Armenia often fails to attract travelers’ attention due to other popular destinations in the region, such as Georgia and Turkey. But during my 10 days of stay in the country, I was pleasantly surprised by its charm in several aspects. Despite the small land size, Armenia boasts a long history, a strong sense of identity and rich cultural heritage both in tangible and intangible forms, which includes its cuisine.
‘Khurjin’ in the Armenian language means ‘pouch’ or ‘bag knot’. This traditional Armenian dish contains a large amount of chopped meat, onion, pepper, tomatoes and spices, wrapped with a layer of Lavash, a staple thin and soft bread in Armenia. I heard the rumor that Khurjin was invented for people who worked in remote areas, to provide them with necessary calories and nutrition. The filling tasted almost as I could imagine – it tasted like well-cooked meat and vegetables. But its whole dimension and the crispy ‘handle’ on the top made it a fun addition to the dinner table.
Tolma, or Dolma, contains minced meat with vegetables and pepper, all wrapped with grape leaves. In fact, Dolmas are found in many different countries ranging from Greece to India. But this is not to dismiss it as an uninteresting dish in Armenia. It is commonly found in a local restaurant and it has been consistently juicy and flavorful.
To top it off, I tried a pomegranate tea. I saw that a lot of pomegranates are eaten in Georgia, but I felt that even more are consumed in Armenia. While ‘Khinkali’ was the popular design theme in a Georgian souvenir shop, it was the shape of pomegranate in Armenia.
* Khurjin – 5, 000 Dram (10.5 USD) / Tolma -2,200 Dram (4.6 USD)
@ Lavash Restaurant, Yerevan, Armenia, November 22, 2019
