Bread, Grain and the Culture of Everyday Food

Grain as the foundation of the everyday diet

Grain was used in many forms in traditional Armenian cuisine. It was ground into flour, crushed or pounded to make groats, boiled whole and added to soups, porridges and meat dishes.

Wheat flour was used mainly for bread, gata, bagharj and other dough-based foods. Groats were added to pilafs, soups, tolma fillings and various boiled dishes. Barley was especially important in areas where climatic conditions made wheat cultivation difficult. It was used in porridges, soups and sometimes in the preparation of bread and drinks.

From wheat to bread

The journey of bread began in the soil and required sustained collective labour. The land had to be prepared and sown; the crop had to be harvested; the ears had to be threshed; and the grain had to be cleaned, dried and finally milled.

Flour was not identical in every region. Its properties depended on the variety of wheat, the fineness of milling and the work of the mill. Different flours absorbed water, formed dough and baked differently. A baker needed to evaluate the flour and adjust the amount of water, the duration of kneading and the time allowed for the dough to mature.

Lavash as everyday bread and a cultural system

Lavash is the best-known form of bread in Armenian food culture. It is made from a simple dough of wheat flour and water, rolled into a thin sheet and baked against the hot wall of a tonir. Yet its simple ingredients are deceptive. Producing good lavash requires experience, speed, precise movement and group cooperation.

Traditionally, the work was divided among several participants. One prepared and divided the dough, another rolled the portions, another stretched the thin sheet over a special cushion, and the most experienced participant quickly placed it against the tonir wall. Every action had to occur at the right moment. Dough that had dried too much or had been stretched incorrectly could tear, while an unsuitable oven temperature could burn the bread or leave it insufficiently baked.

Drying lavash and moistening it before use changed the household timetable. Making a batch spared the work of firing the tonir for every meal. This helps explain why UNESCO’s 2014 inscription covers the knowledge of preparation and the cultural meaning of the work as well as the bread itself.

Lavash was also multifunctional. It was eaten as bread, used to wrap food, made into brduch and employed to cover or protect certain foods. Cheese, herbs, onions or meat wrapped in lavash could become a quick and filling meal during fieldwork, travel or the herding of animals.

The tonir: architecture, fire and knowledge

The tonir was one of the important working centres of the Armenian household. A traditional tonir was generally a cylindrical or slightly conical clay structure installed in the ground or in a specially prepared space. Its shape helped it retain high temperatures and distribute heat along its walls.

Lighting and managing the tonir was itself a skill. The appropriate fuel had to be selected, the fire organised correctly and the moment recognised when the walls had reached the temperature required for baking. This knowledge was rarely transmitted through writing. It was learned by observing, practising and working beside experienced people.

Matnakash, bagharj and other breads

Although lavash is the most recognisable Armenian bread, Armenian bread culture is not limited to it. Thick, soft, leavened and unleavened breads have been prepared in different regions.

Matnakash is a thick, soft bread with characteristic grooves shaped by the fingers. Its name is also associated with the act of forming the dough by hand. It became especially widespread within urban baking culture.

Bagharj is generally made from unleavened dough or dough that has been allowed to rest only briefly. It could be prepared and baked quickly when there was no time for prolonged fermentation. Its preparation varied from one region to another.

Groats, porridge and boiled grain

Grain was not used only in the form of bread. Boiling whole or broken grain was one of the oldest and most efficient ways of preparing food. It made it possible to create a filling meal from relatively simple ingredients.

Harissa is a well-known dish based on the long cooking of wheat and meat. During preparation, the grain and meat gradually break down and combine into a thick, uniform food. Its significance lies in more than its ingredients. The long cooking process, collective preparation and sharing of the finished dish have connected it with communal gatherings, celebrations and forms of remembrance.

Preserving bread and avoiding waste

Respect for bread was also expressed through the custom of not wasting it. Bread was not discarded while it could still be used. Dry pieces were softened, added to soups or other dishes, toasted or transformed into a new meal.

The custom of picking up a piece of bread that had fallen, cleaning it and sometimes kissing it demonstrates the depth of this respect. Such behaviour developed in periods when food security was never completely guaranteed.

Bread as a sign of hospitality and trust

Offering bread to a guest was among the simplest and most important signs that a home was open. Even when a family could not prepare an elaborate table, bread, cheese, herbs or matzoon could be enough to receive a guest honourably.

Bread also occupied an important place in blessings and rituals. It was associated with abundance, the continuation of the family, successful labour and peace within the home. Bread placed on a wedding or festive table was not only food but also a wish for future prosperity.