Yesterday I arrived in Yerevan, Armenia. This is my first trip to the country and the Caucasus region. After a full day of travel, I promptly took myself out to dinner and ordered a local dish called arishta.
Arishta is a traditional Armenian homestyle pasta. It’s usually served with a yogurt-style gravy, but last night’s version came with a red pesto sauce (making it taste pretty similar to fettuccini).
It was good, but I’ll admit I like the grilled seasonal vegetables I ordered alongside even more.
I’m heading out to lunch with a friend today, so I’ve researched a few more Armenian specialties to sample. I’m especially looking forward to trying ghapama, a pumpkin dish stuffed with rice, butter, honey, dried fruits, and nuts usually served as a dessert.
Food, of course, is one of the best ways to get to know a culture. One of my favorite travel food experiences is a vegetarian cooking class I took in Oaxaca a few years back.
First, the chef took our small group of 10 to visit a local market where he pointed out the fresh produce of the day. The shopkeepers all knew him and offered us samples as we purchased the ingredients for our meal that night.
Next, we returned to his restaurant kitchen and started to prep, and prep, and prep. It was a lot of work (even with all 10 of us) as we made our own tortillas, mole (45 ingredients!), 3 types of salsa, and nopales (prickly pear cactus) salad.
Finally, dinner was served. I wish I had a shot of us all around the patio table enjoying the fare that night… You’ll need to trust me that it was muy delicioso! 🦋
Do you eat local when traveling? Any memorable food experiences? What’s your favorite (foreign-to-you) food you’ve discovered while traveling?
⭐ More Cultural Delights
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Christened “Wander Woman” by National Geographic, Erin Michelson is a professional speaker and author of the Nomad Life™ series of travel books and guides, including the #1-ranked “Explore the World with Nomads.”