Meat Pies (Lahm B’ajin)
No one does lahm b’ajin like an Armenian bakery. A good one must be a paper-thin flatbread, topped with a moist and spicy meat mixture.
Bulgur with Cabbage and Chile (Marshousheh)
Marshousheh means “the scattered” and is simply scattered bulgur over cooked cabbage. Easy! This recipe represents the epitome of mountain food: simple, rustic, filling, and easy to prepare.
Thyme Flatbread (Manaiish)
The ultimate breakfast, a manousheh (plural manaiish) is a flatbread, a pizza-like pie, covered with za’atar (thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, and salt) mixed with oil, and baked in the oven, or over a saj, which is a concave steel plaque with fire beneath it, and the flatbread cooks on the top. Its distinctive smell is typical of an early-morning mountain breakfast.
Lentils and Rice (Mujadara)
One thing is sure: Mujadara lentils must be small, round, and dark brown. Those have a deep nutty flavor that will make all the difference for this purist’s dish.