Oh, the magic of Armenian cuisine—it’s like a cozy quilt of flavors that wraps you up in warmth and nostalgia. Picture this:
the tantalizing aroma of spices wafting through the air, mingling with the chatter of loved ones around the table. It reminds me of last winter when I stumbled upon a little Armenian bistro on a snowy evening, and the hearty dishes just melted away the chill, leaving only a sense of home.
Dive into these authentic recipes and discover that same warmth and comfort, even if you can’t pronounce half the ingredients!
Steps
- Mix flour, water, salt, and yeast to create a dough for lavash. Stretch and roll the dough into very thin sheets before baking it.
- Prepare lahmajun by making a thin dough and topping it with a mixture of ground meat, red-pepper paste, tomato paste, onions, garlic, and spices. Bake until the crust is crisp and the topping is cooked.
- For rice pilaf, toast long-grain white rice and pasta in butter, then simmer with chicken stock until fully cooked.
- Marinate chunks of lamb or beef with onions, tomato paste, red wine, salt, and pepper for shish kebabs. Grill the marinated meat until cooked to your liking.
- Prepare ground meat with vegetables and spices for losh kebabs. Shape into patties and grill until browned.
- Sauté onions and garlic to start ganach lupia, then add green beans and either water or tomatoes to braise until tender.
- Make manti by filling thin wheat wrappers with spiced ground meat. Bake until crisp, then serve in a tomato-infused broth with yogurt and spices.
- Simmer meat and wheat berries for hours to make harissa until it forms a porridge-like consistency. Top with spiced browned butter before serving.
- Combine bulgur wheat with tomatoes and herbs to make eetch. Serve in lettuce leaves or with lavash.
- Create a filling with ground meat and rice for dolma or sarma. Wrap in grape leaves or stuff in vegetables, then braise in a tomato broth.
- Hollow out a pumpkin and fill it with rice pilaf mixed with nuts and dried fruits for ghapama. Bake until the pumpkin is tender.
- Use phyllo dough to make boreks by filling it with cheese, greens, or meat. Bake until crispy and golden.
- Pickle vegetables like carrots and cauliflower with a vinegar brine spiced with mustard and coriander to make tourshi.
- Form gata by rolling enriched dough with a butter, sugar, and flour filling. Bake until golden and serve as a dessert or snack.
Ingredients
- Choreg (Sweet Bread) Ingredients:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Butter
- Sugar
- Nigella
- Mahlab
- Lavash (Flatbread) Ingredients:
- Flour
- Water
- Salt
- Yeast (optional)
- Lahmajun (Armenian Pizza) Ingredients:
- Ground lamb or beef
- Red-pepper paste
- Tomato paste
- Fresh onion
- Garlic
- Red pepper
- Parsley
- Warm spices
- Rice Pilaf Ingredients:
- Long-grain white rice
- Pasta
- Butter
- Chicken stock
- Shish Kebab Marinade Ingredients:
- Leg of lamb (or beef)
- Chopped onions
- Tomato paste
- Red wine
- Salt
- Pepper
- Losh Kebab Ingredients:
- Ground meat
- Vegetables
- Allspice
- Mild red pepper paste
- Ganach Lupia (Green Beans) Ingredients:
- Green beans
- Onions
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Water
- Beef or lamb (optional)
- Manti Ingredients:
- Spiced ground lamb or beef
- Wheat wrappers
- Tomato-infused lamb broth
- Yogurt
- Aleppo pepper
- Sumac
- Harissa Ingredients:
- Wheat berries (korkot)
- Chicken or lamb
- Water or stock
- Aleppo pepper–spiced browned butter
- Eetch Ingredients:
- – Bulgur wheat
- – Tomatoes
- – Green herbs
- Dolma and Sarma Ingredients:
- – Ground meat
- – Rice
- – Vegetables (e.g., grape leaves, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant)
- – Tomato broth
- Ghapama Ingredients:
- – Pumpkin
- – Rice pilaf
- – Onions
- – Nuts
- – Dried fruits
- – Herbs
- Boreks Ingredients:
- – Phyllo dough
- – Cheese (e.g., Muenster, Monterey Jack, feta)
- – Spinach
- – Herbs (e.g., parsley, dill)
- – Alliums (e.g., scallion)
- – Eggs
- Tourshi Ingredients:
- – Crisp vegetables (e.g., carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips)
- – Vinegar brine
- – Mustard
- – Coriander
- – Black peppercorns
- – Allspice berries
- Gata Ingredients:
- – Enriched bread dough
- – Butter
- – Flour
- – Sugar
- – Vanilla
- – Khoritz (nut paste)
FAQ
- What are the key characteristics of Armenian cuisine?
- Armenian cuisine is known for its contrasting nature, featuring both indulgent, celebratory dishes and simple, nourishing staples. This duality stems from historical Armenia’s mountainous and isolated geography, which necessitated resourcefulness, particularly during long winters. The cuisine also reflects the country’s religious traditions, with a significant emphasis on vegetarian dishes due to the church’s restrictions on meat consumption for nearly half the year.
- What makes Armenian bread like choreg and lavash unique?
- Choreg is a sweet, enriched bread similar to brioche, flavored with spices like nigella and mahlab, and traditionally shaped into braids representing the Holy Trinity. Lavash, on the other hand, is a simple flatbread made with just a few ingredients. It is traditionally baked in a tonir oven and can be eaten fresh or dried for preservation, often used as a scoop or wrap in various dishes.
- How is Armenian lahmajun different from traditional pizza?
- Lahmajun, often referred to as “Armenian pizza,” is a thin flatbread topped with a layer of seasoned ground meat mixed with vegetables and spices. Unlike traditional pizza, it lacks cheese and tomato sauce, resembling more of an open-faced meat sandwich. It is typically eaten rolled up with a salad inside.
- What role does rice pilaf play in Armenian meals?
- Rice pilaf is a fundamental dish in Armenian cuisine, often served with most meals, especially in the diaspora. It consists of long-grain rice toasted with pasta in butter and simmered in chicken stock. This dish became widely known in the U.S. through commercial products like Rice-a-Roni, although homemade versions are considered superior.
- What is the cultural significance of manti in Armenian cuisine?
- Manti are small dumplings filled with spiced meat, unique to Armenian cuisine for being baked before being served in a broth. It is a dish often associated with family gatherings and celebrations, particularly around Christmas. Making manti is a labor-intensive process traditionally undertaken by groups of family members, signifying its importance in Armenian culinary traditions.
Tips
- Utilize Fresh Herbs and Spices: Armenian cuisine often relies on fresh herbs and unique spices like nigella and mahlab for flavor. Incorporating these elements into your dishes can elevate the taste and authenticity of the recipes.
- Experiment with Bread Baking: Baking traditional Armenian breads like lavash and choreg at home can be rewarding. While they may require some practice, homemade versions often surpass store-bought ones in flavor and texture.
- Master the Art of Armenian Kebabs: Armenian kebabs, such as shish and losh kebabs, are a staple. Focus on marinating the meat well and perfecting your grilling technique to achieve the signature flavor and char.
- Embrace the Slow Cooking Process: Many Armenian dishes, like ganach fassoulia and harissa, benefit from slow cooking, which allows the flavors to meld and ingredients to become tender. Patience is key to achieving the desired depth of flavor.
Equipment
- Tonir or Tandoor Oven: For making traditional lavash.
- Okhlavoo (Dough Rolling Pin): A wooden dowel specifically for rolling dough thin, used in making dishes like lavash or gata.
- Flat, Sword-like Skewers: For making lula or lule kebabs.
- Phyllo Dough: For making boreks and other pastries.
- Special Baking Pans or Molds: For specific pastry shapes or for dishes like ghapama.
- Fermentation Crock or Pickling Jars: For making tourshi (pickles) if not using simple canning jars.
- Lahmajun Baking Stone or Steel: To help achieve a crisp crust for lahmajun.
- Manti Mold or Tray: To help shape and bake manti efficiently.
- Basturma Press or Curing Equipment: If making cured meats like basturma at home.
- Grill or Barbecue Set: For making various types of kebabs.
