Remove and let cool for 30 seconds or just set aside if you are still slicing. Armenian American writer Doug Kalajian recalls of his mother’s variation: “Her lavash was tremendously different from other lavash, even from the lavash baked in the next village where my father’s family was from. This article originally appeared on the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage's "Talk Story: Culture in Motion" blog. A new bride has a piece of lavash placed on her shoulders, signifying luck, wealth, and the new life she will bring into the family. As of late I’ve been having a slight obsession with lavash. This culinary range traveled with Armenians around the world. Roll and you’ve got a nice healthy wrap. Wet your hand again and make three more lines in a grid pattern. It's delicious served alongside delicious dips like labna and muhamarra. Divide the dough into 5 or 6 balls. Many Armenian words and expressions derive from the simple, yet significant, act of breaking bread. Love lavash!! Step 3 Around the hearths of Armenian homes from Yerevan to Los Angeles, women preserve and celebrate Armenian culture, memory, and identity through the production and sharing of lavash. I like to sprinkle nutritional yeast on mine for extra flavor along with proteins and my B-vitamins! Here is a soft and buttery version from Doug Kalajian’s mother. Brush dough with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds and poppy seeds if desired. Recommendation. When she was older, her son and daughter-in-law surprised her with a new kitchen and an electric stove. A company from Gilroy, California Lavash, bakes this bread daily in 4 types – original, wheat, spinach, and a slightly thicker style with olive oil intended to be used as pizza crust.The demo offered it up as a savory roll with feta, tomato hummus, arugula, cucumber, asparagus, and red pepper as well as a breakfast roll with yogurt, berries, and crunchy granola. Sift the salt, baking powder, and sugar into the flour. Use the avocado as a spread on your lavash, about ¾ of the length. Combine the plain flour, dry yeast-water mixture and salt in a deep bowl, mix well and knead into a soft dough without using any water. An epic marriage of two delectable spreads, creating one mouthwatering combination that you’ll want to eat with everything. Vote Now! Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest tips, tricks, recipes and more, sent twice a week. Whether couscous or lavash, she enjoys learning about the meaning of food in community, migration, and memory. Head to the diet generator and enter the number of calories you want. To break bread with someone is to share a common experience, and to experience Armenia you have to witness the baking and enjoy the simple pleasures of lavash. Pull out and set on cooling rack for 2-3 minutes before slicing. Flip a baking sheet over so that the bottom is facing up; coat with cooking spray. This middle eastern delicacy laced with spiced paprika will give your tastebuds a spicy kick. Throw it in the oven, directly on the rack for 8-10 minutes. Josephs Bakery makes a lot of great products like Flatbread, Pita, Gluten Free Wraps, and more. Place the naked lavash directly on the oven rack for 1 minute. Without a tanoor at home, nothing stops us from making lavash or barbari (Turkish pide style of Persian bread) at home. For the sourdough version of lavash that Rima and her friends prepare back in Rind, each batch is produced from a fermented remnant of the previous batch called ttkhmor. Hers was rich, buttery, and flaky.” Doug and his co-author Robyn Kalajian write the blog The Armenian Kitchen, chronicling food and memory through Armenian recipes from around the world. She would bake her lavash in that oven and it was fabulous. By consuming lavash bread that contains high protein then depression can be reduced. The things I do to lavash. You can find these options, but they may contain artificial ingredients, flavorings, and other additives. For example, are you looking for a bread that's strictly low-calorie and low in carbohydrates? (I prefer boysenberry, blueberry or blackberry but anything your heart desires…except marmalade, that probably won’t work well), Fist full of greens (baby salad mix, herb salad, baby spinach, arugula), Olive oil if you’ve got some to be fancy with, Sliced onions, zucchini, tomato, mushrooms. ←December 2020 Booknificent Thursday Link-Up #300. how to eat lavash crackers. Choose classic potato sides or give the dish a fresh twist. Shamelessly, I admit- I love me some carbs and have gotten myself into trouble after being careless about my intake. Add the melted butter and most of the water. It's important to focus on what's most important for you and your health. Using a very sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut lavash into strips, squares, or triangles. Plant a fist full of your leafy greens, salt and pepper. Set oven at 400 oF. 1 avocado. Bake on the lower oven rack for 15 minutes, or until bottom starts to brown. If the dough seems too dry, add some of the remaining water and continue to mix. For further reading on Armenia, check out the "My Armenia" project. The dough immediately sticks to the hot burning wall. Mix in the salt and 1 cup of all-purpose flour. As in many cultures of the Caucasus and Middle East, bread and wheat are important elements of Armenian lifecycle events and festivals. Order online and get it delivered to you doorstep the very next day. Adapted from The Armenian Kitchen by permission of the authors. Rima, Arev, and Gema are part of a centuries-old tradition led by women that has evolved and sustained itself through loss and joy, historical triumphs and tragedies. Reply. Half of one large wrap is plenty to make a yummy wrap sandwich, or 28 crackers. Cut into 12 or 16 pieces. Repeat this process until all balls of dough have been shaped and baked. ... had some Syrian food before but never Iranian. Roll this bundle into a large rectangle a second time (this will create flaky layers). Preheat the oven to 425°F. Worry not as Bread sticks and Lavash is now available online in bigbasket at the best price. The baker plunges her torso and the batat with the rolled dough into the oven, smacking the dough against the hot oven wall. Lavash: Thin and flaky breads. Neighboring villages were isolated by cliffs and gorges, so each developed different ways of baking this seemingly simplest of foods. Families offer bread and salt to their houseguests to welcome them. Once the dough is ready, they roll it thin and lay it across the batat or rabata, a wool- or hay-filled cushion used to stretch the dough and quickly transfer it to the smoldering oven.In many parts of Armenia, the oven is still stoked with bricks of cow dung and straw, which has the added benefit of repelling insects. I myself have been working on the body since the beginning of the year for an upcoming photoshoot. Some serve it with packed potato sticks, but the best are the homemade fries. Reply. They congratulated her that she didn’t need to build the fire anymore, just use the electric oven. Cut lavash bread or flatbread into a total of 24 squares, each about 2 inches by 2 inches, and place on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Puncture the entire surface of the rectangles with the tines of a fork. xo. Advertising Notice We first bought lavash bread when Barry made one of his fabulously spicy jalfrezi dishes (must put that recipe on the blog one day) and we wanted a naan bread substitute. Mix well until dough forms. Breakfast- My version of a quick and simple vegan fruit and cream danish. In a pinch, it doubles as a spoon, a napkin, a plate, or a serving bowl. I chose the Lavash bread because it is larger than the rest, and hi….I need the most crackers. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Olive oil if you’ve got some to be fancy with. Light filters in from an open window over mounds of dough resting in Rima Timbaryan’s kitchen. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Above all, it is a part of Armenian memory, identity, and culture. Your email address will not be published. In case your kitchen didn’t come with a wood-fired oven, you can also produce a passable version of lavash in a standard home oven. Privacy Statement Keep up-to-date on: © 2021 Smithsonian Magazine. Cool completely. Get fresh food news delivered to your inbox. Morning, noon and night! Slice your veggies. Sydney and I eat them everyday!! Use large whole wheat lavash or tortillas; Roast vegetables until golden brown. Terms of Use Lift the dough onto the wheat bran– covered sheet pan and repeat with the second portion. Method. She removes it with an iron rod, then enjoys it hot and fresh or, more commonly, stacks and stores it to be eaten in the next few weeks. Continue Absolutely nothing beats the smell of fresh bread and making lavash is easier than you think. 1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted; 3 cups warm water; 1 egg mixed with a little water for egg wash; Preparation. Quick and easy fish sticks are often served with food that is just as accommodating. Spread the vegan cream of choice over the entire surface but leaving the edges clean or it will get quite messy. 17th Annual Photo Contest Finalists Announced. I used to just eat those sticks of sugar as a kid! Remove from oven. See more ideas about recipes, lavash recipes, food. 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In the United States, preparing and enjoying lavash was one of the most important ways Doug and his family expressed their Armenian identity. For anyone who doesn’t know of this amazing, versatile bread- According to wikipedia, “Lavash is a soft, thin flatbread popular in several countries of the northern parts of the Middle-East and the southern parts of the Caucasus.” You can find the nice traditional ones at Middle Eastern markets for less than 2 bucks a pack or your local Trader Joe’s. Lavash bread is a thin soft unleavened flatbread, traditionally cooked in a tandoor oven. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel for 25 to 30 minutes to allow the dough to rest. Cookie Policy Now, Researchers Found Another, Renewing Hope for the Species, The Last Surviving Widow of a Civil War Veteran Dies at 101, New DNA Analysis Shows Aboriginal Australians Are the World's Oldest Society, Meet Joseph Rainey, the First Black Congressman, The State of American Craft Has Never Been Stronger, 1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, 1 egg mixed with a little water for egg wash. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. 1/3 of your lavash. How to eat Lavash Crackers? Smithsonian Institution. Toss halfway through cooking time to ensure an even roast. Move the tray to the upper oven rack for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the top becomes a golden brown. Mmmhmmm….28. They combine the dough, prep the oven, and prepare their workspace for the day’s work, occasionally breaking into songs like “Im Anoush Mayrig” (“my sweet mother”). This scene takes place in Rind village, Vayots Dzor province, sixty miles south of the Armenian capital, Yerevan. They come together a few times each month to bake the bread, a slow and deliberate process that involves at least two bakers. Want to use it in a meal plan? You can replace the avocado with a hummus of sorts or left over tempeh pâté if that’s what’s available. The lavash immediately begins to bake and bubble, puffing into its final shape. Working with one ball at a time, roll dough into a rectangle shape that will fit on a 16”x12” baking sheet. Choose from a wide variety of bread sticks like masala, jeera, cheese bread sticks and plain ,corn lavash etc. Kindling crackles as it turns to ash in the tonir, and the sounds of women singing drift into the room.. Rima, Arev Yenokyan, and Gema Simonyan have been awake for hours, mixing dough for lavash, the fire-baked flatbread that is a staple of life in Armenia. EverydayMaven says. Can’t wait to try it this way!! Store in an airtight container for two weeks or serve immediately with cheese and fruit. Bake for 20 to 25 … May 25, 2012 at 11:23 am. When fresh, it can be eaten with cheese or … It starts with Josephs Lavash bread. In a large bowl, stir together the water, whole wheat flour, and yeast until moistened. Being that we are at the beginning of 2012 I’m sure there are many of you that have resolved to eat healthier or maybe even lose a few pounds. She was furious. Olive oil if you wish. Wow ok so that pizza looks awesome – I may have to try making it this weekend! or Suddenly the clump of tuna and shreds of lettuce on my plate became something I actually wanted to eat. It is also very common bread type at other Turkic countries such as Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Rebecca Wall is a historian and fellow with the Smithsonian’s Office of International Relations, where she works on international programs including My Armenia. Whatever type … There are varieties that fit the bill, but they may be more costly. Lunch- Fist full of greens wrap. Craving for some good snack? Karen says: In Armenia, the dough is thinly rolled out and slapped against a tonir (underground clay oven) to bake for a few seconds. Wet your hands again and, using the sides of one palm, make three lines within the circle. Gradually mix in the rest of the flour using a mixer with a dough … Lavash cracker can be eaten: • plain as a snack • With a dip • As an appetizer in meat and cheese platter • Topped with cheese spread and few chopped veggies. Required fields are marked *. Lavash is wrapped around khorovats (barbecued meats) and spicy peppers for lunch, filled with salty cheese for a snack, or topped with fresh cheese curds and sweet rosehip jam for breakfast. They had put the old wood stove in storage in the basement, and she went down to that basement every day to bake lavash with the traditional wood-fired stove, because that was the only way to get the same flavors and textures, the real lavash. 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