I have recently been staying at my life-long family friends’ house, the Kervandjians, for the week. Both of our mothers had their children around the same times, making all of the children inevitable friends. Taline, my best friend throughout childhood, has finally had a break in her studies and we have been attached at the hip since Sunday night. As a child, I used to hate leaving their beautiful home – it would take pools of tears and whines to get me to get in the car. Their house brings back floods of fond memories, and I love returning whenever I get the chance. As we all grow older, it is harder for us to get together as much with our busy schedules. When we do find the time, though, it seems as though absolutely no time has passed. Ara, or Mr. Kervandjian, always greets me with a bear hug and a kiss on the forehead; Heddy, the Mrs., always strokes my hair and asks me about school. Alex and Shant, the two boys still put me in head locks and joke about my chubby phase. Almost all of my major milestones in life have been accompanied by this family. I am here to talk about one thing in particular that makes visiting their home so special; the cuisine that is served at their home. As a first generation Armenian family, there is no lack in authenticity or flavor. As a family, their meals consist of an Armenian and Persian blend of recipes and include many traditional dishes.
My all-time favorite dish that is made is Nazook, a type of Armenian pastry. Nazook is known for being the most historically recognized food of Armenia and has been made for hundreds of years. Nazook basically consists of a sugar, cardamom, walnut, and butter filling, wrapped in phyllo dough, glazed with a yoghurt sauce. Heddy makes this most often during the winter months, along with her famous Baklava.
My second favorite dish is Chelow kebab, a Persian/Iranian dish, which is just roasted meat served over white or saffron basmati rice. It is a really simple dish, and I have been eating since I was born. You can eat it with any special occasion, and switch the meat as needed. We usually eat grilled tomatoes on the side of these, along with raw cucumbers with a light oil dressing.
A final favorite, Tah-chin with fish (another Persian dish), is a saffron rice cake prepared with yoghurt, egg, saffron and fish in the middle of the cake. When cooked, the outside layer of basmati rice becomes crispy and the inner layers become soft and warm. All together, it is a crunchy, soft, salty, and sweet mixture that I never stop craving (luckily it is made every year for my birthday!).
Overall, the Persian and Armenian food that is cooked in the Kervandjian household is something that I am so happy to have experienced and will always treasure. There are far too many recipes to include in one blog post, but there are three of my favorite dishes that I thought of from the top of my head. I am surprised it took me so long to post about such an integral part of my pallet, but I am sure it will be back again soon.
Pictures of us all together! :
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The Armenian-Persion Experience