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Cuisine and Drinks

The story of Armenian Cuisine  is a tale of the movements of people. Throughout history, and in modern times, Armenians sought secret and prosperity  beyond and the boundaries of their homeland. Often their cooking was one of the few things they could take with them. We can say that settlement patterns of Armenians around the world corresponds to the popularity of many Middle Eastern dishes.
The story of many classic Armenian dishes is an historical outline through which we can trace Armenian migrations. There are so many differences in the Armenian world of cuisine that a culinary map of Armenia can be divided into two gastronomic regions: Caucasian Armenian and Middle Eastern Armenia.
The essence of the Armenian cuisine is cookery bound to the soil. Armenians firmly believe that their cookery is unique and that any real transplantation of their  food is impossible because their  soil is matchless.
Lavash a tissue thin, flat bread, is the number one national bread of Armenia. In Armenia, it became an important form of national self-expression and wisdom.

Cheese - There are the most common two types f Armenian cheese, sold in almost all food stores, Ori and Chanakh.They are the flagships of Armenian cheese-making. Both require short periods of fermentation and are aged in brine. They are salty and not fully aged. Lori cheese has a firmer texture than Chanakh, because its curd is heated twice.
The goat cheese is soaked in a brine solution, drained, grated then mixed with herbs.
Chechil is mozzarella-like string cheese, called husatsa or tel. It is a kneaded or pulled cheese.
Harissa - is a thick porridge made from korkot, dried or roasted cracked wheat and fat-rich meat. It is slowly simmered and stirred all night long to ensure a viscous consistency. The extremely long cooking process is an essential part of the harissa tradition.
Khorovats - the crown jewel of any festive menu is khorovats, the beloved Armenian barbecue. (barbecue)-the peculiarity of Armenian khorovats is the preparatory maarination of meat that is the making of bastourma. The meat cubes are salted, sprinkled with black pepper and chopped onions.
Khakslama is boiled lamb, mutton or beef seasoned with salt and herbs. Khashlama contains meat, potatoes, onions and herbs or sometimes tomatoes and peppers are added to make it more lively and colorful.
Tolma is the generic term for stuffed vegetables and greens. There are two categories of tolmas: either filled with meat –based mixture or with a savory rice stuffing. Any vegetable which can be stuffed or wrapped around these fillings can be used in tolma, including peppers, eggplants, tomatoes and cabbage. The most popular are cabbage tolma and grape leaf tolma.
Basturma-is pressed and dried slices of lean beef previously soaked in salt and coated with a spicy mash.

Drinks - Since the times of centuries past, Armenians have been very well acquainted with wine. Archaeological digs have unearthed grape pips and grape-pressing devices, called hndzan dating back to 6.000 BC. Armenian viticulture is believed to have originated here around that time. The Armenian wine industry mainly produces strong, fortified wines from its very sweet grapes. Armenians claim cultivation of 30 varieties of wine grapes.
Mulberry vodka “Tti oghi” has an extremely high proof, it is very strong and considered as man’s vodka.

Armenian Cognac - Armenians invest a special symbolism in their cognac. Cognac has been produced in Armenia for many centuries. Cognac is aged in oak barrels. The combination of the beaming sun in the Ararat valley, the fertile land, Armenian spring water results in the excellent quality of Armenian cognac.
Beer - Any Armenian account of beer traditionally includes a reference to the Greek general Xenophon’s Anabasis, in which he describes Armenians drinking beer. The local beer industries are Kotayk and Kilikia.
Mineral waters of Armenia (Jermuk, Arzni, Bjni) have a healing effect on the kidneys, liver, gall bladder and intestinal diseases.