Mama Makes It Better

Mama Makes It Better | 04.06.10 | 13:40

Chakhobili: Georgian dish, Armenian style

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

Nvard Manukyan, 46, masterly cuts a whole chicken in preparation for chakhobili.

Traditionally Georigian, chakhobili – combining mostly chicken and onion -- is one of the most popular dishes on Armenian tables.

“The whole secret,” Nvard says, “is in the onion.”

(0) Comments

Mama Makes It Better | 21.05.10 | 12:22

Spring Salad: Tasty, colorful tabule

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

Bulgur grains are being soaked in a bowl. The wooden ladle stirs the bulgur helping the water absorb. The bulgur becomes wet, and little water is left on the bottom of the bowl.

“It is necessary to mix the bulgur properly, so that it absorbs water well. Of course, it is much better to mix the bulgur with hands to feel the wetness properly,” says Hasmik Mkrtchyan, 36.

(1) Comments

Mama Makes It Better | 14.05.10 | 11:06

From Musaler Kitchens: Buttermilk meatball soup

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

There is perfect military tidiness in 36-year-old Hasmik Mkrtchyan’s kitchen – a place for everything, and everything in its place.

Rice, bulgur, matsuni (Armenian natural yogurt) and kufta are in separate transparent bowls. She starts working.

(0) Comments

Mama Makes It Better | 30.04.10 | 14:55

Broad Bean Soup: From Nakhijevan, a dish featuring “white greens”

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

It looks like a red bean, but something like a lentil. Or even like green peas. It has a distinct name, though, to bypass other definitions. The broad bean.

(0) Comments

Mama Makes It Better | 09.04.10 | 14:04

Meat Balls and Regional Differences: Kufta, made Gavar style “with love”

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

Anush Grigoryan says it is possible to have the best recipes in the world and yet not be able to cook tasty dishes.

“The thing is that those housewives, who are good cooks, never cook just for the necessity. It is necessary to cook dishes with love,” says 54-year-old Anush.

(2) Comments

Mama Makes It Better | 02.04.10 | 16:52

Symbolic and Tasty: A lesson in the traditional Armenian Easter feast

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

Easter is the most festive of times for painter and ethnographer Lusik Aguletsi. Each Easter season (celebrated this Sunday) her kitchen becomes a parade of food.

(1) Comments

Mama Makes It Better | 19.03.10 | 16:47

Sorrel Soup: Bringing the taste of the hills home

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

When at the beginning of summer Anahit Harutyunyan goes to gather sorrel in the hills of Geghard, it means that she is preparing for the winter cuisine.

(0) Comments

Mama Makes It Better | 12.03.10 | 17:36

Roll Something Tasty for Fasting: Pasuts tolma

Every time Sveta Sargsyan prepares pasuts tolma she tries to use all the secrets passed to her by her grandmother.

(2) Comments

Mama Makes It Better | 05.03.10 | 12:37

Nakhijevan’s Native Dish: The secret of kyalagosh

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

Sima Badalyan keeps her spices in a special place at her kitchen: the most valuable among them for her is dried ‘maraloty’ (herb which grows only in Nakhijevan and some parts of Vayots Dzor province).

(1) Comments

Mama Makes It Better | 26.02.10 | 13:40

Armenian Halva: Quick, easy, tasty

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

The aroma of roast flour announces that halva (a paste of mainly nuts, sugar and oil) will be ready in a few minutes.

(7) Comments

Mama Makes It Better | 19.02.10 | 13:33

Eat some tail: Bean soup with a twist

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

The smell of bean is spread in 51-year-old Hasmik’s kitchen. While the bean is being cooked, she starts kneading dough in a bowl making something commonly known as “tail soup”. She says it is one of her family’s favorite dishes.

(0) Comments

More articles

Mama Makes It Better

Mama Makes it Better: Summer dolma

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

The smell inside Anahit Harutyunyan’s corridor draws attention and kicks saliva glands into action. Summer dolma is on the stove and all neighbors know that the odor leads to a pot of good eating.

The women in the building accuse Anahit of having a “secret” ingredient that she guards closely.

(3) Comments

Mama Makes It Better

The Most Armenian Dish: Grape leaf dolma

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

Grape leaves are lying on a tray. Yerevan resident, 70-year-old Taguhi Hambardzumyan, takes other leaves out of the water gently and places them near the others.

“We put these canned leaves into boiled water, and as soon as they change their color – become brownish - we immediately take them out of the water,” she says.

(10) Comments

Mama Makes It Better

Cheesy!: Dried lavash, threads of cheese and stewed onion

By Gayane Mkrtchyan

There are special days at the family of Hasmik Hovhannisyan, native of Gyumri, when guests gather to eat panrakhash (‘steamed cheese’).

(1) Comments

Գարնանային աղցան. համեղ, գունեղ թաբուլե

բայց թաբուլեն այսպես չեն պատրաստում. Նախ սոխը կանաչ չպետք է լինի, հետո միայն մաղադանոս պետք է լինի, ու նաեւ ոչ թե տոմատի մածուկ, այլ` թարմ լոլիկ;եւ կարծեմ լիմոն էլ գրված չէր, որը շատ կարեւոր է:մի խոսքով թաբուլե հիշեցնում էր...

Read commented Article

Read all 1 comments

Comments are welcomed and encouraged. However, comments not pertaining to the topic or containing slander or offensive language will be deleted. You have to be registered to be able leave your comment. Sign in or Register now for free.