Armenian Cognac

Armenian cognac is one of the brands of Armenia, thanks to which the country is known all over the world.

The start of cognac production in Armenia is considered to be 1887, when Nerses Tairyan founded the first factory. The plant was equipped with a special apparatus for getting alcohol with a volume of 120 buckets.

Thanks to the excellent climatic features and delicious local grapes, the Armenian cognac turned out to be of high quality and fragrant.

Soon, the production was sold to N.L. Shustov.

In 1998, Yerevan Cognac Factory became part of Pernod Ricard.

Today, ordinary, vintage and collection cognacs are produced in Armenia.

Ordinary cognacs differ in the number of stars, which should correspond to the age of cognac in oak barrels.

Vintage cognacs are made from cognac spirits with an aging of 6 years or more.

And collection cognacs owe their excellent taste characteristics to additional aging in oak barrels and special technologies.

Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain, drank Armenian cognac daily. The drink was recognized as beloved by Frank Sinatra, Agatha Christie, and many other famous people.

If you are going to visit Armenia, be sure to try the Armenian cognac, or better, grab a couple of bottles with you.

Armenian Wine

Armenia is a country that has traditionally been engaged in winemaking. Archaeological excavations carried out by a group of Armenian and Irish archaeologists in the Areni Cave (Vayots Dzor region, Armenia) have discovered the oldest winery in the world with the age of 6100 years.

Fermentation barrels, a wine press, storage jugs and pottery shards were discovered in the winery. At the moment, it is the oldest winery in the world.

Armenia today is famous for excellent wine. The hot southern climate of Armenia provides a high accumulation of sugar (up to 30%) in grape juice, which allows producing high-quality fortified, strong and sweet wines in large quantities. Table wines with a high alcohol content are also produced in Armenia. According to the Encyclopedic Lexicon, winemaking in Transcaucasia was done mainly by Armenians.

Once you Visit Armenia, you should definitely try the excellent local wines.

Gata

Gata is one of the oldest deserts in the world and a favorite treat of every Armenian.

Gata is made from puff pastry: it can be of various shapes, and usually has filled by choriz - a mixture of sugar, flour and butter, and in some regions cottage cheese, dried fruits and nuts are also added.

According to one version, the origin of the name “ghat” is associated with the Armenian word “kat” (in a number of dialects of “ghat”) - milk.

Each Armenian housewife has special secrets for preparing gata. There are also special gata recipes in almost every Armenian province. So, the most famous are Stepanavan, Karaklis, Yerevan and Gyumri gatas.

And the most popular among tourists is, of course, the gata from the village of Garni, which is made in the form of a large round pie.

Dolma

Dolma is an eastern meat roll, wrapped in grape leaves. It can be said that this is also the most festive dish of Armenia.

There are many secrets that make this dish the most delicious, but one of them is very important - the leaves of the grapes must be young and fresh, otherwise, no matter how you cook, they will still be tough.

Dolma is served with sauce made of yogurt, a traditional Armenian dairy product. Preparing this sauce is very simple: you need to mix half a liter of yogurt with a clove of crushed garlic and a pinch of salt.

Each Armenian family has its own recipe for making traditional dolma with grape leaves, so they may differ in taste. But even professional chefs admit that the most delicious dolma is the one prepared by their mother.

Zhengyalov Hats

Zhengyalov Hats is the real pride of Artsakh cuisine, its signature dish. Zhengyalov Hats literally means “bread with greens”. This light dish made from simple unleavened dough and several types of greens has always been the hallmark of Artsakh.

The recipe of Zhengyalov Hats is simple, like all genius. The dough for it makes the most common - flour, water and salt. There is no dobt, that the main secret of this dish in the filling: up to twenty types of greens are put in a real zhengyal! In winter, however, a smaller number of herbs can be dispensed with - only two varieties of greenery are considered truly obligatory for zhengyals: ktsmtsuk and hndzmndzuk, which grow in the mountains and plains. The dough is rolled into a thin layer, a generous portion of the toppings from greens with vegetable oil is placed on it, a little salt and pinch the edges in the middle. Zhengyalov Hats are baked on a special flat roasting pan called saj for about 3-4 minutes, and after baking this dish is eaten even faster.

Zhengyalov Hats must definitely try, and you will certainly be surprised at the harmony of tastes that can be achieved with a combination of such simple products

Kufta

Kufta is a dish that almost all Armenians love. In Armenia, kyufta is made from beef and served with butter and hot pepper tsitsak. Choose the best beef, salt and beat it for quite a long time on a stone with wooden hammers until it turns into a viscous homogeneous mass.

Kufta is prepared in large portions in boiling water. Usually served with pilaf. Undoubtedly, this is a very tasty, juicy and tender dish.

Lavash

Lavash bread is a traditional thin bread, which is an integral part of Armenian cuisine. Its preparation is usually carried out by a small group of women and requires a lot of effort, coordination, experience and special skills.

It uses traditional Armenian dough made from wheat flour, water, salt, and a special leaven, which is a fermented dough, and makes lavash bread light and crunchy. The dough is kneaded and formed into balls, which are later rolled into thin layers and stretched onto a special oval pillow, which then hits the wall of a traditional conical clay oven.

After literally half a minute, the baked bread is pulled out of the oven wall with a long metal hook. lavash bread can be stored for up to six months.

If you are lucky to be present at baking process of the lavash bread, then this picture will remain with you forever. Usually freshly baked, hot lavash bread is eaten with beautiful goat cheese, green onions, herbs and vegetables rolled into it.

Harisa

Harisa is a traditional dish of Armenian cuisine. This is a tender porridge of chicken and wheat. Due to the fact that it uses ingredients that are popular in other national cuisines, this dish has already become popular far beyond the borders of the country. Harisa is being cooked for a very long time, and the meat literally dissolves in a tender mass. Only salt and black pepper are used from the seasonings. And harisa is eaten with aromatic pickles. Harisa is usually served in the cold season, although this is not a strict rule, and you may enjoy the dish all year long.

In Armenia, harisa can be tasted in many national restaurants and taverns.

You definitely need to get acquainted with this delicious, dietary porridge, and learn how to cook it yourself. And perhaps harisa will become the favorite breakfast for you and your family.

Khorvats (barbeque)

Armenian barbeque is called Khorovac and usually only men cook it. Khorovats is not only made from meat - it is the common name for all dishes that are cooked with smoke from hot coals.

 In Armenia, you can taste a variety of Khorovats types, including pork, lamb, beef, Sevan trout, sterlet, chicken and other types of meat and fish.

Khorovats is served with a vegetable side dish. As a side dish, chopped tomatoes, eggplant, green pepper are served. All vegetables are strung on skewers and grilled over coals. Then they are removed in a bowl, salted and seasoned with crushed garlic. According to Armenian tradition, the first piece of Khorovats goes to the youngest guest.

Khashlama

"KHASHLAMA" comes from the Armenian word "khashel" (to cook) - meat cooked in pieces. Tasty pieces of beef, lamb, or other meat are simmered with aromatic spices and / or vegetables. The result is a divine taste, and pieces of meat literally melt in your mouth. The peculiarity of "khashlama" - meat should be three times more than the rest of the ingredients, and a little broth. It is worth noting that this dish is not only very tasty and dietary, but also easy to prepare: in one saucepan both meat and vegetable side dish will be cooked for it.

 Khashlama can also be prepared outdoors, combining with a fun pastime.

Khash

Khash is a rich meat broth, which is prepared from beef legs and a scar (sometimes also with the addition of a head or tail). Previously, the ingredients for the broth are soaked for about a day in cold water, and then boiled overnight, without adding salt and any spices. In Armenian, the name of the dish comes from խաշել [khashel] - to cook.

According to Armenian tradition, khash should be eaten exclusively in the morning in a hot form. Also, salt, minced garlic, herbs and radish are served on separate plates. Khash is eaten not with a spoon, but with the help of specially dried lavash rolls: half of the lavash must be crushed into broth, making it thick, and the rest used as a cutlery. As a rule, khash is eaten in the cold months of the year mainly in the male company.

However, in Armenia there is a place where you can eat khash all year round - this is the famous khashanots on Mount Aragats near Stone Lake. Even when there is really scorching heat in Yerevan, the breath of winter is felt here, and therefore the rule will not be violated. Be sure to take into account that Khash is eaten only accompanied by vodka - cognac and wine do not fit it. Khash is one of the ancient Armenian dishes and it has spread to many neighboring countries.