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Armenian cuisine is the cuisine of Armenia or of the Armenians in the Armenian Diaspora. Given the geography and history of Armenia, Armenian cuisine is a representative of the cuisine of the Mediterranean and the Caucasus, with strong influences from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and, to a lesser extent, from the Balkans. It is also to note that Armenians themselves have greatly influenced the culinary traditions of nearby countries or cities, such as Aleppo.[1] The preparation of a large number of meat, fish and vegetable dishes in the Armenian kitchen requires stuffing, frothing and pureeing.[2]
[edit] Appetizers
[edit] Barbecue
Barbecue is very popular in Armenia, and makes the primary offer of main courses in most restaurants. It is often eaten as fast food.
- Khorovats -- Khorovats is the Armenian word for "kebab". In Armenia itself, "khorovats" is unique in that it is often made with the bone still in the meat. Western-Armenians outside of Armenia generally use the Turkish or Arabic terminology of "shish kebab" and generally cook the meat with bones taken out. The word "kebab" is used in Armenia to refer to the dish diaspora Armenians and Turks call "losh kebab" or "lule kebab". In Armenia, the most popular meat is pork, a circumstance which dates from the Soviet Era. The Armenians outside of Armenia usually prefer chicken or beef depending on their background.
- Gharsi khorovats
Such soups include spas (SPAHS), made from yogurt, greens and herbs, and aveluk (ah-veh-LOOK), a river green, prepared in soup. There is a type of bean soup made in Vaik, which has a walnut base, and should not be missed.
Another soup, Khash (KHAHSH) is considered an Armenian institution. Songs and poems have been written about this one dish, which is made from ham hocks and herbs made into a clear broth. Tradition holds that Khash can only be cooked by men, who spend the entire night cooking, and can be eaten only in the early morning in the dead of winter, where it served with heaps of fresh garlic and dried lavash.
T'ghit is a very special and old traditional food, made from T'tu Lavash, cut into small pieces, which are boiled in water. Onions fried in oil are added, and the mixture is cooked into a purée. Pieces of fresh lavash are placed on top of the mixture, and it is eaten hot with fresh lavash used to scoop up the mixture by hand.
K'rchik is an amazing dish made from cooking pickled cabbage and wheat kernels.
Other soups include borscht (BOHRSH) a beet root soup with meat and vegetables (served hot in Armenia, with fresh sour cream), akroshka (ah-KROHSH-kah, Russian), a cucumber, garlic and sour cream soup, kofta (kiuf-TAH) soup, made with large balls of strained boiled meat and greens, s'nkapur (s'n-kah-POOR), soup with mushrooms, and bozbash (boz-BAHSH), a vegetable soup served usually in summer.
- Arganak
- Blghourapour
- Brindzapour
- Dzavarapour
- Flol
- Harissa -- porridge with chicken
- Katnapour
- Katnov
- Kololik
- Mantapour
- Matsnaprtosh
- Poutouk
- Sarnapour
- Sounkapour
- Spas
- Tarkhana -- flour and yogurt soup
- Vospnapour
[edit] Seafood
[edit] Main course
- Fasulya -- a stew made with green beans, lamb and tomato broth or other ingredients
- Ghapama -- pumpkin stew
- Ktchoutch
- Moussaka -- baked dish consisting of spiced lamb and aubergine
- Mujaddara -- cooked lentils and rice
- Tjvjik --Fried Liver and Kidney with Onions
- Satsivi - taken form Georgian cousine
[edit] Meat products
- Yershig -- smaller, spiced pork sausage
- Kyufta -- meaning meatball comes in many types, such as Hayastan Kyufta, Kharpert Kufta (Porov Kufta), Ishli Kufte, etc.
[edit] Dairy products
- Labneh -- Dense yogurt made from sheep, cow, or goat milk. Often served with olive oil and spices.
- Matsoun -- yogurt
- Ttvaser
Choreg at an Armenian Easter celebration
[edit] Beoreg
savory phyllo pastry filled with meat, cheese or vegetables
- Banirov Beoreg - with cheese
- Spinach Beoreg - with spinach and cheese (same as greek Spanakopita)
- Tepsi Beoreg
- Sou-Beoreg
- Misov-Beoreg - (not actually a beoreg because it is not made of phyllo dough or phyllo-like dough. it is basically a roll of bread stuffed with ground meat)
[edit] Salads
- Amarva Khorvadz -- barbecued vegetables mixed together, traditional Armenian Salad
- Tabouleh -- wheat and mint salad - Originating in the Middle east
- Fattoush -- pita bread salad - Originating in the Middle east
- Eetch -- bulgur salad
[edit] Sweets
- Alani
- Ghataif -- phyllo pastry
- Noush
- Ponchik - Russian Donut also found in Armenia
- Anoush Abour-- Traditioanl Christmas Pudding made of Barley, apricot and nuts
- Bastegh - Armenian homemade version of a fruit roll up
[edit] Ritual
- Nshkhar -- bread used for Holy Communion
- Mas -- literally means "piece" a piece of leftover bread from the making of Nshkhar, given to worshippers after church service
- Matagh -- sacrificial meat. can be of any animal such as goat, lamb, or even bird.
[edit] Drinks
[edit] Non-alcoholic
[edit] Alcoholic
- Kilikia (beer)
- Kotayk (beer)
- Ararat (Cognac)
- Oghi
- Pomegranate Wine
- Areni Wine
[edit] References
- The Cuisine of Armenia by Sonia Uvezian, Dikran Palulian (Illustrator)
- Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore, Irina Petrosian and David Underwood
- ^ [ My kind of town: Aleppo http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2007/05/20/etmyaleppo120.xml]
- ^ Pokhlebkin, V. V. Russian Delight: A Cookbook of the Soviet People. London: Pan Books, 1978
[edit] External links
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