The Cuisine of Armenia

I'd like to respond to the one star reviews that almost deterred me from purchasing this book. I'm glad they didn't. It is a most excellent recipe book with a wealth of information on a difficult topic. The Armenians live in many host countries over a wide cultural range. Still, if we respect the opinions of Copeland Marks, he groups recipes of Holy Land Atmenians together with Armenians living in Calcutta. You cannot tell me that the same lamb recipe will taste exactly the same on two or three continents. So not being Armenian, with a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother from the homeland, I will blindly embrace Sonia Uvezian's authenticity as being representative of Aenian culture.In the weeks I have read this book, i find the recipes a unique and interesting expression of Caucassian cuisine. Similar in form to many food styles of Southern Russian and Turkey, these recipes however are individual and consistent in their use of flavorings; e.g. Lemons or lemon juice in many of the salads. I find it hard to believe that a good cook would produce boring and tasteless dishes following these recipes, although I have experienced home cooks that could turn most anything into a disaster.I particularly enjoy the incredible range and diversity of the recipes in this book. Sonia Uvezian's points frequently at which recipes or eating habits are uniquely Caucassian Armenian. Understandly, an Armenian who grew up in Greece might not be familiar with "Keyma", as these are typically Lebonese, but I see nothing inauthentic on citing recipes that have been integrated into a regional cultural repertoire. We are all free to enjoy foreign delights! We would not be exploring diversified ethnic cookbooks otherwise. In short, this is a marvelous cookbook with tremendous range and depth. I am delighted to have it.

I am very satisfied with this process. The information regarding "Harry's" health was very helpful. Harry is an American Pit bull Terrier Mix with some American Staffordshire Terrier, and just a touch of American Bulldog. When I first saw Harry from the Trenton NJ Animal Control who was being fostered with a wonderful woman from Trenton, the Pit Bull Mix was obvious. I thought originally that Harry was also part Bulldog because of his cute muzzle but he was so skinny I missed the Staffordshire part. Because Harry has very thick legs and huge feet I was afraid he might be part Bull Mastive and weigh about 180lbs when he finished growing. Fortunately, it looks like the thick legs and huge feet are just part of his American Staffordshire Terrier ancestry. Harry is no longer skin and bones, but you can now see his body type, legs and feet are definitely American Staffordshire Terrier. Harry is a great big love bug just like my other American Pit Bull Mix and my 100% American Red Nose Pit Bull (named Rose). Harry is currently trying to climb into my lap all 70+ pounds of mushy love.

I beg to differ that the author does not understand the cooking. Quite the contrary. I purchased this book in the early 1970s and it has been my bible since. I have looked at many. It contains truly authentic recipies producing the kind of food my mother and her generation used to create with no fancy equipment, just a plain, gas stove. I have also eaten Armenian food on different continents by extraordinary cooks. This book encapsulates all. The recipies are all correctly identified with their names in Eastern and/or Western Armenian. I never cease to enjoy reading through the recipies and the author's comments but the recipies produce outstanding results. It helps that there are no blank spots too. The fact that is has no photographs was a drawing feature for me. It is written in good, clear English. Very easy to follow. I was disappointed it had gone out of print but am pleased that it is now available again. It is the only Armenian cookbook I offer as gifts to special people who are interesed in actually preparing Armenian food, especially in Europe.

Thank goodness for Sonia. Some useful recipes, easy to make and nicely illustrated. Well done. A good start for an adventurous cook.

purchased for an Armenian whose hobby is cooking; she loves it

Love it, informative

Great, used often: with favorites and new recipes. It is already. Kitchen worn!

Best book on Armenian cuisine.

A wonderful cookbook of my childhood favorited

I bought this book after eating in a tiny Armenian cafe in Jerusalem. The recipes in this book are wonderful!

It would have been nice to have some photos in this cook book.

I bought this book "blind" (without seeing it first) after travelling through Armenia and Georgia recently. It is very good, but not perfect. The book has a useful introduction, as do the individual sections. The recipes are authentic and clearly presented, though with no photographs or illustrations. What is missing, among other things, is the "logic" of Armenian cooking. By this I mean the grouping and presentation of items of food and a description of menu construction. I would accept that this is covered to some extent in the book, but having seen the way food is set out in a family setting or as a group meal in Armenia, this is really lacking in the book. Photos would help. Also, the recipe titles are very descriptive, but the Armenian name for each dish is missing. Armenian wines are very different those of other countries - why has the author not given an account of Armenian wines? The sources of ingredients is limited to the American continent - could this not be expanded for other countries? A very important characteristic of Armenian meals is the use of walnuts and pomegranates. Attention to / discussion of could be made of this fact. Maybe the next revision of the book could take these constructive comments on board?

yes is good book in good condition and is easy to follow.