Armenian Cuisine

For some, Armenia evokes thoughts of mountains and the Kardashian sisters. For me, Armenia is simply the land of people who know good food. It’s the place where flavor is the sum of awesome-ly fresh ingredients, untarnished by an excess of spices or additives. It’s a land whose food tells the story of culture and geography.

Armenian cuisine may be the ultimate paradox. It is simple in that it revolves around the freshest, predominantly available ingredients – meat, dairy, vegetables, herbs, fruits, and nuts – but its preparation makes it rather complex. Many of Armenia’s national recipes are quite laborious, relying on time-consuming techniques such as stuffing and puréeing, while some dishes, like khorovats (skewered chunks of meat grilled to perfection), remain as simple as can be.

With its history of occupations by neighboring empires and a prime location situated along one of the oldest trade routes connecting the East and the West, it’s unsurprising that Armenia’s cuisine is heavily influenced by other Mediterranean and Asian nations, like Georgia, Turkey, Greece, India, and Russia. But despite sharing similarities with other cuisines, Armenian food retains its own unique qualities and integrity. That integrity is visible in the dedication to ancient recipes that emerged out of necessity, revolving around available ingredients. Many Armenian foods and delicacies that remain staples to this day were originally created as attempts at preserving foods to last through the long, cold winters. Preserving, curing, drying, pickling, and marinating are among the many culinary techniques still commonly used in Armenia.

Meat may very well be the center of Armenian cuisine. I first learned this while having dinner at my Armenian friend’s house, when her father uttered, “What is that stuff you eat?” as he caught a glimpse of me eating salad. “That’s not food,” he said, passing me a plate of grilled meats large enough to feed an army. “This is food.”

Aside from khorovats, Armenians do rely on other cooking methods like stewing, boiling, or roasting. Satsivi, a national favorite acquired from Georgian cuisine, is small pieces of roasted or boiled chicken in a creamy walnut sauce. Among the products that Armenians dry are meats. Basturma, is a very flavorful and aromatic dried beef. One of the other tidbits of Armenian food culture that my friend introduced me to was what she called, ”The Armenian sandwich,” or a slice of Basturma and some herbs wrapped up in a piece of lavash, or thin flatbread. I later learned that lavash was sometimes used instead of utensils, to hold virtually anything, from meat and cheese to salad.

Some Armenian soups are meals in themselves. Khash, a fatty rich soup made from tripe and cow’s feet, is more than just a soup, it’s a tradition that comes with many rules. According to tradition, khash should be eaten in the winter, in the morning, and must be prepared by men. The consumption of the soup is usually a festive occasion to which many guests are invited.

Among other staples and popular dishes in Armenian cuisine are trout, which is usually either grilled, or stuffed and roasted, vegetables such as eggplant and peppers, commonly roasted or charred on the grill and mixed with onions, and dolma, a mixture of ground meat and rice stuffed into grape leaves, peppers, tomatoes, or even some fruits.

Traditional Armenian desserts tend to revolve around fruits and nuts, such as pastegh, a home-made  fruit leather, and walnut sujuk, or walnut sausage – walnuts on a string dipped into fruit jelly. Similar to the Turkish dessert Baklava, Pakhlava, a pastry made of phyllo dough, sweet syrup, and nuts, is perhaps one of the most popular Armenian desserts.

The list of Armenian dishes and delicacies goes on and on…and on. The country is undeniably rich in amazing food that has, in one way or another, been shaped by Armenia’s culture and history, and vice versa. I could, and if given the time I probably would, write a dissertation on Armenian cuisine. But we have to end our culinary journey somewhere. And what better way to bid you adieu than with a recipe, so that you too are able to sample some of the scrumptious Armenian fare that I’ve got you salivating over.

The following is a recipe for dolma, inspired by a lunch at Garden Bay Cafe, my favorite Armenian restaurant in New York. The dolma that I had there hit the spot, and after meticulously trying to recreate it in my own kitchen, I can truthfully say, so did mine. Enjoy!

Dolma (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

(yield: 6-7 servings)

1 cup brown rice

2  cups water

2 lb ground beef chuck

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1 head cilantro, finely chopped

1 cup parsley, finely chopped

3 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 16 oz jar grape leaves

1 cup greek yogurt

1 tsp lemon zest

1 clove garlic, finely minced

Rinse the rice under cold running water. Drain, and place into a medium saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, and drain the rice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, cilantro, parsley, tomato puree, salt, and pepper. Add the rice, mixing well until everything is incorporated.

Place a few grape leaves on your work surface, shiny side down. Spoon about a tbsp of meat filling (depending on the size of the leaf) onto each leaf. Carefully fold in the corners, and roll tightly like a burrito, making sure the filling is not exposed anywhere. Line a large, heavy-bottomed pot with the stuffed grape leaves, keeping them close to one another. Once there is no more room, begin a second layer on top of the first. Continue layering the dolmas until you run out. Cover the grape leaves with a plate that is small enough to fit inside the pot but large enough to almost reach the edges. Pour enough water over to reach to the sides of the plate. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low flame for 50-60 minutes. Serve with yogurt sauce.

Make the yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, mix together yogurt, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.