Syrian refugee restaurants spicing up Armenian cuisine – The Guardian
By Marianna Grigoryan (for Eurasianet.org)
At his lahmajoon bistro in the centre of Yerevan, 28-year-old Gaidzak Jabakhtchurian is adding a layer of spiced meat paste to a dough base. Four years ago, Jabakhtchurian and his family left their two bakeries in Aleppo, home to many of Syria’s ethnic Armenians, and moved here to escape the fighting.
The Jabakhtchurians are among thousands of Syrian refugees in Armenia, bringing with them new flavours and cooking styles to a country more accustomed to milder cuisine.
Lahmajoon (thin crust pizza with ground beef or lamb), spicy muhammara (hot pepper dip), fattoush (a green salad topped with pieces of pita bread), falafel and other Middle Eastern dishes are becoming increasingly popular, although they are often adapted to suit local tastes.
“We made our most famous lahmajoon less spicy,” said Jabakhtchurian. “We use our eight types of spices … but in Armenia we are quite mild.”
One lahmajoon, big on the beef, is named after the capital, Yerevan. Another, made with onions and lots of parsley, after the northern city of Gyumri. The bistro’s menu also features a yogurt soup based on one served by Jabakhtchurian’s grandmother at the start and end of winter.
“That brings back very warm memories to me,” he said.
Although lahmajoon is not new to Armenia, locals note a clear difference to the Aleppo variety.
“It was not until I ate a Syrian-Armenian lahmajoon that I first understood what that dish was supposed to be,” says Yerevan resident Gayane Bilbulian. “It is a really crazy mix of flavours.”
The UN’s Yerevan-based refugees coordinator, Anahit Hayrapetian, said the number of Middle Eastern restaurants in Armenia had increased significantly since the war started in 2011. Where once there was a only handful of establishments serving Middle Eastern food, now there are more than 50 in the capital.
“Syrian-Armenians [have been] encouraged by the fact that locals warmly welcomed the tastes and the smells [of their cuisine],” said Hayrapetian.
Kiosks across the city have also started offering Middle Eastern specialities, with some butchers now also selling halal meat prepared according to Islamic law.
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