Armenia has a rich and colorful culture, and when it comes to traditional food, especially sweets and desserts, make sure you are not missing your chance to treat yourself when you are visiting this country!

GATA

One of the most popular traditional Armenian desserts is Gata. It symbolizes Armenian hospitality and love for their guests. It is sweet bread usually filled with so-called Khoriz, which is made from flour, butter and sugar. Sometimes nuts, almond and especially walnuts are added.

The interesting thing about Gata is the beautiful tradition of hiding a coin inside the dough before baking. As Armenian tradition has it whoever gets the piece of Gata with the coin inside is going to be lucky! But be careful so you don’t hurt your tooth!

BAKHLAVA

If you are fond of honey and walnuts, hidden inside sweet layered pastry, then Bakhlava is what you’ll be going crazy for. Bakhlava or Pakhlava is a sweet Armenian dessert which is normally prepared in large pans. The pastry is made of chopped walnuts, pistachios or hazelnuts put between multiple paper-thin layers of dough. After baking, a syrup or honey is poured over the cooked baklava and allowed to soak in. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

ALANI

Have you ever tried a dried peach? Alani is an Armenian dessert prepared from dried peaches, apricots and plums stuffed with nuts, honey, cinnamon, and sugar. Can you imagine the taste of that fantastic mix?

Alani is not only tasty but it’s very beautiful delicacy, which will decorate any holiday table.

HALVA (HOMEMADE)

There are a bunch of companies producing Halva. But there is also a way to prepare Halva at home, which has a totally different taste. If you are lucky to be a guest in an Armenian family, then you’ll be a witness to famous Armenian hospitality. You can ask the Armenian mom for a favor. It is not so hard to make a homemade halva (Tnakan halva in Armenian). It is made of flour, sugar, butter and nuts sometimes, then it is roasted in a saucepan until it has а crumbly consistency. You’ll want to lick your fingers after it’s finished!

WALNUT JAM

Armenians make Walnut jam or Popoqi muraba (in Armenian) from unripe green walnuts, which are hard to find unless you have your own walnut tree in your garden. Otherwise you have to make a special order in market to bring you green walnuts.

Preparing walnut jam with the Armenian tradition is a long process. But as soon as you put one piece of melting walnut into your mouth, you know it was worth the long time it took to be prepared. You won’t be able to resist the temptation to try more and more. Take the advantage of Armenian hospitality.

You want to taste at least one of these, don’t you? It is perfect time to book your trip with Caucasus Holidays and enjoy your summer holidays.