Armenian food is a examine in contrasts: indulgent and celebratory on one hand, and humble and nourishing on the opposite. Historic Armenia, which incorporates the current-day Armenian Republic together with a lot of what’s now a part of Jap Turkey, was a mountainous, remoted, and comparatively poor area. With restricted entry to the surface world, Armenians discovered to make do with what that they had, significantly throughout their lengthy winters. Armenians had been (and plenty of stay) a really spiritual folks (it’s a level of satisfaction for a lot of that the Kingdom of Armenia was the primary nation to make Christianity its state faith, means again in 303 AD). Not solely was meat a treasured useful resource, nevertheless it was additionally forbidden by the church for practically half of the calendar yr, each in the course of the forty days of lent and a few 120 different quick days outdoors of it. In consequence, they developed a complicated vegetarian delicacies, with beans, lentils, nuts, and dairy merchandise like yogurt and cheese standing in for meat.
Severe Eats / Andrew Janjigian
With that mentioned, Armenians are all-in on feasting throughout instances of lots or on the finish of fasting durations. (Vacation gatherings in my household are research in extra, with most company full to the brim lengthy earlier than the principle programs seem.) My household, and plenty of different Armenians, love meat, particularly lamb: Cooks grill it over charcoal on skewers, braise it in stews and soups, flip it into meatballs, and even serve it uncooked. And they’re particularly keen on sweets, whether or not it’s the fruits considerable inside their area—grapes, pomegranate, peaches, and apricots, amongst others—or desserts and breads containing copious portions of sugar.
The next is an inventory of among the most iconic and beloved dishes of the Armenia diaspora. A few of these recipes, like fassoulia, rice pilaf, and dolma, could also be acquainted, as variations of them function in different Southwest Asian cuisines. Beneath, you’ll discover celebratory dishes, in addition to easy, on a regular basis staples. Aside from a couple of recipes, I grew up consuming these dishes frequently. The remainder are these I’ve come to like by experimenting and exploring them in my very own kitchen—and I hope you’ll, too.
