15 Armenian Recipes to Introduce You to the Vibrant Delicacies

Armenian meals 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 skin world, Armenians discovered to make do with what that they had, significantly throughout their lengthy winters. Armenians have been (and plenty of stay) a really spiritual individuals (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, method again in 303 AD). Not solely was meat a valuable useful resource, but it surely was additionally forbidden by the church for almost half of the calendar yr, each throughout the forty days of lent and a few 120 different quick days exterior of it. Because of this, they developed a complicated vegetarian delicacies, with beans, lentils, nuts, and dairy merchandise like yogurt and cheese standing in for meat.

With that mentioned, Armenians are all-in on feasting throughout occasions of loads 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 primary 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 a listing 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. Except just a few recipes, I grew up consuming these dishes usually. 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.