What is Lavash?

[Ian Lazarus]

This goes out to my Armenian brethren in the house.

What is it?  And what is it similar to?

[GabrieltheCelt]

I'm not Armenian, but I believe it's a type of flat bread. And it's pretty darn good!

[Salpy]

It's a kind of bread.  What it is like depends on what region you are from, etc.  In my mom's subculture, it's a very simple fried, puffy dough.  The Greeks have something similar that starts with an "L" but I can't recall the name of it.

The vast majority of Armenians, however, use the word lavash for a very flat, thin, soft bread.  I don't know any other bread with which to compare it.  You can tear off pieces of it and wrap pieces of kebab in it to eat, kind of like a sandwich.

[Ian Lazarus]

Hm....intriguing.

Is it kinda like a pita or a tortilla?

[Salpy]

More like a flour tortilla than pita, but still different than a tortilla.  It also ususally comes in bigger "loaves" than tortillas.  As I said, you tear off pieces.

Here is a picture of the sort of thing I usually see labeled "lavash" in the Armenian grocery stores:

http://www.lahvash.com/home.html



Some people also use "lavash" to refer to flat, hard "cracker bread."

http://www.valleylahvosh.com/NewFiles/home.html

In my mom's family, however, the hard kind of bread was always called "danhats," which means "house bread."  Most Armenians call it "parag hats," which means "thin bread."  This hard kind of bread is what I was raised with (in addition to good old American Wonder Bread.)  I still enjoy peanut butter sandwiches with it.  I've never been without it.  It's always in the home.  It comes in round loaves more than a foot in diameter.  Because it is dry, it keeps for a long time.

[Ian Lazarus]

I wonder if there is an Armenian store nearby, because that sounds good. 

Anyway, I ask because I got a hold of an Armenian wedding programme the other day, and it said something about fresh Amich, Boraki, lamajoun, and fasulya on the menu, none of which I had heard of before, but I have heard of Lavash, and that was on the menu too. 

[Salpy]

As I indicated, what you call your food tends to be regional, thus all I really recognize from that list is lamajoun.  Lamajoun is really Arab and the name comes from the Arabic words for meat and dough.  My grandma used to call it "Armenian pizza," though, as it is very popular among Armenians.  It is a round piece of soft dough with ground meat and spices on top.  It usually has too much garlic on it for me, so I rarely eat it.

I wonder if "boraki" is beureg?  If that is the case, then it is like a pastry with cheese in it.  If so, that one is yummy!

[Sophie]

It's a kind of bread.  What it is like depends on what region you are from, etc.  In my mom's subculture, it's a very simple fried, puffy dough.  The Greeks have something similar that starts with an "L" but I can't recall the name of it.

The vast majority of Armenians, however, use the word lavash for a very flat, thin, soft bread.  I don't know any other bread with which to compare it.  You can tear off pieces of it and wrap pieces of kebab in it to eat, kind of like a sandwich.

Could the greek bread you mentioned be "lagana"? It is flat and thin with sesame on it. We only have it traditionally on Lent Monday.

[Heorhij]

Ian Lazarus, is "boraki" beets, and is "fasulya" beans? Then it's what Ukrainians call "buryaky" and "kvasolya."

[Salpy]

Could the greek bread you mentioned be "lagana"? It is flat and thin with sesame on it. We only have it traditionally on Lent Monday.

The Greek bread I am thinking of is fried and puffy.  I think the Greeks put sugar on it before eating it.  I've had it only a couple times and it reminded me of the bread which my family calls "lavash," which is very different from the flat bread which most Armenians call "lavash."

[ozgeorge]

The Greek bread I am thinking of is fried and puffy.

Do you mean "Thiples"?

It's not really a bread, but a fried pastry often served at joyful occasions such as weddings.

[Salpy]

I'm pretty sure this is it.  I can't believe I found it on the internet.  Lokoumades--does that sound right?


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Loukoumades.jpg

Anyway, this is what my family calls lavash.  Most other Armenians use "lavash" to refer to the flat bread discussed above.

[ozgeorge]

Lokoumades--does that sound right?

Oh! Donuts!

[Salpy]

O.K.  Who's hungry now?  Is it just me?

I'm going to have to make some this weekend.

[Ian Lazarus]

Boraki, I found out is a meat stuffed pastry of somekind, and Fasulya is a greenbeen and beef stew, apparantly.  It makes me think of pasties and roti and carne guisada.  Actually, I could go for some carne guisada tomorrow...with lavash!

[Ian Lazarus]

So, what kind of cheese do they make in Armenia?  And is it primarily beef or lamb that's eaten in the culture?

[Αριστοκλής]

String Cheese? I thought.

[Salpy]

String cheese or Jack cheese are very popular, especially string cheese, which may actually be Armenian in origin. 

Both beef and lamb are eaten.  Lamb is probably more "traditional" though. 

[FrChris]

There was this Armenian sausage that was just excellent for my jambalaya recipe....I only was able to find it when I lived in Minneapolis and could shop at a particular meat market..

I believe the sausage was from lamb, or maybe goat...is it possible that our resident Armenian expert would know from this US location (and hence which part of Armenia the local residents were from) and this poor description the name of this sausage?

It's a long shot, but the sausage was just right....

[Αριστοκλής]

Better than andouille? That I've got to try.

[Ian Lazarus]

Mmmmm.  Sausage

[Maksim]

Assuming that Armenian boraki/beureg is similar to what's known in the Balkans as "burek", then I can heartily recommend it.  Not necessarily health food, but it's hard to go wrong with meat, cheese, and layered pastry 

[Salpy]

There was this Armenian sausage that was just excellent for my jambalaya recipe....I only was able to find it when I lived in Minneapolis and could shop at a particular meat market..

I believe the sausage was from lamb, or maybe goat...is it possible that our resident Armenian expert would know from this US location (and hence which part of Armenia the local residents were from) and this poor description the name of this sausage?

It's a long shot, but the sausage was just right....

The only Armenian sausage I really know is soujoukh.  My brother loves it, but it's too spicy for me

I can't believe there's a wikipedia article about it, but here it is:


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

Wikipedia also has an article on lavash.

My brother gets his from a local restaurant called Carousel.  I don't know where you would get it over where you are.

[Salpy]

Now I've seen everything.  They actually have youtube videos showing some ladies making lavash the real old fashioned way:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPG1nQrT4TI


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnp0ey5kbsY&mode=related&search=


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeceneQZjWM&mode=related&search=Armenia%20armenian%20bread%20lavash%20party%20crazy%20lessons

[Salpy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLbpsLs1DZA&mode=related&search=

That's the really, really, really old fashioned way. 

The last person in my family to make the flat lavash (the hard "cracker bread" danhats kind) was my great grand mother.  My mom recalls as a small child watching her make it.  She used an American oven though, and she would roll it with a long, thin stick across the grate. 

Now, of course, you can just buy it at the local Armenian bakery or grocery store.  I guess there are still places where they have to make it the old way.  It reminds me of how spoiled we are here in the U.S.

[Ian Lazarus]

It's a big flour tortilla!

Dude, I am getting one of those ovens!

[Salpy]

I just made some of the puffy, fried lavash.  Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[Ian Lazarus]

I'll be over soon!

[FatherGiryus]

This and the next seven posts were split off from a thread in the OO section about upcoming events in the OO community in September:

http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php/topic,28440.msg448778.html#msg448778

Salpy
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Dear Salpy,

Can you post a link regarding the arrangements for Pat. Karekin's visit?  I'm in L.A. and lived in 'Little Yerevan' for a few years.  It would be a great excuse to have some good basturma and soujuk!

Well, not all EO's consider us such, and even when they do, there are nicer ways of saying it.    in any event, the insults belong in the private forum, not here.


Let's get back on topic:  Does anyone know the dates of HH Pope Shenouda's visit?  I don't think they said last week when we were at the monastery.

[Salpy]

Dear Salpy,

Can you post a link regarding the arrangements for Pat. Karekin's visit?  I'm in L.A. and lived in 'Little Yerevan' for a few years.  It would be a great excuse to have some good basturma and soujuk!

Father,

I don't see anything official on the Western Diocese website.  It's all word of mouth right now.  The moment I see something official on the internet, I'll link to it.

By the way, you're the second priest here to like soujuk.  

http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php/topic,13011.msg178930.html#msg178930

[FatherGiryus]

Thanks for the tip.  Yes, please make the announcement when it comes available.

I have not gone so far as some people in my enthusiasm (paganism warning!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFgAG0QzGsA&feature=related   

Dear Salpy,

Can you post a link regarding the arrangements for Pat. Karekin's visit?  I'm in L.A. and lived in 'Little Yerevan' for a few years.  It would be a great excuse to have some good basturma and soujuk!

Father,

I don't see anything official on the Western Diocese website.  It's all word of mouth right now.  The moment I see something official on the internet, I'll link to it.

By the way, you're the second priest here to like soujuk.   

http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php/topic,13011.msg178930.html#msg178930

[Salpy]

That's hilarious!   

[FatherGiryus]

In all honesty, I do think a good basturma can be mesmerizing even without a mantra.

However, I'm also partial to the ecstatic bliss of prosciutto.

Lord, help me!  It has been a long fast!

But there is a bigger question: how did the Armenians share the tandoor with the Indians? (watch the lavash videos if you are confused as to what I'm talking about).

That's hilarious!   

[Salpy]

You mean the old-fashioned ovens in the ground?  I really don't know how the concept got to be so widespread.  Of course between India and Armenia there was the Persian Empire.  Wherever that kind of oven originated, the concept may have spread that way.

[FatherGiryus]

Yes, those are the ones.  They are like a 'subterranean' tandoor.

I was hoping for a more exotic story about two entrepid 4th century Armenian Restaurateurs seeking riches in the Subcontinent.  After all, there are Armenians everywhere! 

With my bread obsession, I suppose I need to do more research on this topic.  They are very different from the typical Greco-Egyptian oven popular in the West.  More efficient as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLh7FVla6RU

You mean the old-fashioned ovens in the ground?  I really don't know how the concept got to be so widespread.  Of course between India and Armenia there was the Persian Empire.  Wherever that kind of oven originated, the concept may have spread that way.

[Salpy]

Yes, those are the ones.  They are like a 'subterranean' tandoor.

I was hoping for a more exotic story about two entrepid 4th century Armenian Restaurateurs seeking riches in the Subcontinent.  After all, there are Armenians everywhere!  

You never know, that might be what happened.    

I just found a wikipedia article on that kind of oven:

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

The Armenian word they use for the oven, "toneer," is a word that I have heard but I couldn't think of it earlier.  I guess wikipedia has everything!

[Salpy]

A couple more lavash videos:

This one was obviously shot at a tourist spot and is in English.  I'm posting it so people can see how pieces of lavash can be used to wrap other food in.  In this video you see a young woman in a traditional costume doing it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXBGVXqBQU0&NR=1

I am linking this next video because at the very end it shows the inside of a toneer that has been fitted with what looks like gas burners.  (At least that is what it seems to me.)  I guess it's an example of an ancient device being modernized:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMUBJwYsrQc&NR=1

(Please don't think the guy's "lavash song" is anything like traditional Armenian music.    )

[FatherGiryus]

Dear Salpy,

What is fascinating about the videos is that the Armenians are used to employing both Roman and Tonir ovens.  This implies that the Armenians were influenced by both the Byzantines and the Persians.

Since white wheat does not grow in Armenia, I wonder what type of flour they used for lavash in the pre-modern era?

[Salpy]

I wouldn't know, as I'm a total city girl.  To me all wheat is the same.   

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