MASTER THE CUISINE
For the founder of the Armenian Federation of Chefs and the only Armenian certified international master chef, TV personality, author and culinary artist, Zarmig Halladjian, believes that Armenian cuisine is far more sophisticated than it used to be, with creative chefs “adding new chapters to traditional cooking”. Eight years ago, Halladjian movedt to Doha from her native Lebanon and set up Mamig, a Lebanese-armenian fine-dining restaurant at Katara Cultural Village. The restaurant serves 3,000 customers a day with a staff of 150. Her worldwide travels, together with her constant efforts to educate, as well as feed diners, have established Halladjian as an ambassador of Armenian cuisine. “The cuisine is focused on fresh vegetables, such as eggplant, onions and tomatoes, and fruit, like peaches, apricots, apples and pomegranate, which is the symbol of Armenia,” she explained. She added that the flavor of the food relies on the freshness and quality of the ingredients used, rather than spices. “Of course, a variety of spices is used, but always in moderation,” she added. “In short, Armenian cuisine is inventive, adaptable, frugal and eminently exquisite.”