Harissa (Armenian: Հարիսա) is an iconic Armenian dish similar to kashkeg, a kind of homogeneous porridge made of previously stewed and boned chicken and coarsely ground soaked wheat.

The dish has been passed on since ancient times. Harissa is traditionally served on Easter day. It is still prepared by many Armenians around the world and is also considered the national dish of Armenia.

Harissa is also very common in Lebanese villages, across its different ethnic communities, where it is usually cooked on religious occasions in a big pot in a village gathering.

When harissa is served, it’s dished into bowls and garnished with melted butter. A dollop of hotter is deposited in little well-like depressions in the center of the porridge. Harissa is a very filling, rich, and sustaining dish. After eating it, you won’t be hungry again for a long lime. Thais why Armenians say, “Harissa costs cheap after dinner.”

Harissa became a popular take-out food, much like pizza is today. Armenians who lived under Arab domination for many years made the familiar harrissa their food of choice.

You can find authentic Armenian Harissa on many Armenian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Kefir is a fermented milk drink that originated in the Caucasus region. It is prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep’s milk with kefir grains. Traditional kefir was made in skin bags that were hung near a doorway; the bag would be knocked by anyone passing through the doorway to help keep the milk and kefir grains well mixed

Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars. This symbiotic matrix forms grains that resemble cauliflower. Today, kefir is becoming increasingly popular due to new research into its health benefits. Many different bacteria and yeasts are found in the kefir grains, which are a complex and highly variable community of micro-organisms.

Production of traditional kefir requires kefir grains which are a gelatinous community of bacteria and yeasts. Kefir grains contain a water soluble polysaccharide known as kefiran that imparts a rope-like texture and feeling in one’s mouth. Kefir grains cannot be produced from scratch, but the grains grow during fermentation, and additional grains are produced. Kefir grains can be bought or donated by other growers. Kefir grains appear white to yellow and are usually the size of a walnut, but may be as small as a grain of rice.

You can find authentic Armenian Kefir on many Armenian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Borscht (also borsht, barszcz or borshch) is a soup that is popular in many Eastern and Central European countries. In most of these countries, it is made with beetroot as the main ingredient, giving it a deep reddish-purple color. In some countries tomato may occur as the main ingredient, while beetroot acts as a secondary ingredient. Other, non-beet varieties also exist, such as the tomato paste-based orange borscht and the green (zelioni) borscht (sorrel soup).

There are two main variants of borscht, generally referred to as hot and cold. Both are based on beets, but are otherwise prepared and served differently.

The basic Polish borscht (barszcz) recipe includes red beetroot, onions, garlic, and other vegetables such as carrots and celery or parsnip. The ingredients are cooked for some time together to produce kind of clear broth (when strained) served as boullion in cups or in other ways. Some recipes include bacon as well, which gives the soup its distinctive, “smoky” taste.

Other versions are richer as they include meat and cut vegetables of various kinds where beetroots aren’t the main one (though this soup isn’t always called barszcz, but rather beetroot soup). This variation of barszcz isn’t strained and vegetable contents are left in it. Such soup can make the main course of obiad (main meal eaten in the early afternoon).

Barszcz in its strictly vegetarian version is the first course during the Christmas Eve feast. It’s served with ravioli-type dumplings called “uszka” (lit. “little ears”) with mushroom filling.
You can find authentic Armenian Borscht on many Armenian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Lavash (also known as lahvash or cracker bread) a soft, thin flatbread of Armenian origin [1] made with flour, water, and salt. It is the most widespread type of bread in Iran, Pakistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Toasted sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds are sometimes sprinkled on it before baking, though this is very uncommon in Armenia. While some wrap breads sold in the United States label themselves as lavash, actual lavash is significantly thinner than those products.

Traditionally the dough is rolled out flat and slapped against the hot walls of a tandoor oven, also called təndir in Azerbaijani, tonir in Armenian, tone in Georgian, tanur in Persian and tandır in Turkish. This is still the method used all throughout Iran, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and in the United States.

While flexible like a tortilla when fresh, lavash dries out quickly and becomes brittle and hard. The soft form tastes better and is easier to use when making wrap sandwiches; however, the dry form can be used for long-term storage and is used instead of leavened bread in Eucharist traditions by the Armenian Apostolic Church. Dry, left-over lavash is used in Iran to make quick meals after being rehydrated with water, butter and cheese. Lavash bread is also used with kebabs. In Turkey, a meat kebab rolled in a lavash bread takes the name “dürüm”, possibly qualified by the kebab’s first name.

You can find authentic Armenian Lavash on many Armenian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Khash is a traditional dish in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.Formerly a nutritious winter food for the rural poor, it is now considered a delicacy, and is enjoyed as a festive winter meal, usually by a company of men.

Modern day convention in Armenia dictates that it should be consumed during the month that has an ‘r’ in its name, thus excluding May, June, July, and August (month names in Armenian are derivatives of the Latin names). No such restriction on khash consumption exists in Georgia. A similar food is called piti in the vicinity of Kars Province, although piti is also made from feet of other livestock, primarily sheep.

Khash remains a purist meal with great parsimony in ingredients. The main ingredient in khash is cow’s feet, although other cow parts, such as the head and stomach (tripe) may also be used. The feet (known in Armenian as totikner) are depilated, cleaned, kept in cold water in order to get rid of bad smell, and boiled in water all night long, until the water has become a thick broth and the meat has separated from the bones. No salt or spices are added during the boiling process. The dish is served hot. One may add salt, garlic, lemon juice, or vinegar according to one’s tastes. Dried lavash is often crumbled into the broth to add substance. Khash is generally served with a variety of other foods, such as hot green and yellow peppers, pickles, radishes, cheese, and fresh greens such as cress. The meal is almost always accompanied by vodka (preferably mulberry vodka) and mineral water.

Khash is widely lauded for its supposed healing qualities. Its ingredients include various joints of the cow’s legs and feet, rich in cartilage and other connective tissues. It is widely believed that regular consumption of khash helps heal joint injuries and can even help alleviate or slow down the progress of arthritis

You can find authentic Armenian Khash on many Armenian Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Chee kufta (also called khema or kheyma) is a raw meat dish/delicacy from Armenian cuisine, similar to the Turkish çiğ köfte or the European steak tartare. It is made with either beef or lamb, and usually served as an appetizer.

In the beef variant, ground beef is used. Tendons and fat are removed before grinding the beef. Relatively expensive high-quality beef has to be used so that the meat can be safely served raw. London broil or top round are recommended choices for the ground beef.

Since lamb is considered a “clean meat”, and popular in Armenian cuisine, it is often used for chee kufta instead of beef. Both Armenians and Turks use chee kufta as a meze (Middle-Eastern appetizer), served almost freezing. The raw meat is not kept overnight and is reserved for special occasions. The lamb used must be deboned, degristled, and trimmed before it is prepared. The lamb is supposed to be butchered, bought, and prepared the very same day to ensure freshness.

With either meat, finely ground bulgur (durum and other wheat) is required. Other ingredients are mild onions, scallions, parsley, and usually green pepper. Variants of the dish may use tomato sauce, Tabasco, and mint leaves. When served, it may be gathered into balls, or in one piece. Crackers or pita bread are sometimes used to consume it.

In an episode of Taxicab Confessions set in Las Vegas, a young male Armenian tourist confirms to the cabdriver that his buddy (also a young male Armenian) is right that he would marry a woman who could prepare good chee kufta.

You can find authentic Armenian Chee Kufta on many Armenian Restaurants in Los Angeles

Pastırma or bastırma is a highly seasoned, air-dried cured beef in the cuisines of the former Ottoman countries.

The name pastırma is from Turkish: pastırma et (pressed meat). Pastırma is a noun derived from the verb pastırmak (bastırmak in modern Turkish), which means “to press”. The word is used with minor variants in the various languages of the region: Albanian: pastërma, Arabic: بسطرمة (basterma)‎, Armenian: պաստուրմա (basturma), Azerbaijani: bastırma, Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian and Serbian: pastrma, Bulgarian: пастърма (pastrma), Greek: παστουρμάς (pastourmás) or παστρουμάς (pastroumás), and Romanian: pastramă. The word pastrami, although used for a differently prepared type of meat, also goes back via Yiddish: פּאַסטראָמע (pastrómeh) to pastırma.

Wind-dried beef has been made in this region for centuries. Pastırma itself is usually considered Turkish, though it is produced and consumed in a wide area of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Andrew Dalby also mentions its use in Byzantium.

One legend recounts that Turkic horsemen of Central Asia used to preserve meat by placing slabs of it in the pockets on the sides of their saddles, where it would be pressed by their legs as they rode.

Hough beef is the most common meat today, various meats are also used, including camel, pork, lamb, goat, and water buffalo, with camel being the most prized.

Pastırma is prepared by salting the meat, then washing it with water and letting it dry for 10-15 days. The meat is then squeezed out of the blood and salt. Then it is covered with a cumin paste called çemen (lit., ‘fenugreek’) prepared with crushed cumin, fenugreek, garlic, and hot paprika, followed by thorough air-drying. Depending on the variety of the paprika, it can be very spicy but not really as hot as, for example, hot chili.

The Lebanese-Armenians introduced pastirma to Lebanese cuisine, and it is usually served as a mezze in thin slices, usually uncooked, but sometimes lightly grilled. It may be added to different dishes, the most famous of which is a bean dish, and various pies.

In Turkey the spiced version, often called Kayseri pastırması, is most common. The less-common Rumeli pastırması “Balkan pastırma”, is simply salted. The spiced variety, when consumed in more than minuscule quantities, imparts its spicy scent to breath and body fluids (sweat, urine, breast-milk) for several hours after consumption.

The rivers and lake of Armenia are rich in fish which is also present in the menus. The most used fish is pollan and trout bred and caught in Lake Sevan. Trout is famous for its delicate taste. The Sevan trout is called “ishkhan” – “imperial fish” and the most valuable dish from it is shashlick – “ishkhan khorovats”. Before frying the fish is greased and stuffed with a little lard.

Armenian cuisine is one of the most ancient on Earth and its preparation techniques today remain almost the same as 1500 years ago. The traditional style cuisine is rich with dishes made of fruits, meat of wild animals and different kinds of fish.

Armenian foods include small appetizers, grain and herb salads, grilled meats, a large variety of soups, stews and flat breads.
Bread is a favorite in Armenian cuisine and usually found at the table at every meal. In fact it is hard to imagine Armenian cuisine without the traditional lavash bread (unleavened wheat cake), which is loved the world over.

Wild rice and rice pilaf are also common in Armenia, as is skewered meat, commonly known as shish kebab, which is fast becoming as popular as hamburgers. Armenian inspired restaurants and cafes have sprung up throughout the world including the Baltics, which is home to a sizeable Armenian Diaspora.

Armenians are also famous for their soups, which are essential everyday meals for families. The most popular is khash, a clear broth made from ham hocks and herbs. Tradition holds that khash can only be cooked by men and eaten in the early morning in the dead of winter when it is served with fresh garlic and dried lavash. Another well-known dish is gharsi khorovats – slivers of grilled meat rolled up in lavash, similar to the Turkish doner kebab.

In fact Armenian cookery uses about 300 kinds of wild-growing herbs, commonly used as seasonings or even a simple dish.
However, you won’t find many cookbooks on Armenian cuisine as most recipes are handed down from parent to child. These recipes are forever changing with the ingredients available. Actually there are hundreds and hundreds of recipes in Armenian cuisine, after all, Armenians can be considered among the biggest gourmets in the world.

Nowadays they are trying to preserve these traditions – passed down as part of their heritage.

All dairy products are very esteemed by Armenians. They are valued like bread and consumed both as separate dishes and seasoning to other dishes. Cheeses take a special place in Armenian diet. There are a lot of varieties of cheese – with different herbs, garlic and a number of fillings.The developed household cheese making differs not only by rich assortment of cheeses but also original use of whey and buttermilk and their further processing. So, matsun whey or buttermilk are used for making cottage cheese zhazhik”. The most known Armenian cheese is twisted “chechil”.

The most popular dairy product is matsun – thick sour milk drunk by Armenians from time immemorial. The name of this wonderful beverage originated from Armenian verb “matsutsel” – “to thicken”. It is used as the base for making spas – sour-milk soup with wheat cereal. In the summer time matsun is dilute with water and it turns into tan – a refreshing milk beverage a must in summer heat for thirst quenching.