You can talk about real Armenian cuisine for a long time. Simply because it is one of the oldest in Europe and the most ancient in Transcaucasia. Moreover, already at the dawn of its development, fermentation processes in bread baking were used with might and main in it. And these are not empty words, but the true results of archaeological excavations carried out by scientists.
History of Armenian cuisine
The process of formation and development of the Armenian cuisine began about 2500 years ago. It was influenced by the history of the development of the people themselves, their geographical location and, of course, cultural traditions. The Armenians now and then found themselves under the rule of the Romans, Turks, Mongols and Arabs. However, this did not prevent them from preserving their culinary habits and recipes for the most popular dishes. On the contrary, it allowed to have a huge impact on the development of other cuisines.
The indisputable advantage of Armenia is the favorable climate that has reigned here since time immemorial. Together with fertile lands and a huge number of large and small rivers, it gave its inhabitants the opportunity to raise livestock. Subsequently, this occupation also influenced the Armenian cuisine itself, as it made meat and meat dishes its basis. In addition, it was cattle breeding that once gave the Armenians delicious fermented milk products, from which they today produce their famous cheeses.
Another favorite occupation of this people since ancient times was agriculture. It was thanks to him that a huge amount of vegetables and grains appeared in Armenian cuisine, such as rice, barley, wheat, which later turned into mouth-watering side dishes for meat and fish dishes. Along with them, legumes and greens were revered here.
Armenians cooked exclusively on fire. Later they had a special oven - tonir. It was a deep hole in the ground, the walls of which were laid out of stone. With its help, the peasants not only baked pita bread and stewed meat, but also smoked food, dried fruits, and even warmed their homes. Interestingly, in pre-Christian times, such an oven was called a symbol of the sun. Therefore, when baking bread in it, women always bowed to her, believing that they were actually sending their bows to the sun. Interestingly, in villages that did not have churches, the clergy could even conduct marriage ceremonies before the tonir.
Armenians have always been famous for the technology of preparing their dishes. Since ancient times, they have tried to stuff vegetables and stuff meat with herbs and vegetables. Their cooking often stretched for a long time. Simply because they respected and revered food and considered the process of preparing it a sacred ritual.
Features of Armenian cuisine
Authentic Armenian cuisine is original and unique. Moreover, it is distinguished from others by its characteristic features:
- Cooking time- often the whole process can take several days or even months, when it comes to cooking sweets.
- The ability of Armenians to combine incongruous within one dish- a vivid example of this is arganak. It is cooked in chicken and venison chicken broth. In addition to it, they like to mix grains and legumes in one plate.
- Special technology for making soups- almost all of them here are boiled on an egg or sour-milk basis.
- Sharpness and spiciness of dishes- it is achieved thanks to a huge number of spices, seasonings and wild herbs, of which there are more than 300 species here. Cumin, pepper, garlic remain favorite. Moreover, they are put not only in meat dishes, but also in snacks and soups.
- Huge amount of salt- it is explained by the climatic conditions of the region, since in hot weather the body intensively consumes it.
Traditions of Armenian cuisine
Be that as it may, this land is truly famous for its winemaking. The results of the excavations confirm that wines were made here already in the 11th-10th centuries. BC e. Herodotus and Xenophon wrote about them. Along with them, the Armenians made cognac, which today is associated with Armenia.
Moreover, like hundreds of years ago, in many regions of the country, lavash is baked in the fall, which is then dried and put into furnaces to store for 3-4 months. If necessary, it will be enough to moisten it and cover with a towel. After half an hour, it will become soft again.
To date, the diet of Armenians has a huge amount of meat (mainly from beef, pork, chicken, goose, duck) and fish dishes (most often from trout). From vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, beets, spinach, asparagus, zucchini, pumpkin, peppers, carrots, cucumbers and eggplants are widely used. Pomegranate, fig, lemon, quince, cherry plum predominate among fruits.
Basic cooking methods:
The traditional Armenian table is fabulously god of delicacies and dishes. However, the following dishes occupy a special place in it:
Khorovats is a barbecue made from large pieces of meat.
Kyufta - meat balls made from boiled meat.
Amich is a bird (chicken or turkey) stuffed with dried fruits and rice.
Pastiners - lamb stew with vegetables.
Kololak is an analogue of meatballs.
Harissa is a porridge made from wheat and chicken.
INGREDIENTS:
600 g pork shank
1.2 l dark beer
2 onions
10 tooth garlic
8 allspice peas
8 black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
0.5 beam cilantro
1 sprig thyme
salt to taste
▫
COOKING:
⃣ Prepare the marinade. Pour beer into a large saucepan and put on a small fire. Add peas of allspice and black pepper, bay leaf, finely chop cilantro and a sprig of thyme, send it there.
⃣ Thoroughly wash and clean the shank, then dry it.
⃣ Peel a few garlic cloves, cut into slices and stuff the shank with them. Grate it with the rest of the garlic.
⃣ Peel the onion and chop...
Wings BBQ in honey glaze
Bon appetit | Բարի ախորժակ
Ingredients:
- 6 chicken wings
- 2 cups of flour
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups of BBQ sauce
- 3 tablespoons of honey
Preparation:
1. Cut the chicken wings into segments.
2. Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and pepper.
3. Dry the chicken. Dip each wing in the milk-egg mixture, and then roll in flour.
4. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
5. Cover the baking sheet with baking paper. Put the breaded wings on a baking sheet and send to bake for 25 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and flip. Send to bake until cooked and golden brown...
Wine on the tongue 🍷
Bon appetit | Բարի ախորժակ
As soon as wine appeared in the current lands of Armenia, it radically changed the entire local culture. Let's start with the language. In the Armenian language there is the word "vogelits", which means not just "alcoholic", but "saturated with the spirit." That is, from the very beginning, Armenians perceived grapes as something that inspires, increases vitality and pleases the soul.
As for the language of history, when in the 8th century BC. the Assyrians conquered Asia Minor, they took tribute from Armenia, including wine. Therefore, one of the names of the grape variety "Khardzhi" comes from the word "tribute".
And, finally, the crown word that all lovers of Armenian wine will need is...
Interesting facts about the traditional Armenian wedding 🇦🇲
The fun began on the eve of the wedding itself. The whole village, relatives gathered in the bride's house and baked festive bread - lavash and gata. Only happy married women were allowed to cook.
From early morning, the tandoor was kindled, the dough was kneaded in a special large bowl, divided into small balls, on which they left a trace of flour in the form of a cross. The dough was considered to be suitable when the drawing was divided into parts.
At the same time, the whole process should have been accompanied by stormy fun.
Lavash was given special attention, as it symbolized fertility. On the wedding day, the future mother-in-law, meeting the newlyweds, put pita bread on their shoulders and gave a spoonful of honey - so that life would be as sweet as ...
The conclusion of an agreement between the fathers of the bride and groom was supposed to be carried out even before the engagement. In some regions of Armenia, for example, Shirak and Alashkert, it was furnished in a very peculiar way - the heads of the family shared lavash. At the same time, as a rule, a priest was present, who stood between the men, and they began to pull the lavash rolled up with a whistle by the edges. The performance of this ceremony was tantamount to signing a marriage contract, since it meant that from now on they had a common bread. And, as you know, our ancestors treated bread with reverence.
Cake "Prague"
Ingredients:
Dough:
0.5 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
200 gr. sour cream (15-20%)
1/2 can of condensed milk
50 gr. dark chocolate (75% cocoa (I took "Babaevsky Lux" or "Babaevsky Elite"))
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 tbsp flour
1.tsp baking powder, vanillin
Cooking:
Beat eggs with sugar until foamy, add sour cream, condensed milk, melted chocolate and cocoa in a water bath. Beat again. Mix flour, baking powder and vanilla, sift. Add to the dough and mix with a spoon (not a mixer). Bake 4 cakes or (I have a rectangular shape, I bake one and cut it into 4).
Cream glaze:
100 gr. butter
1/2 can of condensed milk
50 gr. dark chocolate (half of the bar that was used in ...
JUICY MEAT ROLLS
Ingredients:
bacon cut packaging
Minced meat 400 g,
champignons 200 g,
1 large onion
2 eggs,
2 spoons of breadcrumbs,
thyme, cilantro, parsley,
salt pepper,
vegetable oil for passivation.
Cooking method
Finely chop the onion and mushrooms.
Fry the onion until golden brown, add the mushrooms.
Add eggs, breadcrumbs, herbs, salt, pepper to minced meat, mix thoroughly.
Form balls from the minced meat and wrap them with strips of bacon.
Place in oven at 180* for 30 minutes.
Bon appetit!
FISH SOLYANKA WITH SEAFOOD
INGREDIENTS Pike perch - 700 g;
Squids - 400 g;
Potatoes - 2 pcs;
Onion - 2 pcs;
Pickled cucumbers - 200 g;
Butter - 3 tbsp. l;
Tomato puree - 2 tbsp. l;
Olives, capers - 50 g each;
Lemon - ½ pcs;
Salt, pepper, bay leaf and herbs - to taste.
CANAPES WITH CAVIAR
Products:
300 g - wheat bread
2 - boiled eggs
3 art. l. - salmon caviar
6 art. l. - butter
1/2 - lemon
Green onion for garnish
Cooking:
1. Cut the eggs into circles.
2. Cut the bread into slices, cut out circles from them. Lubricate the circles of bread with a part of the oil, put the circles of eggs on them.
3. Using a cornet, make 5 mm high sides around the egg pieces from the softened remaining butter. Place the caviar in the middle of each egg slice.
4. Decorate canapes with lemon slices and green onions.
Armenian wine 🍷
Every Armenian knows that when Noah first set foot on this earth, the first thing he did was plant a vine. And traditional winemaking here was founded a very long time ago. Some excavations indicate that wine production in Armenia began as early as the 11th-10th centuries. BC. The peculiarity of local grape varieties is that they contain a lot of sugar, which contributes to the production of even more alcohol. Most foreigners associate Armenia mainly with cognac. The production of this drink for industrial purposes in Armenia has been established since the 19th century. To obtain Armenian cognac, only the highest selected varieties of grapes are used, which are grown in the Ararat Valley.
The legend of lavash
In ancient times there was a king in Armenia named Aram. It so happened that in one of the battles he was captured by the Assyrian king Nosor. The winner set the condition:
For ten days you will be left without bread, hungry. On the eleventh day you will compete with me in archery, if you win, I will let you go unharmed, you will return to your people with gifts worthy of the king.
The next day, Aram demanded that his most beautiful armor be brought from the Armenian army standing at the borders of Assyria. The Assyrian messengers hurried on their way. The Armenians immediately guessed that their king was hinting at something, and in order to gain time and think, they detained the messengers for the whole night.
And at dawn, the Assyrians rushed to ...
Sweet pilaf
Ingredients:
⠀
📌 rice
📌lavash
📌 Butter
📌 raisins
📌 dried apricots
📌 salt
⠀
Cooking method:
1️⃣ Boil rice in salted water and drain in a colander.
2️⃣Separately fry dried apricots in oil.
3️⃣Lay pita bread on the bottom of the brazier and spread rice with dried fruits in layers.
4️⃣ Cover with pita bread and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes
⠀
Bon appetit!
Matsun (matsoni) Մածուն 🍶
The legend says that 200 years ago the hostess poured milk into a jug of curdled milk and forgot to put it in a cold place. Under the influence of high temperatures, it was hot outside, after a while the woman discovered that a thick sour drink had formed in the container, resembling yogurt in taste. The story of the amazing transformation of milk into a refreshing fermented product quickly spread around the area and found its adherents.
Matsun can be eaten in different ways! In its pure form, with the addition of sugar or fruit as a dessert. It also goes well with second courses, for example, as a sauce for tolma and zhengyalov atsa!
Do you like matsun?
Delicious homemade goulash
Ingredients:⠀
- meat (beef or pork) - 500g,
- onion - 2 pcs,
- flour - 1 tbsp. spoon,
- tomato paste - 3 tbsp. spoons,
- salt, pepper, bay leaf, herbs.
⠀
Wash the meat, pat dry and cut into cubes.
Finely chop the onion. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the meat over high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the onion to the meat and fry, stirring occasionally, ~5-7 minutes over medium heat.
Salt the meat, pepper, sprinkle with flour, mix well and fry for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste, mix well. Pour 2-3 cups of water or meat broth into goulash, mix, add bay leaf, cover and simmer over low heat, with a slight boil for an hour and a half. When serving, sprinkle the goulash with chopped herbs.
GYUMRI VEGETABLE SALAD
(Thanks to Isabella Sargsyan for the recipe)
Roast vegetables on fire. After cooking, peel all vegetables. Cut vegetables, add greens, oil, salt, garlic and simmer for 5 minutes on the stove. Serve hot.
Ingredients: eggplant 1 kg, pepper 1 kg, hot capsicum 1-2 pieces. Tomatoes half a kilo. Salt, herbs to taste. Garlic also to taste
National cuisine so accurately reflects the character of the inhabitants of the country.
Look at Armenian dishes, what do you see? Generosity, diversity, contrast, bright temperament, attention to detail.
❤Gourmet holiday dish or a simple rural breakfast – Armenian food is always beautiful. Serving for Armenians is no less important than taste. The aesthetics of our cuisine is shaped by the hands of Armenian women, who perfectly know how to wrap in dolma, decorate each small portion with pomegranate seeds and dried fruits, thinly roll out the dough for lavash and lay out the finished bread in even piles. And who can argue that ghapama (stuffed pumpkin) is a festive table decoration?
What Armenian dish do you consider the most beautiful?
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Autumn traditional pickles assorted.
There is cauliflower and plain white.
Salt simply;
place chopped cabbage florets and white cabbage slices (do not take Dutch varieties, they are dry and tasteless) in an enamel pan or 3 liter bottle.
Garlic cloves, celery greens, laurel, sweet peas, several slices of beets, carrots can be cut into strips, you can cut into bars, 2 tablespoons of coarse salt per 3 liter jar, hot pepper pod. Shake the jar, close and put in a warm place. After 10-12 days you can eat. Store further in a cool place.
One of my favorite pies
Curd pie "Peat"
Wheat flour / Flour (dough; + 3 tablespoons for filling) - 400 g
Butter (room temperature; dough) - 250 g
Sugar (dough - 100 g; filling - 175 g) - 275 g
Cocoa powder (dough) - 4-5 tbsp. l.
Chicken egg (stuffing) - 5 pcs
Sour cream (filling) - 150 ml
Cottage cheese (5-9%; mine is homemade) - 500-600 g
Vanilla (pod; or vanilla sugar - 1 sachet) - 1 pc.
Butter cut into pieces and put in a bowl, add flour, sugar and cocoa Grind everything into crumbs. You should get a loose, slightly wet mass. Beat with a mixer into a homogeneous mass: eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla sugar, cottage cheese and sour cream.
Detachable form, for baking (I have a diameter of 24 cm) ...
TRY THE SPICY ARMENIAN PICKLES🥒
A distinctive feature of the Armenian national cuisine is that the Armenians have learned to salt everything, even what, it seems, could not be imagined as pickles. Along with cabbage, cucumbers and green tomatoes traditional for many peoples, salted eggplants, various greens and even melons are very popular. And the word "tursha" - salted green beans - has become truly international, and this dish is everyone's favorite.
“Tsitsak” is a completely different matter - salty, hot, bitter pepper, which is salted in a separate barrel so as not to bring down the aroma of other fruits. The “tsitsak” dish has become so popular that in Armenian colloquial speech, fresh hot peppers are already called nothing more than tsitsak.
It is also customary for some Armenian housewives to salt beet leaves, which give the rest of the pickles a pink tint.
Burgers at home
___________
Ingredients:
Parisian loaf - 1 pc.
Sausage - 100 grams
Tomatoes -1 pc
Cheese - 50 grams
Dill
lettuce leaves
Garlic - 1 clove
Mayonnaise - 4-6 tbsp. l.
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp. l.
Pepper to taste
Cooking:
1. Divide the loaf into two parts. Cut tomatoes, sausage.
2. For Caesar sauce, chop dill in a blender, add a few tablespoons of mayonnaise, soy sauce, grated cheese and garlic to taste (for tenderness, you can add a couple of tablespoons of milk).
3. Spread the sauce over the loaf, put sausage and tomatoes in layers, add a little cheese and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Add lettuce leaves.
Armenian cuisine is considered one of the oldest in Asia and the most ancient in Transcaucasia. Its characteristic features have been formed over the millennia, as the Armenian people constantly wandered from one place to another. Preparation for cooking is a difficult and painstaking job. There are many recipes for minced meat, fish, stuffed vegetables, etc. in Armenian cuisine.
Many recipes have been preserved since ancient times, for example, khorovats (barbecue) and berek (meat-filled dough) are still popular. Armenians have been preparing these dishes for almost 1500 years.
Armenians use about 300 types of herbs and wild plants as a seasoning. Sometimes they are even served as a separate dish.
The quality and exclusivity of the taste of dishes is strongly influenced by climate and other geographical conditions. Armenian food is very nutritious. The festive table is literally bursting with an abundance and variety of dishes, salads and desserts. It is impossible to imagine an Armenian meal without cilantro, tarragon, parsley, dill, coriander, cardamom, basil, lemon balm and green onions.
Armenians eat a lot of meat, beef, pork, chicken, lamb and fish. The meat is fried on a spit on wood or in a tandoor (oven-brazier), hence the special aroma of khorovats. It is served with grilled vegetables. Khorovats is a favorite dish of Armenians.
Khash is a dish made from cow's feet. It is eaten with garlic and dried lavash. This dish is very nutritious, so they eat it in the winter in the morning.
Other Armenian dishes:
Lavash - traditional thin bread, cooked in a tandoor
Sujuk - spicy sausage with garlic, based on beef and spices
Basturma - beef jerky wrapped in a thin layer of chaman with cumin
Spas - yoghurt soup with wheat
Fish - Armenians use for cooking grayling and ishkhan, Sevan trout from Lake Savan
Harisa - a porridge-like mass of chicken and wheat
Khashlama - boiled beef with potatoes, tomatoes and onions
Dolma - minced meat and with rice, wrapped in grape or cabbage leaves, they are also filled with tomatoes, eggplants, peppers
Lahmacun - Armenian pizza; a thin layer of spicy minced meat is placed on a bread cake (mutton is usually used)
Khachapuri - puff pastry with cheese or meat
Armenians also love Russian dumplings, Georgian khinkali and several Arabic dishes.
Desserts of Armenia
Armenia is full of sweet fruits: apricot, pomegranate, apple, pear, grape, cherry, peach, plum, quince, fig, melon, watermelon, black and white mulberry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, rosehip, etc. To tell the truth, apricot for Armenians is more than just a fruit. It symbolizes one of the colors of the Armenian tricolor (red, blue and apricot).
It is impossible to imagine an Armenian dessert without delicious dried fruits, green fruits and raisins, which are usually made from apples, plums, peaches, grapes and, of course, apricots (tsirana).
Local ice cream and confectionery are good, among which, gata (traditional wide puff pastry filled with butter and sugar) and baklava (honey puff pastry with a thick nut filling) are in special demand. Oriental coffee is usually the end of a meal. Sometimes it is replaced with a tincture of thyme, mint or rosehip.
All the secrets of Armenian cuisine - dishes and drinks, step-by-step recipes for home use, a selection of gastronomic tours in Yerevan and the surrounding area, for those who are already on their suitcases. A list of traditional dishes and products that you should not only order at local establishments, but also bring home - friends and relatives will thank you more than once!
1. Gastronomic excursions in Armenia
In this country, there is something to try and what recipes to take home with you. Gastronomic tours in Armenia are tastings at the Ararat brandy factory, lunches with barbecue, vegetable snacks, lavash and other hits of local cuisine.
3. Matsun, barbecue and others
Let's briefly talk about the features of Armenian cuisine. What dishes and drinks are popular and loved in Armenia.
The cuisine of sunny and hospitable Armenia is one of the oldest in the world. The secrets of baking, for example, this Caucasian people learned about two and a half years ago! Most of the traditional Armenian dishes have a solid “age”, that is, they have been prepared in the same way for several centuries. The culture and geographical features of the country have also determined the menu of the nation, which includes a lot of meat, vegetables and herbs, dairy products. The special taste and aroma of fresh products is added not only by unique local spices, but also by the methods of their preparation.
All over Armenia today you can see traditional ovens (tandyrs), in which meat is baked, lavash is baked, soups are cooked. Here are the most delicious dishes that have made Armenian cuisine so popular all over the world.
Meat
Beef, lamb, pork, poultry dishes are very popular in Armenia. Local shish kebab (khorovats), kufta (large meatballs), (spiced beef jerky) are the “visiting cards” of the national cuisine. The meat is cooked as whole pieces, and used in the form of minced meat. For example, they make rolls of grape leaves with minced beef, and with chopped lamb they get delicious lahmajun - the national version of pizza.
In the traditional cuisine of Armenia, there are also dishes from several varieties of meat. For example, chicken and venison, cooked together, is one of the oldest dishes of Armenian cuisine - arganak.
Each region has its own recipes and methods of cooking this or that type of meat, most of which have not changed for several hundred years and have been brought to perfection. There are more than twenty kebabs in the country alone!
Fish
The legendary Lake Sevan is not only a natural landmark of Armenia, but also a habitat for trout and. Of course, in the largest and most beautiful reservoir of the country there are many other fish too, but it is for the sake of ishkhan (royal fish) and barbecue from it that gourmets from all over the world come to the shores of a mountain lake. Other rivers and lakes of the country can also offer a rich catch, but trout (and river trout too) are confidently leading among others.
The most unusual fish dish in the country is kutap - baked trout stuffed with rice and raisins.
Soups
Armenians love soups and cook them with great skill. Here you can try both hearty and rich first courses, as well as light, refreshing ones.
Armenian "soup number 1", the most famous and popular. It is boiled all night from beef or pork legs, hardly salted and served fiery hot. Delicious and varied vegetarian soups. Local housewives prepare wonderful spas with matsun. In the spring, stews are cooked from aveluk or mallow - wild herbs. Only in Armenia you can try the first courses of dogwood or wild rose, dried berries are used to make healthy soups in winter.
Snacks
A feast in any corner of Armenia begins with a variety of snacks. These can be eggplant rolls with nuts and herbs, a variety of salted vegetables, pies with meat or legumes. Salads are prepared from vegetables and herbs, often cereals are added to the ingredients from the garden. It can be lentils, bulgur, rice.
One of the most popular snacks in Armenia is made from spelt, lots of greens and pickled cheese. Assorted local cheeses are always on the table as an independent snack.
Cheese
It is believed that bread with cheese has been the basis of the diet of local residents for a long time. Matsun (sour milk) and various cheeses are served daily, on their own or as part of dishes. Traditional varieties of cheese - chanakh, chechil, motal. Each of them has a special recipe and cooking method that has been preserved for centuries. For some, special clay containers are used, for others - goat wineskins.
Armenian cheeses with herbs are very popular. For example, wild thyme is added to the famous motal.
Dessert
Desserts of Armenian cuisine deserve special attention. The "queen" of the sweet table is considered to be gata - a biscuit pie stuffed with flour, sugar, butter. Simple ingredients are prepared so skillfully that they turn into a gastronomic masterpiece. It is interesting that in each region of the country this sweet dish is made in its own way. Armenia offers sweet lovers unique desserts made from fresh fruits. A popular option is Alani. These are sun-dried peaches stuffed with a mixture of sugar, nuts and spices.
Fruit pita breads are tasty - dried layers of mashed plums, apricots, peaches. Another delicacy is sujukh, nuts in fruit syrup. Armenia is famous for jams and jams, here they are prepared from fruits, berries, nuts and flowers.
Pita
Armenia is considered the birthplace of lavash - thin unleavened bread baked in a special oven. It comes in white and black, the color determines the type of flour used. Armenian traditional is a large, but very thin flatbread. It is not only present on the table at every meal, but is also a symbol of wealth and prosperity. At an Armenian wedding, lavash is even placed on the shoulders of the newlyweds. In many families, traditions of baking this bread are preserved, the oldest woman in the family should knead the dough and send it to the oven.
Fresh lavash goes well with any dish. Sometimes it is used as the basis for all kinds of rolls, filling it with stuffing, and some national dishes are supposed to be eaten using a piece of dry pita bread as a spoon.
Vegetables and fruits
The gifts of the generous Armenian land are served fresh, baked, stewed. Eggplants, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, onions, garlic are always present on the table. Vegetables served with nuts
Armenian cuisine is the oldest of all Asian cuisines. Her recipes are passed down unchanged from generation to generation. A special place of honor in it is occupied by Armenian pastries. The best recipes are listed below.
Armenian lavash
It is impossible to imagine Armenian cuisine without real lavash. There are a huge number of them on the shelves in stores. But it will be much tastier if you cook pita bread yourself.
For this you will need:
- flour - 500 g;
- water - 250 ml;
- salt to taste;
- butter or margarine - 30 g.
Cooking method:
- Melt the butter.
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Important: the water must be hot. Then the dough will be more tender.
- If time permits, allow the test to stand for 30 minutes. But you can start baking right away.
- The secret of perfect pita bread is its thickness: roll out the dough as thin as possible.
- Each layer is fried over low heat in a pan.
Homemade pita bread can be used as a base for making rolls with many different fillings. For example: mix eggs, greens, cheese, garlic and mayonnaise, wrap in homemade pita bread - a great snack is ready.
Matnakash
"Bread is the head of everything!" In Armenia, this saying is as relevant as in the rest of the world. Homemade bread Matnakash is always on the table.
To prepare it, you will need:
- a glass of flour;
- dry yeast - packaging;
- vegetable oil - 20 ml;
- incomplete glass of water;
- salt and sugar as desired.
Cooking algorithm:
- Knead the dough from the ingredients, let it brew for 60 minutes.
- Carefully roll out the risen dough into an oval or circle shape. Let it brew again for 40 minutes.
- We make furrows on the dough, and then bake at 200 degrees for half an hour.
Fragrant homemade bread is ready to eat.
Gata (Kyata) Armenian
Not a single Caucasian cuisine is complete without delicious sweets that will appeal to both children and adults. In Armenia, this is the Gata pie.
The following ingredients are required for its preparation:
Dough:
- oil - 100 g;
- flour - 500 g;
- yeast - 6 g;
- water - 250 ml.
Filling:
- flour - 600 g;
- powdered sugar - 300 g;
- oil - 300 g;
- vanillin - 1 package.
Cooking process:
- First, prepare the dough: mix all the ingredients and leave in a warm place.
- We make the filling: grind butter and flour to a homogeneous consistency, add powder and vanillin. The filling should turn out crumbly, without lumps.
- Divide the risen dough into several equal parts. Roll out into layers with a thickness of not more than 2 mm. Then brush each with oil. Stack on top of each other and roll out again. We do this procedure 5 times.
- We divide the resulting dough into 3 equal parts. From each we make a cake. Spread the filling evenly in the center. We connect the edges of the cake. It is necessary to give the cake a round shape.
- Lubricate with yolk. We pierce in several places.
- Gata should be baked for 30 minutes at 190 degrees.
Add walnuts for flavor. This will give the cake a special piquancy.
Gata can also be made in the form of cookies. To do this, the resulting dough is rolled into rectangular layers, the filling is added in a thin layer and rolled into a roll. The roll is cut into equal small pieces. Bake also, reducing the cooking time to 20 minutes.
Baklava
The most popular sweet in Armenian cuisine is, of course, baklava. She is loved all over the world. Preparing a dessert is quite simple at home.
Required products:
- flour - 600 g;
- sugar - 200 g;
- butter - 1 pack;
- sour cream - 1 can;
- honey - 350 g;
- soda on the tip of a knife;
- egg - 2 pcs.;
- ground cinnamon - 1 tsp;
- cardamom to taste;
- vanillin - 1 package;
- walnuts - 2 cups.
How to cook:
- Knead sour cream, butter (previously softened), egg and soda. Constantly stirring, put the flour in small portions. The result is a soft, fluffy dough. It should be infused for about 30 minutes.
- We make the filling. Most walnuts are ground together in spices and sugar. A small part of the unground nuts is left to decorate the sweetness.
- We divide the dough into 4 equal parts. From each we make a thin cake. Take a baking dish with high edges. Lubricate generously with oil. Lay out layers of dough. Place the filling between them in even layers. Lubricate the top layer with yolk to get a beautiful color when baking.
- Cut into diamonds or squares. We decorate each of them with walnuts.
- We put the dessert for 15 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees.
- After 15 minutes, we take out the form, repeat the cuts and pour 100 g of melted butter. Another 40 minutes in the oven.
- During this time, we are preparing the second filling. To do this, melt the honey, mix with a glass of water and half a glass of sugar.
- After 40 minutes, we take out the form from the oven, cover with a second filling and let the delicacy cool and soak well.
Delicious fragrant baklava is ready. Enjoy yourself and please your loved ones!
Cake "Mikado"
Does someone close to you have a birthday, and the birthday boy is a connoisseur of Armenian cuisine? Then this recipe is perfect for you!
Ingredients:
- flour - 0.5 kg;
- condensed milk - 1 can;
- oil - 2 packs;
- baking powder dough - 1 pack;
- sour cream - 1 can;
- egg - 1 piece;
- chocolate (preferably dark) - 1 bar;
- cocoa powder - 4 tbsp. l.;
- a glass of sugar.
Cooking process:
- First, mix a pack of butter with half a glass of sugar and an egg until smooth.
- In the resulting mass, add baking powder and sour cream.
- Constantly stirring, put the flour in small portions. We remove the resulting dough for half an hour in the refrigerator.
- Cooking cream. To do this, add sugar and 1 tablespoon of cocoa to half a pack of butter. We put on a slow fire. In another bowl, put the remaining butter, cocoa and condensed milk. Mix the contents of the two plates thoroughly. The resulting mixture is removed in the refrigerator.
- The dough is divided into 10 parts. From each roll out a thin cake. Bake in the oven at 190 degrees for 2-3 minutes.
- Lubricate the cakes with cream. Cakes should be warm.
- Decorate with grated dark chocolate.
- The cake should be allowed to brew at room temperature for 2 hours, and then it should be removed in the cold for several hours. Then we cut off the edges and cut the cake in the form of rhombuses, which are laid out on a plate in the form of a star.
For those who like it sweeter, you can take boiled condensed milk for baking.
Armenian baklava at home (video)
Armenian cuisine pastries are distinguished by their taste, aroma and tenderness. If a holiday is on the nose, then choosing these dishes as a treat, you will never go wrong and will definitely please your guests with your amazing table.
