There are many legends and songs about old times in Armenia. It is considered to be the place where mankind started life. From the beginning of our country’s history of "lavash’’ has been mentioned as a bread that is mainly Armenian. Armenians consider "lavash" a type of holy bread. That is why they make a cross on the dough before baking the bread. "Lavash" symbolizes the love, respect and generosity of the Armenian people.

"Lavash" goes along with us everywhere. On wedding ceremonies it is put on the shoulders of the bride and groom. "Lavash" is laid on the table with great respect and love. It is baked in a special stove called a "tonir". The length of ‘’lavash’’ must be 60-70cm and the width must be 30-40 cm. It should not be thicker than 3 mm. Today there are places in Armenia where "lavash" is baked in autumn and kept for winter. This is due to the fields of wheat that have been stamped on by enemies and burnt. A handful of saved flour has produced "lavash" - the holiness and pride of Armenian tables.

Let me invite you to the table. I want to treat you with a dish that is very delicious, nourishing, healthy and that symbolizes our national vitality. It is fish that is folded in "lavash" (Armenian national bread). That’s all. We serve this dish to very special and precious guests. Why? Because the fish is not ordinary. It is "ishkhan" (trout), which lives only in the lake of Sevan. It is the pride of Sevan and of Armenians as well. This fish consists of a lot of protein and phosphate. The meat is pink and it is almost boneless.

"Lavash" is Armenian national bread. It is baked in a special stove and symbolizes the firmness of Armenians. To make this dish complete we need tarkhun (a kind of herb), pomegranate and wine. Pomegranate is a fruit that is full of protein and acids. This fruit grows in different parts of the world, but it has grown in Armenia for about 3 thousands years. Pomegranate is the symbol of fertility and eternity for Armenians. Its design is widely used in architecture as well.

Armenians consider wine the blood of grapes. 1 Liter of wine consists of 600-800 calories, organic acids and glucose. So, how do you cook this dish? Take "ishkhan" and clean off the scales. Add salt and pepper, and put some butter and tarkhun on it. Rub the butter on the "lavash" and fold it around the "ishkhan" so that only the head and tail are seen. Rub some egg on it and then cook in the oven. It smells very tasty. Bon appetite!

Pour oil into a pan, fry the peppers and add tomatoes. Then grate the cheese, add eggs, butter, parsley and salt. Put all this into the oven and cook over a mild fire.

Everybody in our family is fond of Armenian traditional food. Cooking many of these meals demands great skill. My favorite dish is called Mish-Mash. It is very easy to cook. As the youngest member in our family I always participate in cooking. Bright and sweet memories are connected with the cooking of this dish.

Take 3 pomegranates and put them in a deep pan, add sugar and leave for 2 hours. Then add 1 liter of boiling water and let it chill. Remove grains, and the juice is ready.

Hello! I’m Levon and I live in Armenia. There are many plants in Armenia. Pomegranate is a traditional and widespread plant in Armenia. It grows mainly in the lowlands. It’s a bright red plant and is widely used in Armenian kitchen. It consists of 365 round, juicy and red grains which symbolize each day of the year. The juice of pomegranates gives sick men strength. To tell the truth, at first sight it may seem very easy to make juice from a pomegranate. But in reality it demands good skill.

My mother is master of making pomegranate juice. The choice of pomegranate is very important. The water is already boiling. My mother is at her work. I’m waiting for the juice impatiently. It’s a warm evening in autumn. Pomegranates stand yellow in the park. We are watching the sunset and drinking traditional pomegranate juice. It’s very pleasant and it tastes a little sour.

The pomegranate is native to regions spanning from Iran to the Himalayas and northern India. It was cultivated and naturalized over the entire Mediterranean region since Hebrew Biblical times. Pictures of the fruit appeared on the pillars of King Solomon’s Temple. In Greek legend the pomegranate symbolizes fertility, death, and eternity. In Christian art the fruit is symbolic of hope.

You must clean the fish by removing the scales, washing it and then add salt and pepper. Put it on a spit. Then fry on a fire. Turn regularly and rub some butter. Serve trout with slices of lemon, grains of pomegranate and tarckun (a kind of herb). My mother serves this dish very hot. We eat without a fork or a knife, just with our fingers. Our guests are always pleased and they like it very much. I always help my father. We cook it together and I try to master all the secrets because I want to keep this good tradition.

Armenia is a rocky and mountainous country. There is a beautiful lake in Armenia, called Sevan. Armenia is a very traditional country. The traditions are very old and Armenians respect them. One of these traditions is hospitality. Armenian cuisine is famous all over the word. Soup and repast are very delicious. Armenia has well-known bread, called "lavash". Every family has its own traditions and habits. Our family has traditional food that my grandmother used to cook. The meal is served to very special guests. It is called fried trout (salmon). If you say the word, it sounds like "ishkhan".

"Ishkhan" is a fish that belongs to the salmon family. It lives mainly in Sevan Lake. It is a middle-sized fish with silvery scales and black spots (sometimes you can see orange or pink spots as well). Spit-roast trout is served at wedding parties, as well as special dinners. In our family it is cooked by my father, because Armenians think that a dish made by a man is tastier than when it is cooked by a woman. My father is a master at cooking and he knows all the secrets.

Khash is a traditional food in Armenia, especially in the Shirak region, which is where I come from. In old times this food was eaten mainly by the poor. When the rich slaughtered cattle and threw away its head, feet and entrails, the poor sneaked in at night and then secretly cooked and ate early in the morning. Khash is cooked mainly in winter. There are special restaurant in Armenia that serve only khash.

First you must purge out hair on feet and head and clean up the entrails. Put it all on a big pan in water, wash and then put it on the fire. Don’t add salt or other spices. Khash is eaten with "lavash" (Armenian national bread), which is baked in a special stove. "Lavash’’ is easy digestible and nourishing. Khash is usually served with sour pepper, lemon, garlic, vegetables, cheese, vodka and mineral water. Bon appetite!