A Taste of Morning: Traditional Armenian Breakfast

What is a traditional Armenian breakfast? 

Food always connects cultures, and what better way to explore a country’s culinary traditions than by starting with the most important meal of the day? Armenian breakfasts are both balanced and satisfying, combining lean protein, healthy fats and fresh produce including savoury cheeses, meats, and eggs, washed down with generous amounts of Armenian coffee or tea. Originally designed to sustain farmers, they remain just as energizing for today’s traveler.

 Typical Armenian breakfast ingredients on table 

With a history of grazing cattle in the Armenian highland, it’s no surprise that the traditional Armenian breakfast is constructed around protein-rich dairy. Matzoon, an Armenian take on yogurt, is a staple featured on every breakfast table across the country. It’s often complemented by the presence of other dairy products like cottage cheese, creamy butter and thick sour cream. Eggs are still the main attraction. Add some fresh garden produce, leafy greens, jams and some flat lavash bread and you’ve got the main components of your traditional Armenian breakfast. Mix and match the ingredients to come up with slight variations on the formula to keep things interesting every morning and drink copious amounts of tea or Armenian black coffee.

 5 Classic Armenian breakfast recipes 

 Tomatoes with eggs  

Likely one of the few times your average Armenian would truly get excited by the thought of Armenian breakfast is when “tsvatsegh” is on the menu: essentially scrambled eggs cooked in crushed tomatoes. Armenians go nuts for these eggs and often eat it at all times of the day, using small pieces of lavash flatbread to scoop up tomato sauce mixed with eggs. Topping the plate with crumbled village salty cheese and greens (either dill or chopped chives) and sprinkling salt and pepper can really elevate your traditional Armenian breakfast experience. 

Lavash with cheese and greens 

Designed as “get-up-and-go” meals, traditional Armenian breakfast staples are typically really easy to assemble. No breakfast is easier to assemble than pulling out a fresh sheet of lavash flatbread, laying down a base of salty lori cheese and leafy greens, wrapping it up as part of a complete breakfast.. Add tomatoes for extra colour and texture if you like.

 Matzoon with honey 

Traditional Armenian breakfast has you covered! Matzoon, essentially Armenia’s version of Greek Yogurt, pairs really well with organic Armenian mountain honey, while packing all the protein and the right amount of sweetness. 

 Gata (sweet breakfast pastry)

Cake for breakfast? Well, as part of a complete traditional Armenian breakfast, why not? Unlike most pastries though, this is more of a dry cake with a relatively subtle sweetness profile. It’s delicious. The secret is the filling, known in Armenian as “khoriz”, consisting of butter, sugar and flour. Add a splash of vanilla and you get that signature flaky, buttery texture and slightly crumbly pastry which makes breakfast worth waking up for!

 Jam and seasonal fruits 

Oh! We can’t believe we’re only now getting to talk about fruits and jams! Armenia is pretty fruity. Known for plentiful bounty of everything from apricots to pomegranates, with mulberries (known locally as tut), cherries and everything in between. Naturally, Armenians make jam. Lots and lots of jam. In fact, there’s an entire tradition built around seasonal jam making and jarring, a task which usually requires input from the entire family to gather enough stores before the winter. And good thing they put so much effort into these preserves, because a sweet apricot jam makes all the difference when spread on a breakfast lavash over some fresh butter. 

 What Armenians drink with breakfast 

“Coffee or tea?” That’s really the only appropriate question a host will ask at the start of a traditional Armenian breakfast. Piping hot tea is traditionally consumed with breakfast, offering a balanced pairing with the other flavours, while traditional oriental (or ‘Armenian’ as it's called in Armenia) coffee, brewed in a Jazzve offers a perfect palette cleanser along with the perfect energy boost. 

 Regional and modern twists on Armenian breakfast 

Unsurprisingly, traditional Armenian breakfast varies with the seasons and the regions. Pomegranates are more prominently represented in the South, where they grow naturally, while fresh apricots typically make their appearance in the early months of summer. 

Khobkhob, a dish made from chicken or lamb meat mixed with butter, onion and pomegranate, is quite popular in the southern region of Syunik, while Bureki, which combines lori cheese with phyllo dough squares, are a staple of northern cuisine, served at breakfast tables across the Lori province. 

But we can’t speak about seasonal breakfast without mentioning the most (in)famous of traditional Armenian breakfast dishes: khash. Meaning “boiled”, this warm stew consisting of boiled cow or sheep hooves, seasoned with garlic is much more than what it sounds like. Originally served only in the winter months as a way for villagers to maintain protein intake between growing seasons, khash season has grown to become a time-honoured tradition. Between November and February, friends, family, even entire company staff gather at special taverns at the crack of dawn for an entire matinée of eating boiled hooves with garlic, peppered with generous servings of homemade vodka. According to tradition, if you can still stand straight after such a breakfast, you’re doing it wrong!

Whether you crave something light and fresh or hearty and bold, a traditional Armenian breakfast offers a little bit of everything to start your day right. So next time you find yourself in Armenia dig in, sip slowly, and savour the taste.