Ghapama – Stuffed, baked Pumpkin, Kef-style with a song

I started writing a ghapama blog item several months ago, but ended up putting the story on the back burner when I realized I wouldn’t have time to prepare it. 

Then, a few days ago, completely out of the blue, I received a request for a ghapama recipe by a very talented children’s book author and illustrator, Alik Arzoumanian. Alik is working on a project related to ghapama and was in need of a recipe as part of her research. I was happy to oblige, and in doing so, I figured, I’d post the story and recipe even though it’s somewhat out of ghapama season – at least in South Florida. In Armenian, the word ‘Ghapama’ literally means cooked in a covered pot. Recipe-wise, ghapama is a stuffed, baked pumpkin traditionally served between the New Year and Armenian Christmas which Armenians celebrate on January 6th.

NOTE: Sometimes ghapama is made with a winter squash such as the acorn squash variety rather than pumpkin. To make ghapama, a medium sized pumpkin (about 3 lbs. in weight) is cut open at the top, then the fibrous strands and seeds are scooped out. Generally, a stuffing made with partially cooked rice, dried fruit, raisins, chopped nuts, cinnamon, sugar or honey is placed in the cavity. The filled pumpkin is baked until tender and served table-side.

I was reminded by my friend Ara that there is a traditional song re-popularized by Harout Pamboukjian about this wonderful Armenian dish. “Hey Jan Ghapama, Hamov Hodov Ghapama”, meaning ‘Dear Ghapama, tasty, aromatic ghapama’. Ara went on to say the lyrics claim that over 100 guests will come if (ghapama) is ever made. 

A more formal, yet fun, rendition of the ghapama song was performed by the KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir of Gyumri, Armenia.

NOTE: Christine Datian of The Armenian Mirror-Spectator submitted an article called “The Original Ghapama Recipe” from Lucy Joulfayan-Yeghyayan on November 29, 2018 which can be found by clicking here.

In addition, Christine posted an article in The Armenian Mirror-Spectator combining both stories. Click here to read. 

This video from 1983 of Harout Pamboukjian is a trip! Kef it up- enjoy!

Ghapama- Stuffed, baked Pumpkin

In Armenian, the word ‘Ghapama’ literally means cooked in a covered pot. Recipe-wise, ghapama is a stuffed, baked pumpkin traditionally served between the New Year and Armenian Christmas which Armenians celebrate on January 6th.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pumpkin (about 3 lbs)
  • cups rice
  • 4 tbsp butter (melted)
  • ¼ cup each of dried plums, apricots and cherries (chopped)
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
  • tbsp honey
  • ½ cup nuts (chopped)
  • ¼ cup hot water
  • dash of salt (or to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Wash and dry exterior of pumpkin. Cut off the top in a circle shape as it will be used as a lid.
  • Scrape out the stringy fibers and seeds. Discard fibers, but rinse and save the seeds for roasting later on, if desired. Rinse the inside of the pumpkin; pat dry.
  • In a saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add rice, stir, cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Cook rice for about 15 minutes. Rice should not be completely cooked. Drain any excess liquid.
  • In bowl, mix together the partially cooked rice, chopped, dried fruit, melted butter, salt, cinnamon, honey (or sugar), and nuts, if using.
  • Loosely stuff filling into pumpkin; pour the ¼ cup hot water over the top of the filling.
  • Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet for support. Put the top of the pumpkin back on and bake at 325°F for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until soft. Insert a toothpick into the pumpkin to determine tenderness.
  • Cut into wedges; serve.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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24 Comments

  1. Marine February 24, 2012 at 4:21 pm

    I'm glad you mentioned the song. It is my favorite Harout song. It says stays that everyone from aunts and uncles, godparents, inlaws, neighbors, and all those near and far came to eat the ghapama

    Reply
  2. Sonia Rumzi March 15, 2012 at 12:21 am

    Thank you so much for the great idea and recipe. That is great.

    Reply
    1. Robyn March 16, 2012 at 10:55 pm

      Glad you like it, Sonia!

      Reply
  3. Anonymous April 9, 2012 at 7:55 pm

    Funny how I was looking for ghapama recipe and ended up finding my childhood and best friend's name in your site (Alik Arzoumanian)……
    Thank you to you both for the recipe 😉
    Naïri

    Reply
  4. Anonymous October 17, 2012 at 8:45 pm

    Thankyou for the Recipe! What kind of rice would be the best?

    Reply
  5. Anonymous October 19, 2012 at 1:14 pm

    What kind of pumpkins are good for ghapama? Are halloween pumpkins edible? Would they be good for ghapama?

    Reply
  6. Hayley November 17, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    Halloween pumkins are good and certainly edible. You can use other types of squash, too. Use white rice of any variety that you're comfortable cooking.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous November 29, 2012 at 11:05 pm

    Hey JAN ghapama! Hamov, Hotov Ghapama!!

    we ate this for thanksgiving this year, it was awesome!!

    Georgette …ian.

    Reply
  8. Unknown October 19, 2013 at 5:13 pm

    I can't wait to make this!

    Reply
  9. Anonymous November 3, 2013 at 7:30 pm

    Just a minor correction in Armenia Ghapama was made in Harvest time and this was one of the beautiful traditions of celebrating harvest and welcoming Autumn

    Reply
  10. Anonymous November 8, 2016 at 3:44 am

    This sounds delicious, but I think the flavors would be greatly enhanced by some salt, at least in the filling.

    Reply
    1. AuntieBetty October 24, 2017 at 2:04 am

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Reply
    2. AuntieBetty October 24, 2017 at 2:10 am

      The recipe does call for a 'dash' of salt.

      Reply
  11. AuntieBetty October 24, 2017 at 2:00 am

    I think I'll try using small 'pie' pumpkins for this recipe.

    Reply
  12. Anonymous November 17, 2017 at 9:32 am

    Is it a dessert or a side dish ???

    Reply
  13. Perouz Seferian November 10, 2018 at 1:09 am

    Robin,
    How can I copy your recipe for Ghapama? The usual way of highlighting and then clicking "copy" doesn't work.

    Reply
    1. Robyn Kalajian November 12, 2018 at 12:21 am

      Hello Perouz, Please email your request to me at robyn@thearmeniankitchen.com, and I will email it to you. Thanks!

      Reply
  14. POEC November 20, 2018 at 10:24 am

    I made it and it is so good.

    Reply
  15. Anonymous November 23, 2018 at 6:03 am

    We used short grain brown rice and followed the 15 min cook why was the rice still hard and crunchy after it came out of the oven?

    Reply
    1. Robyn Kalajian November 26, 2018 at 9:26 pm

      Brown rice generally takes longer to cook than white rice. If you use brown rice again for ghapama, pre-cook it for a longer period of time.

      Reply
  16. Unknown August 11, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    Is there a savory version of ghapama?

    Reply
  17. Robyn Kalajian August 26, 2020 at 4:21 pm

    There are certainly savory baked pumpkin recipes out there, but Ghapama is traditionally sweet.

    Reply
  18. Enzo Puzzovio December 5, 2021 at 8:00 am

    Watched this being prepared on a travelogue by Anthony Bourdain recently and thought it looked good. So I bought a pumpkin yesterday and will try out your recipe. I’ve been to Armenia a few times but never saw it – it must be a home thing. Greetings from England!

    Reply
    1. Robyn Kalajian December 7, 2021 at 1:18 pm

      Hello Enzo, good luck with the preparation! You can adjust the seasonings and regulate the sweetness level to suit you. I hope you’ll like the end result.

      Reply

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