What to Eat in Armenia: Typical Armenian Food and Specialties | Page 2 of 4
Lahmajun: Armenian Pizza
Gata: The Armenian Sweet Cake
Gata is an Armenian buttery pastry whose most common filling is flour, butter and sugar - a cake filled with its own dough, toasted and sweetened. Its name has cousins in Turkish and Georgian, and an origin that not even Armenia's greatest etymologist could crack. At New Year a coin for luck is hidden inside; I tasted it at the bakery below Haghartsin Monastery and was given one at Tatev.
Baklava Gavar: Armenian Honey Baklava from Lake Sevan
Baklava Gavar is a layered honey pastry from the Armenian town of Gavar on the shore of Lake Sevan. Tradition says the recipe was brought here by settlers from Bayazet, which is why it is also called Bayazet baklava. It has twenty-two to twenty-five sheets of dough with walnuts and butter between them, and it is drenched in hot honey. In 2022 Armenia added it to its national list of intangible cultural heritage.
Nraneh: Lamb Soup with Pomegranate Juice
Nraneh is a lamb soup soured with pomegranate juice, with rice, peas, leafy greens and cilantro, served in Yerevan at two restaurants, Lavash and Sherep. Armenian dictionaries and cookbooks have never heard of it, yet meaty pomegranate soups turn up all across the Caucasus and in Iran.
Spas: Armenian Yogurt Soup
Spas is an Armenian yogurt soup made from matsun, thickened with hulled wheat or rice and cooked with constant stirring so the yogurt doesn't curdle. It's served hot in winter and cold in summer. It has two names, a Cossack legend the dictionaries won't back up, and relatives in Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. In Yerevan they serve it in portions that would pass for a main course anywhere else.
