ARMENIAN FOOD Fact, Fiction & Folklore

[Arpa]

ARMENIAN FOOD Fact, Fiction & Folklore

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51z7vt1GRAL._SS500_.jpg

 

A book.

(Please abide with me, bear with me [Hi Yervant/Bearvant ]. You may ask- "What? Another thread about "FOOD"? We know that the subject of “food” has been discussed under many topics, yet I feel the book in question opens a whole novel perspective on the subject, almost but not quite an answer to my query about the “Archeology of Food”. My ardent wish is that our historians would abstain from using foreign words for our delicacies and tell us what the Armenian terms are.)

It seems as an answer to my query about Archeology of Food I received this book in a package of my Christmas present.

Apparently the book has been originally published in the Armenian language, the one I have is in English. The book is a collaborative endeavor between a married couple Irina born in Armenia and her American born husband David. They have researched at the National Library in Yerevan, as well as interviewed local citizens, be they city dwellers or village peasants.

The title of the book Armenian Food- Facts, Fiction and Folklore, 245 pages has many delectable tidbits as well as valuable historical and cultural facts. Many highly interesting trivia some of which I knew and many I did not. My only regret is that they should have consulted me before the inal edit, as I have spotted quite a few errors, omissions, misinterpretations etc. be they etymological, typographical ,transliteratory or mere translation. One of many good features of book is, contrary to the Armenian custom thetable of contents is at the beginning of the book, rather than at the end, better yet there is a Word Index at the end showing where certain words and names have been written***.

We will get back to all the good stuff, the delicious tidbits , but let me illustrate what I mean by misprints, misinterpretations and mistranslations. One other good feature is a glossary/dictionary, yet the first ever entry is a blatant error where “apukht” is translated as “smoked”, it may not be an altogether error,** depending on the context and what food one is talking about, but the word “apukht” is a generic word meaning “uncooked”, which is specifically applied to what some of us call “basturma”.

** I can’t find it now, I will, it must have a footnote under a certain entry.

***It is obvious that one of the editors is American where contrary to the Armenian allergy there is in fact a word idex.

How do our Armenian writers editors expect us to find certain words, names etc. beside leafing the entire 1000 page book one page at a time? Does anyone have an Armenian book, aside from those by Richard Hovannisian, with an index where to find czertain entries?

=====

ENJOY

 

http://www.amazon.com/Armenian-Food-Fact-Fiction-Folklore/dp/1411698657

 

Here we can see the entire contents.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=0oXYX9Qzx9oC&printsec=frontcover&dq=armenian+food+petrosian&source=bl&ots=f4Xu6lI1N1&sig=HeyAwez0VLLMyZ0EEjqIaVpk0C8&hl=en&ei=KY8aTabmD4us8AaK9InsBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Edited December 31, 2010 by Arpa

[Zartonk]

I skipped over it on Google books a while back. While it's pretty extensive, too many of the "multinational" dishes are presented as Armenian. I think the bulk of our real cuisine is dying away with genocide survivors.

[Arpa]

See above on page 151 this joke and the preamble to it.

“Why do Armenians tend to have big noses? Because the air is free." http://insidepulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/pinocchio1.gif

The internet vesrsion is incomplete with many chapters omitted and missing. We will see what the paper edition says about Avelook apoor.

Edited December 31, 2010 by Arpa

[Anoushik]

Very cool, thank you Arpa.

 

I was pleasantly surprised that half of the book is available to read for free on Amazon, on the link that you provided. However, it stopped on p. 46. Since you have the book Arpa, would you mind to see what they wrote for the origin of Tolma? (In the table of contents that chapter starts on p. 70). The reason I ask is that we all have seen on various American channels grape-leaf tolma presented as either Greek or Turkish, but my mom had the Soviet book written and extensively researched by Paxlopkin (I don't know the correct spelling) in which he states that Tolma is of Armenian origin.

[Arpa]

Dear Anoushik, the following is a more extensive version although incomplete. You will see tolma on or about page 81

http://books.google.com/books?id=0oXYX9Qzx9oC&printsec=frontcover&dq=armenian+food+petrosian&source=bl&ots=f4Xu6lI1N1&sig=HeyAwez0VLLMyZ0EEjqIaVpk0C8&hl=en&ei=KY8aTabmD4us8AaK9InsBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Of all the subjects the chapter about it is the most extensive, 4 pages of history, linguistics and politics as well as preparation etc.

Too bad the site is in PDF format that cannot be copied and pasted and I am too lazy to wite it in long hand, even though I may pick and choose relevent passsages.

Just as we spoke in another post they say word is "dolma/ԴՈԼՄԱ" not "tolma/ ՏՈԼՄԱ".

Edited December 31, 2010 by Arpa

[Arpa]

I hate to do this, getting into furkish language and etymology.

The word is “dolma” not “tolma”. It means “stuffed/stuffing”. I am sure that the delicacy is NOT a furkish invention yet the name is stuck so much so that even the Persians use it. I bet you it was invented by the Syrians who call it “mah-shee” to mean studded, or even Armenians . I have heard Persians pronounce it “dolmeh”, you would understand if you can see the Farsi writing.

Dolma/dolmeh

دؤڵمه

First off linguistically speaking “dolma” strictly only stuffed vegetables like zucchini, eggplant etc. what some people call dolma”, I.e. the rolled leaves like grape leaves or cabbage is not dolma it is “sarma” I.e. wrapped/rolled.

Why are Armenians writing “tolma” with T, not D is because the word comes to us from western Armenian where it is written ՏՈԼՄԱ and in a roundabout way the letter Տ is transliterated in Eastern Armenian to T, in the latter the correct pronunciation would have been ԴՈԼՄԱ to read dolma correctly as those others do.

Damn it!!! Why are we speaking in that cursed language on an Armenian site?. And why are we calling our delicacies in that damn language??? Let those others tuff themselves with dolma until they choke and croak.

THE ARMENIAN WORD FOR IT IS “ԼԻՑ/LITS”. And the ones wrapped in leaves is ՏԵՐԵՒ ՓԱԹՈՒԿ/ՓԱԹՈՅԹ where we can use one or the word alone or together,

The pictures shown below are technically “sarma” not “dolma”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolma

You will also note that in Aleppo the natives call wrapped leaves “yaprak* or waraq**” which simply means “leaf/ՏԵՐԵՒ.

* Tr.

**Arabic

Edited January 1, 2011 by Arpa

[Anoushik]

Dear Arpa, I'm curious to know your opinion about when Armenians started using the word tolma/dolma? Surely that has been around for thousands of years, long before the Turks came into existence. What did the Armenians use before tolma/dolma/sarma? Do you have that information?

[Anoushik]

Dear Anoushik, the following is a more extensive version although incomplete. You will see tolma on or about page 81

I can't get past p. 77. It's ok.

[Anoushik]

Just wanted to add about this culinary scholar, William Pokhlyobkin, who wrote that Tolma is authentic Armenian. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Pokhlyobkin

[Arpa]

Dear Anoushik I hate to disappoint you as like I said before I have an allergy to furkish linguistics, I would much rather speak about Armenian recipes with Armenian names, There is no doubt that “d****” is a furkish word, and as before it is “d****” with a D , not “t****”. Above I explained why and how this happened, it is from the Bolis Armenian ՏՈԼՄԱ which in a roundabout way ended with the Latin letter T, not unlike when Hacob Baronian writes his name as Պարոնեան rather than Բարոնեան from the French German “Baron”, in Yerevan the Պ is correctly transliterated to the Latin P , hence =- Paronyan. Just like when Petros Durian writes his name ՊԵՏՐՈՍ the WA weill Latinize it as “bedros”.

Once again I will hold my nose and write what is said in the introduction to particular food.. Which by the way is correct. I hate to write the words so I will use asterisks.

“T**** is known internationally a D****, a derivative of the verb ’doldurmak’, to fill, it literally means ‘stuffed’ in furkish. Armenians spell it with the T as if that one letter could shape the culinary borders between Armenian T**** and the furkish D****. To back up their claims of ownership , Armenian linguists approached this challenge to national gastronomy with great seriousness. They take us far back to the time of the ancient kingdom of Urartu. According to Armenian scholars, the ancientArmenians borrowed the name of the grape vine, ‘TOLI’ from the Urartian, and from that came ‘t****’and from t**** came d****..”***

---

Further down the authors have this to say which to me is downright racist and insulting.

“Beside t****, there are other equivalents for the d**** moniker. Armenian -Americans who have authored books about Armenian cuisine wanted to avoid furkishnames. They made up some pretty awkward Armenian words n such as ‘litsk‘, patoog, terevapat. The most extreme case of using the name as a patriotic statement is long title ‘tsitayughov derevi patoog‘… it is as if they were naming a person… only forgot to add ubiquitous ‘ian‘ which would make it ‘ Tsitayugov Derevi Patoogian ****

*** This is pure hogwash, there is very little dispute that the WORD, let me repeat the WORD is furkish, and those so called "scholars/linguists” should mind their own business and rid the Arnenian language of furksih and other dam foreign words when we have native Armenian words for most and all of them. OK, once again I vented and got it off my chest.

PS. It is as ridiculous when the Greeks claim that “moussaka” is a Greek dish when it is indisputably an Arabic WORD that means “chilled” obviously.

Moussaka from Arabic: مسقعة‎ musaqqaʿa 'chilled'[1][2],

And that “falafel” is jewish when it is obvious that the WORD is Arabic to mean “peppers” (plural” like in the Armenian ՊՂՊԵՂՆԵՐ

**** Not funny !!! ;angry: Where are our linguists and community leaders, read clergy, who instead of deriding those well meaning ladies they should help them. I have stopped going to the so called Armenian food fests at, of all the places at the churches where every dish is labeled in that damn language.

PS. That Pokhlyobin may means well, the delicacy may have been invented by Armenians afor all we, but here we are talking about the "NAMES", damn it!!! the "names".

Edited January 1, 2011 by Arpa

[Arpa]

Before we get to the purely Armenian recipes, which btw are very few, let me get some more “flies in the ointment” so to speak, out of the way.

As mentioned above the authors freely use furkish names with no apology, case in point , the heading for that cured dried meat that we call “apukht”**, some call it “Armenian jerky” they use the furkish name unabashedly, with no apology .

Another food fight. They say as the furks don’t get into culinary wars with us, the asszeris do.

Who knows what “boz-bash” is, this is the first time I hear it. It is supposed to be a stew*** with lamb meat and vegetables. The Armenians insist it is an Armenian dish and interpret the name in some ridiculous ways. The asszeris got a hold of it and they declared that it is a furkish word. True, it means “gray/blond head”, they argued that if the word is in fact Armenian then the first syllable means “prostitute” in Armenian.

 

** We also mentioned before that they define “apukht” as “smoked”, while we know it means “uncooked”. Although the word seems to come from Sanskrit/Persian “a-puxt”, seems we are the only using it in that sense. Of course it is a gereric term that can be applied tco any uncooked delicacy, but we use it to exclusively for that dried, uncooked garlicky chaman covered delicacy.

*** Some Armenian sources define “stew” as « շոգեխաշած միս կամ ձուկ», I.e “steamed/slow cooked”.

[Anoushik]

I know about boz-bash. It's a very common meal in Armenia and my mom used to prepare it often. She still makes it sometimes.

 

Dear Arpa, thank you for your thorough reply about the naming of the dish dolma/tolma. I understand and believe you about why the Armenians call it tolma, with a "t". But you still haven't answered my question about what was that dish called hundreds of years ago? This Merriam-Webster link provided at the end of the Dolma article in Wikipedia states that the first known use of the word is circa 1889.

[Azat]

my mom use to make boz-bash often as well and I still make the veggie version sometime. I assumed that it was the Armenian version of pasta putanseca. Npt that it was past based dish but that its something fast to make and Italians will tell you that pasta putanesca comes from a prostitute who would make it often for her husband because it was fast since she spent alot of her time with her clients... I just assumed its called boz-bash because it was very fast to prepare

[Arpa]

t

my mom use to make boz-bash often as well and I still make the veggie version sometime. I assumed that it was the Armenian version of pasta putanseca. Npt that it was past based dish but that its something fast to make and Italians will tell you that pasta putanesca comes from a prostitute who would make it often for her husband because it was fast since she spent alot of her time with her clients... I just assumed its called boz-bash because it was very fast to prepare

Yes Azat, in Italian slang "putana/butana" does mean prostitute. They may have taken it from the Armenian "boz". Is it like the Armenian word that some will pronounce Vladimir's name as "put*in"?"

putana Derogatory term for a woman or girl, of Italian origin.

-Male version see Putano

See how they, just like us pronounce the P as B, T as D, and visa versa as when "napolitan" become "nabolidan", and quanTo quantity becomes "quanDo/when".

Edited January 2, 2011 by Arpa

[Arpa]

 

Another food fight. They say as the furks don’t get into culinary wars with us, the asszeris do.

Who knows what “boz-bash” is, this is the first time I hear it. It is supposed to be a stew*** with lamb meat and vegetables. The Armenians insist it is an Armenian dish and interpret the name in some ridiculous ways. The asszeris got a hold of it and they declared that it is a furkish word. True, it means “gray/blond head”, they argued that if the word is in fact Armenian then the first syllable means “prostitute” in Armenian.

 

Culinary wars cont’d.

---

Above we saw that the disputes are not so much with the furks where many of the names come from but between the three Caucasian Republics.

----

“In the South Caucasus, any food discussion easily turns into a nationalistic dissertation. Armenians, asszeris and Georgians are trying to reshape their new post-Soviezt culinary identity by reemphasizing their differences . Given the Trana- cultural melange of societies in which the South Caucasus coexisted for centuries, any statement of culinary ownership cannot be made with any certain degree of validity. More often than not, the culinary arguments about who originated what or who was the first are so much self-serving hyperboles.

Culinary skirmishes also enliven Armeno-Georgian discussions. Armenians get very angry with that little letter “i” that Georgians add to the names of Armenian dishes. Such semantic hijacking is considered a sneaky attempt to appropriate national dishes. As a result of the Georgian ‘chauvinistic intentions’ khash becomes khashi, Armenian Lavash becomes Lavashi, matzoun turns to matzoni and Nazook** bread converts to nazooki. Georgians, in their own defense, counterattack such accusations by saying that letter-counting and linguistic allegations are lame attempts by Armenians to spice up their otherwise bland cuisine.”

---

**I have no idea what “nazook bread” is. Will try and find.

OK. I found it. At times it is knows as “choreg”.

NAZOOK or CHOREG (Armenian Sweet Pastry)

http://www.sevanbakery.com/Products/Sweet_Breads/Choreg/choreg2.jpg

===

Some time ago I had seen where it was said in one of the Turkic countries “choreg” was used to mean as a generic word for “bread”.

Here it is;

Bread

Meals are almost always served with Naan, Central Asian flat bread, known locally as "çörek." Turkmen bread is prepared slightly differently from other breads in the region in thick, round disc-shaped loaves baked in a traditional tamdyr clay oven. Bread has a high symbolic importance in Turkmen culture,[2] and it is considered highly impolite to turn a loaf of bread upside down or to mistreat bread in any way***. There are many superstitions based around bread and its preparation. Bread baked with meat inside ("etli çörek," or "meat bread") can be consumed as a meal in itself. "Yagly çörek" (literally "oily bread") is a flaky, layered type of flat bread made with butter.

PS.I also learned that the Greeks call “choreg” dzarouki as there is no J or CH in the Greek, just as they also corrupt “jajukh/jajikh” the Cucumber yoghurt salad to “dzadziki“.

http://localfoods.about.com/od/salads/r/tzaziki.htm

 

JA JEK - YOGURT WITH CUCUMBERS

(ARMENIAN)

 

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/08/26/health/nutrition/26recipehealth.600.jpg

 

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1825,156168-236204,00.html

 

Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

2 c. plain yogurt

Pinch of salt (optional)

1 tsp. fresh or dried mint

Garlic powder to taste

About 1/4 c. water

Do not thin down too much. Mix all ingredients together. Chill before serving.

***In the Armenian culture bread is also sacred, when a morsel of bread falls to the ground one must pick it up, place it on one's forehead and kiss it before it is eaten again.

Edited January 2, 2011 by Arpa

[Arpa]

Slowly but surely will come to individual entries among which breads and meats.

Let us get one thing straight. I have said this before, please allow me to repeat.

We will come what the authors say about “khorovats” v “kebab”.

Our pronunciation of the name of the delicacy “խորոված/khorovats “ is wrong. It comes from the confusion where the Ւ/U is read as Վ/V. Whereas the original word is “խորՈՒած/khorWats» when we began to pronounce the ՈՒ/OU as ՈՎ/OV. The original word was “խորՈՒած/khorWats. When we began to read the Ւ/U as Վ/V all hell broke loose. ՈՒ/OU is meant to sound like the English W, not ՈՎ/OV. The reason why Mashtots wrote ԽՈՐՈՒԱԾ not ԽՈՐՈՎԱԾ.**

Once again, the word is based on the Armenian խորել/ խարել to mean to roast, to burn, to singe. to CHAR. Does it sound like the “խարելkharel/խորելkhorel”?

We spoke about this under another topic where some of us assume that “խաուրմա/khavurma”is a furkish word when it is plainly Armenian “Խաուրմա/khaurma”, note that the “ԱՒ/AU“ is meant to sound the Latin O as in ԽՕՐՄԱ, as in "KHAWRMA"

Խորհուրդ մեծ եւ սքանչելի որ ՅԱՅՍՄ ԱՒՈՒՐ Յայտնեցավ

«Յայսմ աւուր» will be read as “Այս Օր/Ays Or/ This day”.

** Wez must rediscover when we had the sound of the English W and stop pronouncing the Ւ/U/W as Վ/V. Just like it “asou-ats” not “astvats”

Edited January 2, 2011 by Arpa

[Arpa]

We will eventually get to the individual monograph and try to alphabetize them.

Let us get one thing out of the way which is self explanatory.

ԱՂՑԱՆ/Aghtsan, salad. In the Armenian it means “salt sprinkled” just like the Latin “salada/salted”. Who took it from whom?

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=9202&st=0&p=98939&hl=anali&fromsearch=1entry98939

 

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=12493&pid=153998&st=0entry153998

 

At one time we also spoke about “անալի/anali” In the WA it is “անլի/anli” (anali means “waveless” see Petros Durian’s trtounjq). At times the word is also used to mean “testeless”. “Անլի կատակներ մի աներ” **

**At times when we would become silly our furkish speaking ancestors would call us “duz-suz hapsa”, saltless (tasteless) "starch pudding”.

Next we will proceed with the Alphabet and talk about “AVELOOK”.

Edited January 4, 2011 by Arpa

[Arpa]

AVELOOK

That is the way the authors spell it. Some have spelled it “aveluk”.

We had spoken about it here;

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=10423&pid=269189&st=20entry269189

We will also skip over many recipes some of which we have already seen.

 

The authors write on page 152 which is omitted in the cyber-version, under the heading Armenian Herbs and Spice Favorites so I will type it in long hand.

Avelook/ Wild indigenous Sorrel

Avelook (Rumex crispus) is a very popular Armenian herb that grows profusely in the mountains of Kotayk, around Lake Sevan , and in Hrazdan. It is collected in spring, dried in summer, and used throughout winter. “avel“ means “broom“ in Armenian, and the mature plant has a broom-like shape.

Whenever Armenian restuarants want tco show off something exotic to entice their patrons, they include avzelook in their menu. “It grows only in Armenia“, customers are told[. Actually that statement may just be an expression of/ truly an Armenian braggadacci, but we believ Armenians hold the world rezcorxd forx avelook consumption.

It is easy to recognize Avelook because it is sold in long dry or fresh braids. Buyers purchase it in legths measured in meters. One meter costs from 25 to 50 cents. It was a permanent component of the Armenian peasant’s larder, used not only for cooking but also as a good cure for kids. It is said that avelook juice is the best remedy for toothache and diarrhea in children.

“Avelook is worth a whole drugstore” , said our driver when we passed by the village of Tsilkar.

In June, on the road from Lori region to Yerevan, avelook sales begin right after you pass the Tsilkar highway sign. Avelook vendors line up along the highway every day until the end of July.

Not as sour as ordinary Sorrel, avelook is a main ingredient in a soup made with peas, onions and potatoes. Walnuts and garlic are a good match for avelook in salads. In our judgment, avelook is at its best when it is boiled , then fried with onions and eggs.

We accidentally discovered the aromatic qualities of avelook when we purchased some green, freshly braided lengths. Its pungent aroma filled our balcony for many days, almost to the point of being overpowering. In the future, we will be buying fully dried, not fresh avelook.

[Arpa]

KHASH

 

Only missing in this picture is obligatory "oghi/vodka"

 

http://khash.org/pictures/Khash_003.jpg

 

 

The Royal Armenian Dish.

 

Once again the Internet version skips over on page 81.

Here it is from the paper copy.

----

“If an Armenian makes a serious face and says that he’ll be very busy in the morning of a weekend , it means that he is invited for khash, a dense soup of beef tripe and trotters lavishly seasoned with garlic.

 

Khash has an affinity with the long, boring, and often unpredictable Armenian winters. As a hearty antidote for cold weather, a khash party lends some excitement to those dreary months when the majority of the population is hibernating and waiting for warmer days to arrive. Skiing is not so popular in Armenia despite the availability of numerous mountain slopes , but everyone is ready for winter ‘khashing’.

Khash’s recipe is replicated throughout the Middle East in abundant variations. A prominent member of the tripe soup family is Arabic ******* a soup made with sheep’s or goat’s trotters. ****Greeks and furks have their own version of khash, served in special’ triperies’ . part of the folklore of tripe soup in the ME is that it’s a great morning-after cure for hangovers. Khash offers the same relief for vodka lovers as Mexican menudo does for serious tequila drinkers.

Cow'’s or sheep feet soup is included in the diet of all three South Caucasus nations. Differences in thze national soup , which all three nations consider their very own soul food, are subtle but essential for these small states and their undeviating culinary debates. Armenians include the cow-stomach lining in their khash recipe . Asszeris cook thier soup, called kyallya p***a, without the lining. Georgians’peculiarly add milk to their khash.

All bickering about khash ownership asidze, South Caucasus nations are equal in their passionate love for khash., and all have contributed to its popularization. Assboobjani movie producer Vagif Mustafaezv released Khash with Music to theaters in 1984. This film depicts the painstaking process of making khash as a form of national art, kind of culinary opera. Georgians were the first to produce and advertise ready-to-eat canned khash, granting a touch of modernity to an Old world dish. Armenians enriched khash’s geographical profile by exposing it to Los Angeles - area Armenians and bon-Armenian guests.*****”

----

** It is not Arabic, it is Perso-furkish, based on the Armenian word “պոչ/poch” to mean tail. The full name in those languages is “kelle-*****” to mean “head and tail”.***

 

** It is not Arabic, it is Perso-furkish, based on the Armenian word “պոչ/poch” to mean tail. The full name in those languages is “kelle-*****” to mean “head and tail”.***

*** Please everyone do not argue with me that the furkish word “kafa” for head is not from the Greek “cephalo/kefalo”.

**** Yes, in Syria where beef is not the primary source of meat khash was made with parts of sheep or goat.

***** This is, as above a semi truth. ME Armenians have known and eaten khash for centuries, even if at times they may have called it by its Perso-furkish name of KP. Once I asked one of my Persian colleagues if their parents made “kelle *****“” they were flabbergasted as to how I knew it, and yes that her father YUKKKK!!! loved it..

Edited January 4, 2011 by Arpa

[Zartonk]

Georgians were the first to produce and advertise ready-to-eat canned khash

 

Of course. Deviants...

[Zartonk]

** It is not Arabic, it is Perso-furkish, based on the Armenian word “պոչ/poch” to mean tail. The full name in those languages is “kelle-*****” to mean “head and tail”.***

 

"Pache" is actually Persian for trotters, composed of "pa"-foot and the diminutive "che", literally "little foot". Kallepache is the head and the totiks.

[Arpa]

In the book both Khash and Tzhvzhik are in pages 85-88 but the internet version skips over history and sociology except maybe recipes and preparation.

 

http://www.gaiff.am/imagestore/1/408-tzhvzhik-en.jpg

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3831194961359519206#

Even though the book, as promised is a valuable source of “Fact ,Fiction and Folklore”, at times the authors cannot disguise their cynical bias. As when they say-paraphrase ”both khash and tzhvzhik are the poor mans delicacy”. We already know that, as both are prepared with the rejected parts of the food staples. Yet, both Khash and Tzhvzhik have been elevated to a royal level. The latter having been immortalized in that satirical socio-economic short story-movie, jus as Khash has become a royal dish.

Google search which does not open the pages concerned.

Armenian Food: Sparkle to My Eyes!

Jun 6, 2006... our introduction, the tzhvzhik (liver-and-onions) chapter, and, finally, ... Irina Petrosian P.S. Here's a review of the first, ...

armenianfood.blogspot.com/2006/06/sparkle-to-my-eyes_06.html - Cached

Khash;

http://www.clovegarden.com/recipes/img/tmm_khash1c.jpg

From the internet;

Once a cheap nourishing stew for the lowest level of Armenian day laborers, khash is now a widely popular delicacy in Armenia, Georgia and asserbaljan(sic)**. In Armenia it is served only in the winter, and with great ceremony as a major social event. In Georgia it is served all year round. Khash is reputed to have powerful medicinal properties regarding bones and joints - and to enable extended bouts of vodka drinking

** many other countries and people, mainly of the ME know the delicacy even though they may call it by other names.

Here is when they compare khash to Chitlins, not without reason, as both the “starving Armenians” and the “starving negroes” could not afford Filet mignon, Prime Ribs or Chateaubrian, they resigned to the culinary refuse like hooves, livers (lungs?) and stomach. ***

*** Who knows what “mumbar” is? It is YEKH!!! stuffed sheep intestines.

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Chitlins;

http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/whining_dining/chitlins.jpg

United States

In the United States, chitterlings are an African American culinary tradition and a Southern culinary tradition sometimes called "soul food" cooking. In vernacular terms, chitterlings are often pronounced as chit'lins.

Chitterlings are carefully cleaned and rinsed several times before they are boiled or stewed for several hours. A common practice is to place a halved onion in the pot to mitigate what many regard as a pungent, very unpleasant odor that can be particularly strong when the chitterlings begin to cook. Chitterlings sometimes are battered and fried after the stewing process and commonly are served with cider vinegar and hot sauce as condiments.

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Tzhvzhik;

http://www.akhtamar.lv/imgmenu/tzhvzhik.jpg

Liver onion;

http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/58/04/23050458.jpg

 

When I say “royal dish” consider this;

Royal jelly is a honey bee secretion that is used in the nutrition of larvae, as well as adult queens.[1] It is secreted from the glands in the hypopharynx of worker bees, and fed to all larvae in the colony.[2]

When worker bees decide to make a new queen, either because the old one is weakening, or was killed, they choose several small larvae and feed them with copious amounts of royal jelly in specially constructed queen cells. This type of feeding triggers the development of queen morphology, including the fully developed ovaries needed to lay eggs.

The relevance? When Khash is left to cool it turns into a viscous gelatinous paste, its claim to fame as curative for what ails you.

Who knows what “սոսինձ/sosindz” is? Yes, it means “glue”. .Before the advent of modern chemistry and epoxy glue was made of horse’s leg ligaments and sinews.

Among many such;

Is glue made from horses?

I heard glue was made from horses and did not believe it but then I looked it up in the dictionary and it says glue is made from the connective tissue of dead animals. Does elmers glue have those things in it or do they just use chemicals now or do they still use horses?

Here is that quote from Aris’ article in the Armenian Reporter;

“Armenians have pretended that khash is a most delectable dish, and staked their identity to it. Likewise, they have tolerated far too long the unbearable atate of affairs in their homeland. Unfortunately, the majority has now chosen the wrong solution: emigration. I can only hope that those who remain in thE homeland will see their way towards changing things for the better. Assuredly , the first step in that direction would be to abolish khash from their diet.”

And here is what the editors of the book say;

“We can imagine what such a disparage of khash would say if he discovered that we actually made an earnest study of the soup.”

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BTW. I know Aris, I have known him for sometime. Ironically, I first met in the flesh, in of all the places Yerevan.

Hi Azat!!

I also remember another of his articles about “cilantro”, where he cannot hide his disdain of the herb. Where he rightfully argues the confusion in Yerevan between “parsley” and “cilantro” better known as “Chinese parsley”.

In Armenia cilantro, some interpret simply and loosely as “համեմ/hamem” simply “spice” is confused with parsley ազատքեղ.**

** Please don’t get me started. When many of us call that vegetable “maghtanos, maytanos”. Some say that the name is in reference to “Macedonia”.***

***B Reminds me of some the letters of the repatriots of 1946 when they wrote’ hos maghtanos shat ka”, referring to the ditty- “Akh magtanos, magtanos. Inch kak kera yeka hos/Ախ մաղտանոս, մաղտանոս: Ինչ Քաք կերայ եկայ հոս”

Cilantro;

http://www.dvo.com/newsletter/monthly/2008/june/images/cilantro.jpg

Parsley;

http://www.chrissfruitmarket.com/images/P/Parsley.jpg

BTW. I have no idea what cilantro is, and neither do I want to know.

[Anoushik]

My husband loves cilantro!

 

As far as herbs go, I'm clearly uneducated on the topic. I was too young before we left Armenia to remember all the names of the herbs and spices used in Armenian cooking, and not being too into food have not paid attention to my mother's cooking over the years. Now that I live alone with my husband and try my best at cooking I do want to learn more about herbs and their Armenian names.

 

So, back to cilantro. Is it called "maghtanos" as you said? I've heard of it, but not "maghtanos" but "maghatanos". Is it cilantro?

 

And is parsley "ազատքեղ"? In the stores here it's called "Italian Parsley", not "Chinese Parsley". Is there a difference?

 

And as far as spices go, do we have a distinct "Armenian spice". A spice or herb that is most often used in Armenian cooking?

[Ashot]

Դաբնի-ի Տերեւ - Laurel, Bay-leaf, Մարզանոն - Marjoram, Չաման - Caraway Seed, Վարդ - Damask Rose, Գինձ - Coriander

[Ashot]

Անուշիկ ջան, Ազատքեղ և Մաղադանոս = Parsley

 

In regards to what is the name for Cilantro - Cilantro is just another name for Chinese Parsley, therefore, Italian Parsley, Chinese Parsley, Cilantro, Ազատքեղ and Մաղադանոս are the same, with the following differences.

 

Plant family - Apiaceae (parsley family).

 

Sensory quality - All parts of the plant exhibit the same characteristic aroma; it is strongest in the root.

Main constituents

 

There are three cultivated varieties, which in part differ by their chemism. Var. latifolium (broad-leaved) and var. crispum (curly-leaved) are grown for their leaves, and var. tuber­osum is grown for its root.

 

The essential oils of leaves and root show approximately the same composition. The main components (10–30%) are myristicin, limonene and 1,3,8-p-menthatriene; minor components are mono- and sesquiterpenes. The curly varieties (var. crispum) tend to be richer in myristicin, but contain much less essential oil than var. latifolium (0.01 and 0.04%, respectively).

 

In contrast, the essential oil from the fruits (3–6%) is either dominated by myristicin (60 to 80%; mostly var. tuberosum and var. crispum) or by apiole (70%; mostly var. latifolium). A third chemical race shows allyl tetramethoxy benzene (55 to 75%), which can also appear in apiol-dominated oils (up to 20%).

 

Toxic poly-ynes have been found in parsley, though in very low concentrations. Another matter of concern is that the photosensitizing furano-coumarins bergaptene and isoimperatorin have been found in the root.

 

Origin - The plant is of South European (probably East Mediterranean) origin and became popular in more Northern latitudes in the Middle Ages, when it was commonly grown in monasteries and Imperial gardens according to the Capitulare de villis. In our days, two different varieties are grown: Root parsley (var. tuberosum) has a tender, edible root (used as aromatic vegetable), whereas leaf parsley is solely cultivated for its leafs, which are chopped and used as a garnish in many European countries; its root is small and tough with a woody texture.

 

Parsley leaves. Above ordinary flat parsley, below the crispate cultivar

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/pictures/petr_02.jpg

 

Parsley roots

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/pictures/petr_05.jpg

 

Flowering parsley

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/pictures/petr_04.jpg

 

Սիրելի Արփա, - now you know what cilantro is!

Edited January 15, 2011 by Ashot