The Culinary Specialities of Armenia
Discover the culinary specialities of Armenia, a cuisine close to Lebanese, Greek and Turkish cooking, from mezze starters to sweet oriental desserts.
Situated between Iran, Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Armenia is a small country known for its cuisine, which is close to Lebanese, Greek and Turkish cooking. Here is a closer look at the culinary specialities of Armenia, and, once you are there, our guide to dining across Armenia and Yerevan will point you to the best tables.
The starter
As already noted above, Armenian cuisine resembles Turkish, Lebanese and Greek cooking. The most famous starters found on the table are the mezze, such as dolma, moutabal, tabbouleh, soudjouk, basturma and taboulé, or indeed hummus.
When you set foot in an Armenian restaurant, you are often served a starter of raw vegetables, notably tomatoes, salads, radishes, cucumbers, and so on. In winter, the most recommended starter is undoubtedly the madzoun (yoghurt) soup or a chicken soup flavoured with plenty of herbs. In summer, there is nothing better than to order cheese or a variety of salads.
The main dishes
As for the main dishes, Armenian culinary tradition is known for its khorovats, dishes based on fish and skewers.
Khash is the best-known dish in Armenia. It is increasingly served in winter. Also worth mentioning are khashlama, a beef and potato soup, or shapama, a pumpkin stew, or lahmajoun, a pizza topped with minced meat, parsley, onions and spices.
As a reminder, Armenians love bread. Dishes are always accompanied by lavash, the traditional Armenian bread, or by wholemeal bread.
The desserts
On the dessert side, Armenian cuisine draws close to oriental cooking. This is why the desserts are (almost) always made from dried fruit, semolina, wheat or rice. We therefore find halva, loukoum and baklava. We can also mention the Napoleon, the equivalent of the French millefeuille, which comes from Russian cuisine.
When we speak of Armenian desserts, we also find kadayif, maamoul, sari burma, and so on. On the cream side, there is rice pudding, mahallebi, and certain creams scented with cinnamon or rose water.
Plan your visit
Hungry to taste it all for yourself? Build your own itinerary or book an all-inclusive tour that seats you at the country’s best tables, and see where to eat in our guide to dining in Armenia and Yerevan.
For religious festivals, the most typical desserts are the tcheurek, a lightly sweetened brioche, and the anoush abour, prepared from a mixture of dried fruit and wheat.
