast to Turkish Airlines catering ex-Istanbul!
CONCLUSION
I always love flying new airlines and AZAL was just fine overall. But unless things have dramatically changed since my fight (and it does not appear so), don’t expect a great meal onboard.
You can read my full review here.
Have you flown Azerbaijan Airlines? What did you think about the food onboard?
Just add tarragon(estragon)and Motal cheese to any dish and it becomes Azerbaijani.
At least it had President butter.
Meal of Azerbaijan Airlines is so lovely and perfect.More people are like this Airlines and them meals why you don’t like I don’t understand.
That’s totally untrue! I think something wrong with your taste preferences. Azerbaijani meal on AZAL is the best for the last decades among other airlines. I don’t know what makes you write this but this is absolutely underrated.
It is obvious that none of you had tasted real food yet. The “dry” rice you refer to is the result of the proper steaming method — unlike the scummy residues left on most rice dishes you are probably accustomed to. It is also obvious from the pictures that the dish is garnished with saffron and dry preserves you have not thought existed.
Seems you’ve struck some nerves on the radar of the azal shills there. I guess if you dumped the butter on the rice it might’ve been alright.
I agree that Azeri food is dry. I prefer food from the Armenian city of Stepanakert in Nagorno Karabakh
It looks ok to me.
Looks a lot nicer than that Chinese seafood slop you had a while back.
That flight was more than ten years ago?