Paklava, Ponchik to Tahini Bread: Armenian special sweets that are indulgent

Armenian cuisine has Turkish, Persian and Mediterranean influences, a result of centuries of cultural influences in the country. From sticky desserts like baklava to hearty rice puddings, Armenia has a wide range of desserts from the simple ones that barely take much to make to the more elaborate ones, that are painstakingly made and are time-consuming. Beyond the country, you will find Armenian influences in different parts of the world where the immigrants had fled to, during the Ottoman Rule, around the time World War I was raging. Here are their cherished special sweets that range from sweet porridges, cookies, sugary pastries and cakes.

1. Anoushabour

A special dessert prepared on Christmas and New Year's Eve, this dessert is a kind of sweet porridge made with whole wheat (without skin) that sometimes is cooked with fruits and spices until it thickens. Once the Christmas pudding is cooked, it's garnished with nuts and pomegranate seeds. The dish has been a staple for many centuries in Armenian cuisine and is also known as Noah's Pudding.

2. Gatnabour

A rice pudding, this dessert is hearty and the ultimate comfort dish. Rice is cooked in water and once it softens, warm milk is added to rice along with spices, a little salt, sugar and rose water. The pudding is cooked on low heat to diffuse the flavors into the pudding and this allows the dessert to thicken. A dusting of cinnamon powder is the only garnish that is added before serving in individual bowls. Like kheer, this tastes good both hot off the stove and chilled.

3. Shakarshee

A local cookie, Shakarshee is made with flour, egg yolks, icing sugar, walnuts and butter. The walnuts are pressed to the surface of the buttery cookies. The cookies are traditionally prepared during the Christmas holiday season and the walnut halves give the sugary cookies a delightful crunch not to mention a delicious aroma. The locals like to eat Shakarshee with cardamom tea or strong coffee.

4. Ponchik

This is perhaps a truly Armenian dessert that is fried dough that comes with fillings from custards, chocolate to jams. This dessert is said to have originated in the Middle Ages, when this pastry would be prepared for special occasions, back then the fillings were absent. It gained popularity during the Soviet era filling the shelves of local bakeries and cafes. It's enjoyed with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

5. Paklava

Armenia calls their Baklava, Paklava, which is similar to Greek baklava but not entirely; the Greeks use honey in their baklava while the Armenians use powdered sugar. The sugar is said to help disperse the spices in the dessert, which is made with phyllo pastry, that is shredded and buttery and chopped nuts. The filling is made with chopped walnuts that are transformed into an irresistible filling with cinnamon and sugar mixed with it. Just like the countries with baklava as their specialty, Armenia’s Paklava too is doused in sugar syrup.

6. Gata

Gata is a local coffee cake that is dense and doesn't puff up like the regular leavened cakes. It's flat and made from a dough consisting of flour, eggs, yeast, sugar and butter. The dough is filled (called khoreez) with butter, sugar, spices and chopped walnuts with a criss-cross pattern or braid, on top of the dough. The cake is baked till it's golden with the etched pattern turning brown on top. It is said to be almost like a croissant and has hints of vanilla.

7. Bourma

This is a kind of rolled baklava that is said to be way easier to prepare than the tedious baklava. The Armenian Bourma typically has a filling of walnut paste with sugar and cinnamon in it, that is put inside sheets of rolled, buttery phyllo dough that is given a ruched appearance with a dowel, a skewer that is used to roll the phyllo dough into its trademark shape with the walnut filling trapped in between the rolls. The Bourma, like baklava, is coated in sugar syrup once baked. Armenians typically use lemon, and clove syrup in their sugar syrup.

8. Tahinov Hatz

You have heard of tahini in hummus and shawarma but in desserts? Armenia has a sweet delicacy called Tahini bread, roll or Khobz bi-tahini. Tahini is made with white sesame and this dessert uses toasted sesame seeds paste with honeyed cinnamon layers. It's made with bread rolls or bread slices made with tahini and doused in honey, with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, that gives the dessert the impeccable taste of honey and the nuttiness of the sesame.