Armenia is a very old Aryan cultures which most probably originated in the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers many years ago, settling eventually high in the Caucus Mountains, bordered by the Black, Caspian and Mediterranean seas., as well as in the Cilicia region of modern day Turkey.Armenians have long been wanderers of the world while traditionally not nearly as nomadic as many Middle Eastern tribes. Armenians have tended to maintain a strong ethnic identity wherever they have found themselves

So, spring means picking young in Armenian kitchens all over the world, tender wild grape leaves and rolling them into platters of sarmas coming out of the kitchen, made when the wild grape leaves used to wrap the fragrant rice and lamb filling were at their very best.

The dolma season comes next as the tomatoes, peppers and zucchini ripen in the backyard garden… Whole meals are constructed from dolmas, served warm with dollops of cold, fresh madzoon (yoghurt), Armenian flatbread, and maybe a salad of tomatoes or cucumbers on the side. Dolmas taste best when the vegetables used for stuffing the lamb/rice mixture are right off the vine… ripe…. but not as large as the produce becomes further into the season