In addition to paklava, two of the other most famous Armenian delicacies hold a well-established place on the Armenian Christmas table. They are, Anoushabour (or Christmas Pudding) and Kurabia, a delicate cookie consisting of butter, confectioners’ sugar and flour and often listed in international cookbooks as “Armenian Christmas Cookies.” Anoushabour – which, as its Armenian name ( ‘anoush’ means ‘sweet’ and ‘abour’ is ‘soup’) implies - is almost as much a thick, sweet soup or porridge as it is a pudding - is traditionally served on New Year’s Eve and in the week after, leading up to January 6,th the day Armenians celebrate the Birth of Christ. As the Armenian Orthodox Church still reckons its year by the Julian Calendar, this date (also known as “Old Christmas” in many other parts of the world) has not changed since sometime in the 5th Century, when Armenia became the first nation on earth to embrace Christianity as its state religion.
The dish is, in all probability, even older than the Christian feast day. Made simply of wheat berries, boiled down until their natural starches has been broken down and turned nearly to mush, sugar (a gift from the Tigris and Euphrates valley) and dried fruit, it’s not hard to imagine that it is a product of some of the world’s most ancient cookery.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup wheat berries (skinless, if possible, but not absolutely necessary)
- 1 ½ cups dried fruit: raisins and chopped apricots are the most traditional, but dried cherries, chopped dates and even a bit of candied ginger is wonderful to add.
- 1 ½ quarts of water
- ½ to 1 cup of sugar (to taste)
- 2 Tablespoons of rosewater (optional)
- slivered almonds or pistachio nuts (optional)
Method
- In a deep saucepan, bring the wheat berries and water to a boil.
- Cover and set aside overnight to soak.
- The next day, set the pan back on the stove and slowly cook over a low heat for 1 ½ to 2 hours. If all the liquid absorbs, add more. Keep cooking until the wheat berries are soft and the starches have made the mixture the consistency of a rice pudding or tapioca.
- Add the sugar and the fruit and stir well.
- Return to a low heat and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring well to make sure that it doesn’t burn. Pudding will be very thick.
- At the last minute add the rosewater, if you choose to use it.
- Spoon into a deep bowl, cover and let cool to room temperature.
- Decorate the top with the slivered almonds or pistachio nut and serve in small bowls. This is a very rich and sweet dessert, and a little goes a long way.
- A small dollop of cream may be put on top before serving (not traditional – but very good!)
Serves 6-8 people
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