Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1921-02-04
PARTIAL TO LAMB
Armenians Make Meat Staple Ar.
ticIe of Diet.
Methods Of Preparing It Seem Strange
to Those Accustomed to Western
cooklns-Egoplant a Favor
lite Vegetable.

Lamb appears to be the basic item
Of the Armenian diet If one is to Judge
by the number Of Armenian dishes in
which it plays a part. No less than
% ways Of using this meat are given
in list of typical Armenian dishes
prepared by an expert.
Roast lamb with matzoon sauce and
lamb broiled whole are substantial fea-
lures Of Armenian banquets. Then
there is boiled lamb, lamb roasted in
paper, lamb roasted with tomato,
whole spring lamb roasted, lamb stuff
ed with rice, steamed lamb, lamb broil-
ed, hunter style; lamb grilled on skew
ers, praised lamb with wine sauce,
praised lamb with currie, praised lamb
with tomato sauce, praised lamb with
onions and praised lamb in paper dish
es seasoned with peas.
Kouzou kapama Is an elaborate
lamb dish in which the meat is steam
ed with scalllon and lettuce; kouzou
guvey is lamb roasted in an earthen
pot with rice and tomatoes.
Eggplant is a favorite Armenian
vegetable which is often used with the
lamb to make q delicious dish. Hun
kair beyendi is mashed eggplant and
potted lamb; patijan cheop kebab is
fried lamb and eggplant grilled on
skewers; eggplant stewed in lamb
broth and praised lamb and eggplant
are other savory dishes.
All sorts of vegetables and even
give them that richness which is a
feature Of the national taste in cook
cry. Fresh peas, artichokes, string
beans, celery, leeks, spinach and
ounces are mentioned IN Armenian
culinary lore as being the better for
simmerlng slowly for some time in the
lamb broth. A variation dish is nohud
yahnl, Turkish peas stewed with
onions In lamb broth.
Ouscoumri dolma is an elaborate Ar
menian dish, composed of mackerel
stuffed with onions, pinenuts and cur
rants, fried in olive oil and served cold.
Eggplant stuffed with rice and onions
and cooked in olive oil is also served
cold. Fassoull pulaki is beans stewed
with vegetables and olive oil and serv-
ed cold.
Pinenuts and currants are favorlte
ingredients of stuffing, appearing not
only In the stuffed mackerel but also
with rice as a stuffing for turkey in
a dish called Hindl dolma. Harpoot
keofteh are delicious boiled meat balls
prepared with cracked wheat and stuff
ed with meat, plnenuts and currants.
Stuffed vine leaves, yalanjl dolman
and yaprak sarma are other favorite
dishes. The leaves Of the grapevine
are used for the outer wrappings Of
these vlands. In the yalanji dolman
rice and onions already cooked
through are wrapped in the vine leaves
and the whole again subjected to a
slow simmering process in olive oil.
In the yaprak sarma the rice and meat
are cooked together or, rather, the rice
is cooked in a rich stock and then
wrapped in the vine leaves and sim
mered in oil.
The names Of these Armenian dishes
cannot be translated according to their
sound, for hashiama is not an effort
to orientalize the well-known board
ing house Wand of lamb hash, but
plain boiled lamb, and shish lebab In
stead Of being Turkish form of TINT,
is mild and savory dish of lamb
grilled on skewers.