New Year's is the biggest holiday in this culture. Due to years of communist rule and lack of strong spiritual life, the celebration of New Year's and Christmas got a little mixed up.
Families must prepare a table to host friends, family, and neighbors who will visit during the New Year holiday. Families who have next to nothing may even take out loans from others just to buy enough food for the New Year's table. It's an extremely important holiday.
Here's a glimpse of the spread....
1. Roasted pig or chicken
2. Dolma. Cabbage leaf or grape leaf stuffed rolls. Both versions are tasty, but I'm more a fan of the grape leaf version because it's just more interesting.
3. Blinchik. Think thin pancake filled with meat, rolled up, and fried...and there you have it!
4. Various salads. No, not our American salad of lettuce, tomato and dressing. There are many versions, but they are more mayonnaise based.
5. Lots of juice, pop, and of course alcohol for toasting. Giving toasts is HUGE in this culture. I don't take part in the drinking, but I do toast and wish others health, joy, and God's blessings.
6. Various cheeses and sliced meats. The meats are mainly salt cured such as Basturma or Soujouk.
7. CANNOT forget the bread! Lavash and matnakash are normally the bread staples.
8. Kyufta (think breaded meatball) is another special food that may be seen on a holiday table. It's eaten with a yogurt soup called spas.
9. Nuts, dried fruit, and various sweets. Usually served with fruit (bananas, mandarin oranges, apples, and kiwi). At this point, the coffee is normally served.
10. I'm sure there is more that I'm forgetting, but it's already a pretty impressive list. These items are "must haves" and they must already be prepared, because guests could arrive at any time! Also, no matter whose house you visit, you pretty much know exactly what to expect food wise. This can be a comfort and also a bore.
11. The table is always decorated beautifully with a table cloth and each place set!
12. For those of you who are worried about what exactly I will eat at these get togethers, have no fear! I like it all! I think the only things I don't touch are the liquor and the olives!
3 comments:
Yummy! I'd love to go visiting to celebrate New Year's. Is the fruit imported or is it local? I don't know if I'd like the salty meat. Are these "meals" on one day or more? I feel so sorry for the people who feel like they must take out a loan in order to serve all that food, and some of it might even go to waste. I guess it's sort of like people buying presents at Christmas time when they don't really have the $$ to do so. Please learn to cook everything the Armenian way. We can't wait to taste and tell. Oh, how do you know what houses you should go to?
Just remember to bring back some recipes. I loved almost everything I ate while in Armenia!
The dishes you described sounded wonderful to me. I really like some of those dishes and sound very simular to the ones I had in Greece with a Middle Eastern influence. I hope you can find stuff here when you get back to make some of the wonderful meals. Happy New Year!!!! The old art teacher.
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