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.

There a special cult of meat dishes in Armenian cuisine. The most simple and ancient dishes are the famous shashlick, pastynery meat kchuchi and of course poultry dishes. They are cooked in the same way as they were 1,500 years ago.

Shashlick is pronounced in Armenian “khorovats” . Shashlick cooked on a brazier is called “karsi khprovats”. The one cooked in a casserole – “khazani khorovats”; shashlick from beef and fat of sheep tail is called “iki-bir”. All in all there are more than two dozens of shashlik varieties in Armenian. Before frying the meat is marinated – each in its sauce: cognac, wine or vinegar to make sure that all chunks fried simultaneously.

Preliminary preparation of meat is difficult and multi-phased, therefore all Armenian meat dishes have absolutely unique taste.

Kyufta – tender meat balls made from specially beat meat boiled in broth. At first the meat is thinly sliced and then beat with a special beetle. When finished the resulting mass with added eggs, flour, salt, water or milk, cognac, browned onions and spices is further whipped manually The souffle is then turned into balls and put into warm water which gradually heated until boiling. Kyufta is ready in half an hour.

Dolma is a delicious Armenian stuffed grape leaves. By the way, dolma is a Turkish word meaning “stuffed”. Forcemeat is prepared from fat mutton, rice, onions, pepper, salt and greens – parsley, mint, oregano, and coriander. The ready forcemeat is wrapped in salted or fresh grape leaves. It is cooked for an hour. It is served hot with matsun with garlic.

Tisvzhik – beef heart, liver, lungs, and lard are cut into identical slices and then fried a pan until semi cooked. Then they add onion, tomato paste, salt, pepper and cover it all with a lid and cook to finish the process. The dish is sprinkled with green before serving.

Baskyrtat – extremely thin (almost threads) strips of boiled beef are mixed with walnuts and coriander covered in matsun.

Borani – fried chicken with aubergines and matsun.

There are also a lot of pilaus with meat, fish and dried fruits.