For its magic landscapes and monasteries, Armenia is a fairy tale country worth putting at the top of your wish list right away, we were saying. But its food and wines are worth discovering and tasting too.
As often the case with many countries that were under the thumb of the Soviets, the new generations have the desire of giving value to ingredients, recipes and preparations pre and post-USSR (1936-1991) since the culinary basin of Armenia (if you exclude sea fish which is almost absent) is the _expression_ of a microclimate very similar to the Mediterranean one.
The Valley of Ararat is a gigantic basin of vegetables (especially in the spring) and fruits (summer): apricots, even dehydrated, are a sort of national emblem almost as much as the sacred lavash (see photo below). Tomatoes and cucumbers, marvellous in season, are available almost everywhere throughout the year (from greenhouses). In the autumn apples, quince, and persimmon but also cabbage, potatoes, walnuts and other nuts are very popular. Among herbs, parsley, coriander, dill and basil are the most common; as for pomegranates, you can find their grains almost everywhere.
Among the local specialties, there's the ubiquitous trout from Lake Sevan, prepared in all sorts of ways, as well as crayfish (from freshwater as Armenia has no access to the sea). Other popular dishes include dried beef basturma, dolma (fermented cabbage leaves), baklava, lahmajo (a sort of Armenian pizza), chickufta (a sort of steak tartare) and harisa (a delicious type of porridge). The diet is rich in pork, duck, lamb and lots of cheese (usually not mature). The soviet influence is clear in dishes like salat vinaigrette as well as in the common use of the classic trio of potatoes, sour cream and vodka.
Like Georgia, Armenia claims its role as the world cradle of wine. Which one of the two countries first began is a futile argument. For sure, in the Areni cave, there are proofs of rites of cannibalism, with tastings of blood and wine, dating from over 6 thousand years ago. A custom that can be found in ancient paintings, in which heaven is often depicted as a vineyard. In the few wineries we visited, the European wine making style (small and large barrels) prevails on amphoras (which are much more popular in Georgia).
Below, you can find fragments and protagonists of an intense 3-day trip. The Armenian pantry would deserve a much deeper exploration.
Armenian News note: go to the link below for more photos.
https://www.identitagolose.com/sito/en/98/29328/zanattamente-buono/in-the-armenian-pantry.html