Gyumri cuisine

Traditional cuisine is one of the important features of Gyumri. Everyday dishes of Gyumri are diverse: different types of porridge, pilafs, soups named after the main ingredient: lentil, bulgur, rice and chortan pilaf, chrov tirit, turnip yaini, korkotapur, tail soup, buttermilk soup, kharlapur, etc.
On holidays, the favorite dishes of Gyumri are Tatar boraki, dolma, satri kyufta, kari kyufta, gazana shashlik, tava kiftasi, chanakh, tavan, kyalla (cow's head dish), etc. The last three were respected food in Alexandropol, especially among artisans. They, as well as gathka, baklava, shakarlokhumi and shanchoraki (cookies) were prepared with a spread. The ritual dishes were: New Year's dolma, kahandi gata (tarehati), pies with different images, festive harissa, trndez hedzakh (cherry), St. Khashil and pies instead of Sargs, Easter pilaf with jizz, St. Khachi kyashkyan, Voznesensky milk soup, matakh, khashlama from fragrant bread, etc. The city food of Gyumri was distinguished by a certain sophistication and an abundance of sweet dishes. Such were raisin sauce, pumpkin, raisins, honey (or sugar) dinner, fried apricot pilaf, jizz-pilaf (with raisins, apricot, black plum zest and a note), omelette from dried white sourdough, omelette from dates, pasty omelette, gaimakh (honey cream). ), khasuta, zurbia. Grape dolma was eaten even with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
In Gyumri, both New Year's and holiday dinners are an obligatory part of the drink. Vodka was the favorite alcoholic drink of Alexandropol residents, which has remained in the everyday life of Gyumri residents to this day, without which they do not sit at the holiday table. Since the middle of the 19th century, beer has become widespread and very soon took a special place in the diet of Alexandropol residents. The city had a large number of taverns, ginettes (mikitans), beer houses and stalls, where artisans and guests who came to the city on various business ate a piece of bread, accompanied by various doses of strong drinks.
Coffee (along with black coffee, in Alexandropol they used a drink made from roasted and ground barley "gaifa") and tea, which they treat guests to, are also widespread in city life. In Alexandropol, men also liked to drink coffee in cafes (gayfakhana) and hamkar clubs (clubs), where they talked about politics, the city, making deals, or, more often, listened to songs from famous bands.