Trying ARMENIAN LAVASH for the FIRST TIME + Visiting the Matendaran | Yerevan, Armenia

After arriving in Yerevan, Armenia in the wee hours of the morning, I woke up bright and early to begin my 10-day adventure through the country with Armenia Travel. Come along with me as I try Armenian lavash for the first time and visit the Matendaran Museum in Yerevan!

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I met up with my guide, Gayane from Armenia Travel, and rode through Yerevan. It’s one of the oldest cities in the world at 2,800 years old. The area has been continuously inhabited for 8,000 years!

The Matendaran is a huge museum that houses over 17,000 manuscripts. Inside, I met my museum guide, Nadia. Only 1% of the manuscripts are available to be viewed by the public. I learned that the Armenian alphabet was created in the year 405. The alphabet didn’t have numbers until the 16th century. They used letters as numbers.

There were several ancient, beautiful manuscripts, including some made of parchment. There was even a petrified manuscript, as well as the largest and smallest manuscripts in the country.

I also saw the first printed Armenian book from 1512 and the first printed Bible from 1666. They started coloring the manuscripts around the 8th centuries and the dyes were made from all kinds of materials!

I also saw an impressive ivory book from the 6th century. There are only 3 of them in the world. There was also a book with gold and silver binding, a manuscript of criminal law, a huge silver Bible, and more! You can also see restored manuscripts.

You can see how they made the dyes for the books in another hall. Most of the silver books were New Testaments.

Then, it was time to eat lunch at Restaurant Lavash, which focuses on traditional Armenian cuisine. Lavash is an Armenian flatbread. I loved the setting. Next to our table, I could watch the women in the kitchen make the bread and bake it in a tandoor.

I started with some delicious homemade pomegranate wine. I’d never had it before. It was the house wine and was so good! I was in love with it!

Then, I had some lavash, puri (Georgian bread), walnut paste, and Greek salad with walnuts, olives, and tomatoes. Then, there was also an Asian salad. The Greek salad had some delicious, string-cheese-style feta cheese and I loved the crunch from the walnuts.

The walnut paste was almost like a walnut hummus and came with cucumbers and tomatoes. You eat it with the puri. It was full of walnut flavor that comes out later and had a nice texture mixed with the oil. I loved the super thin lavash with the walnut paste. It was thin like a crepe and is actually a UNESCO dish!

The Asian salad had eggplant, carrots, tomatoes, herbs, bacon, mushrooms, and a nice glaze. The salad was so refreshing and crunchy! The combination gave it a nice Caspian vibe!

Next, I tried kufta, a beef and tomato dish that almost looks like eggs. It’s fresh, buttery ground beef with an egg-like taste. After that was Armenian a grainy porridge with nice mushrooms. Next was pumpkin stuffed with beef, beans, and vegetables. The beef was like a beef stew while the pumpkin was a little hard and dense. It was super unique!

I followed that with a delicious, semi-sweet red wine made from pomegranate. I could feel the alcohol in it!

For dessert, I had gata, which was part of the biggest gata in the world! There was also a huge, layered Armenian dessert called milfoy.

The gata is stuffed with dried fruit and has lots of layers of dough. The top is crunchy, while the inside is very creamy. It’s a delicious, layered cake that reminded me of Greek baked dishes.

I hope you enjoyed visiting the Matendaran and trying Armenian lavash for the first time with me in Yerevan! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss any of my upcoming travel/food adventures!

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About Me:

My name is David Hoffmann. For the last decade, I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food, and history! Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,100 destinations in 76 countries, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube channel, travel blog, and social media sites.

I focus a great deal on food and historical sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning about the local history and culture.

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