Last March, Doug and I were contacted by Rebecca Wall, PhD,
Program Officer of Research and Communications with the Smithsonian
Institution. Rebecca was, as she put it, “part of a new Smithsonian project to
support the sustainability of Armenian cultural heritage through
community-based tourism in the regions outside of Yerevan. The ‘My Armenia’ program, in partnership with
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), seeks to share
stories of Armenian cultural heritage with international audiences so as to
increase awareness of the great complexity and diversity of Armenian culture.”
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| Freshly baked lavash (Photo by Sossi Madzounian, Smithsonian) |
We were thrilled to participate, however, her request couldn’t have come at a worse time, at least for me. I was about to have knee-replacement surgery so all of her research inquiries fell on Doug’s shoulders, and, he handled it brilliantly!
The Smithsonian's comprehensive article, 'Tastes of Memory: How to Bake an Authentic Armenian Lavash', including Doug’s contribution, appeared on
their website last April.
Please click here to read it.
Please click here to read it.
A few days ago, I received an email from Lucine Kasbarian,
who brought to my attention an article (and video) from the Smithsonian Center
for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, called ‘A Taste of the Wild side: Out of
Yerevan and into Armenia’s Local Dishes’. The focus being on aveluk (wild
sorrel) which grows naturally in the Armenian countryside.
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| Aveluk soup from Our Village restaurant, Yerevan |
Since aveluk, which has a somewhat acidic – sour taste is unavailable in the US, and wild sorrel is hard to come by, suitable
substitutes may include kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, or spinach.
Please click here to read the ‘Taste of the Wild Side’
article and to view the video.
It’s in Armenian, but there are English subtitles!
It’s in Armenian, but there are English subtitles!
As a bonus, I am re-posting Sonia Tashjian’s recipe for
Aveluk Soup.
Aveluk Soup, courtesy of Sonia Tashjian
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| Sonia Tashjian's Aveluk Soup |
Serves 4 to 5
INGREDIENTS:
6 ounces (about 4 cups) dried aveluk (See preparation of
aveluk below)
6 to 8 cups of water (See step #3)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup coarse bulgur
1 onion, chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
dried plums, pitted
and chopped (amount depends on how sour the aveluk is)
Aleppo red pepper
& black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. flour, or some cut pieces of lavash, optional
a little bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare the aveluk:
Place the dried aveluk in a large bowl of hot water. Let it
sit for several minutes. Drain the water. Do this procedure two more times.
Prepare Aveluk Soup:
1. Add 6 cups of water to a large pot; bring to a boil and
add 2 tsp salt. To the pot of boiling water, add the bulgur, onion &
potato. Reduce heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. (NOTE: Lentils
may be substituted for the bulgur.)
2. Next, add the pre-soaked & drained aveluk, the dried
plum pieces, and the red and black pepper.
3. Cook until the potatoes and bulgur are soft. (NOTE: The
starch from the potato helps make the soup creamy. If you wish, you may add 2
Tbsp. flour or lavash pieces to the soup at this point, if desired.) Add the
additional 2 cups of water if soup is becoming too thick. Just before the soup
is done cooking, add the garlic and the coriander. Remove from heat. Serve with
sour cream, if desired.
Aveluk Soup Variations:
Sonia notes that in different regions of Armenia there are
many variations of aveluk soup. For example, some places add tomato paste; some
do not add potato. Some use lentils instead of bulgur. Some add chopped walnuts
to the soup, while others only use walnuts in Aveluk Salad. Another variation:
some fry the onion separately and mix it into the soup, but the busy cook would
add all of the ingredients to the soup and cook it slowly.
