Armenian cuisine is one of the main attractions of the country. Being one of the oldest in the world, nowadays it preserves the age-old traditions of the Armenians and is considered one of the most distinctive culinary traditions of the world. Armenian cuisine is consists of greens, cheeses, vegetables, meat and Armenian bread (lavash).
For centuries Armenians eat fermented matsun and diluted with cold water option – Tan, all kinds of pickled vegetables and herbs, cheese - Chechil and soft cheese - Zhazhik with herbs and green garlic paste, salads with legumes, vegetables of all kinds and meat products.
Meat dishes enjoys special respect - skewers of large pieces of meat - barbeque, skewers of beef and sheep's tail - Iki-bir, meat balls chipped and boiled in a special way - Kyufta, round meatballs in broth - Kololik, famous Dolma and its meatless option - Pasuts Dolma, the thinnest strips of boiled beef - Baskyrtat, porridge made of chicken meat and wheat aris, boiled lamb with peas and greens - Bozbash, Putukam, Basturma, fried chicken with eggplant, meat sudjukh, quite difficult assorted offal with vegetables - Tzhvzhik, various Pilaf with pomegranate, smoked fish or dried fruit, etc. One of the famous Armenian dishes is Sevan trout (Ishkhan) roasted on a spit. Also Kchuch fish and Ishkhan in wine. Preliminary preparation of meat is complex and multi-layered, so all Armenian meat dishes have quite a unique taste.
An important place in the table is occupied by soups: soup of beef tail, soup of Matsun - Spas, the famous soup - Hash, chicken soup - Tarkhan, rice soup with onion - Chulumbur, mushroom soup with rice, soup of dried apricots, fruit soups - Anushapur, Chirapur and others. The soups are usually served with boiled meat, greens and lavash.
Armenian cuisine simply does not exist without lavash. This thin unleavened bread is still baked according to the old technologies in clay ovens - tonirs. On the tables there is oval or round shape bread - Matnakash and small sandwiches with cheese - Durum.
Good local sweets and pastries are exist in Armenian cuisine: Gata (Kyata) Nazuk, cookies Nshablit, Bagardzh, sharots, candied apricots Shalah, dried apricots and figs, homemade Halva, peaches filled with a variety of nuts, sweet Sudjukh, numerous kinds of cookies with nuts and fruit jams, cakes and a variety of jams.
The country's national drink is brandy. Brandy production in Armenia, was founded just over a century ago, but has already gained a well-deserved reputation of being one of the best producers of this drink. Armenian brandy is made from selected grapes - Kakheti, Garandmak, Voskehat, Chilar and others growing in Ararat valley, which volcanic soil is ideal for growing grapes that are used to make brandy.
Today Yerevan Brandy Company (part of the Trust Pernod Ricard) produces such famous brandy as Ani (6 years), Choice (7 years), Akhtamar, Armenia, Dvin (10 years), Tonakan (15 years), Vaspurakan (18 years) and Nairi (20 years), as well as dozens of exclusive varieties, exported to many countries.
From soft drinks the most famous is Tarkhun (not something that can be bought in a plastic bottle). Armenian mineral waters (Jermuk, Arzni, Bjni, etc.) and fruit juices are also very popular. Coffee and tea are on every corner, and of excellent quality.
