ARMENIAN CUISINE
From Mayrig to Mamig and from Lusin to Batchig to Nour, a wave of the finest restaurants in the Middle East, serving Armenian delicacies, is taking the region by storm and gathering a cult-like following. Even if the cuisine’s true origins remain a subject of debate, what’s beyond a doubt is that the Middle East is in love with Armenian food and the cuisine isn’t so much the traditional dishes of one country, but rather the cooking techniques of an entire diaspora
MODERNIZE THE LOOK
“Be careful not to confuse Middle Eastern Armenian food with that of the Caucasus,” cautioned culinary expert and cookbook author, Anahid Doniguian. “Armenian winters are harsh, so cooks tend to prepare food during the summer and store it to survive the winter. We mostly use fresh seasonal ingredients in the Levant, so it’s quite different.” Doniguian is the concept creator of Lusin, the first Armenian restaurant in Saudi Arabia, which has four branches located across the Kingdom. The Saudi owners first decided to bring the cuisine to the country in 2009, when they realized that tourists were frequenting Armenian restaurants in Lebanon. “Almost the entire menu (95 percent) is Armenian, except for a few dishes which we’ve ‘Armenized’,” she explained. “The food is the same at all of the restaurants because we’re using identical equipment and recipes, serving dishes that are known and loved by all. Most important is that the presentation should complement the flavors.” Doniguian’s aim has been to create a link between the modern world and traditional food by updating and refining the look. “We can cook our basic dishes but make them look more appealing, by adding more ingredients that were not available or accepted before,” she noted. “There are 101 ideas; for instance, vospov keufteh – a vegan appetizer made of red lentils. Instead of using my palms to make the patties, I plate it, using an ice cream scooper and serve with a little bit of parsley and red pepper flakes on top. I don’t want to deviate from the basic recipe, but I want to modernize the look.”
REPRESENT A NATION
Serving much more than simply street food, which is what the cuisine was typically associated with in Lebanon, Aline Kamakian, author and founder of Mayrig and Batchig restaurants, started what has been described by many as an Armenian culinary revolution. Today, she is known for removing the stigma attached to Armenian cuisine and telling the story of a culture through food. “There were many restaurants with Armenian owners, but not serving Armenian food, until Mayrig opened in 2003,” she said. “Mayrig is known as an authentic Armenian restaurant. Dishes might be similar to those of the region, because we share the same land and ingredients, but everyone prepares them differently. Our strength is that we have Syrian, Lebanese, Iranian, Iraqi and the Caucasian Armenian influences all coming together. This is the richness of Armenian food. What I’m trying to do is gather all of these recipes that are authentically ours, despite the large area of influence.” Kamakian emphasizes that authentic doesn’t mean “frozen in time”. “Authentic is when you adapt your reality to the existing circumstances,” she explained. “This is how we update our culture and hold on to it.” Current projects include a Mayrig restaurant in Armenia, as well as a culinary school that will educate a new crop of chefs interested in the cuisine. “We don’t have a trained group of chefs to take over a restaurant because it was our mothers who safeguarded our food traditions,” she commented. “When I opened the restaurant 15 years ago, there were no chefs. The only ones that were familiar with our culture were our moms. This is why I wrote the book - as a tribute to all Armenian mothers who kept the knowledge and relayed it to their daughters. Things are different now; the legacy that we’ve protected has to be passed on. My job is to give it to the next generation in a structured way. Their job is to evolve it.” Kamakian believes that Armenian food is currently riding a wave, with an elevated version of street food set to be the next cycle. “There will be a lot more Batchig-style trattorias in common areas, next to movie theaters, for example, and where there is a lot of footfall. I’ve incorporated the street food element within the restaurant, like the woodfired oven serving ‘beureg’ and ‘lahmadjun’. I’ve upgraded street food.”