About the dish
Lavash is a paper-thin bread of wheat flour, water and salt, stretched into a large oval sheet and slapped onto the hot walls of a clay oven. It bakes for barely a minute, so it stays soft, blistered and freckled with charred spots. Grilled meat, cheese and herbs are wrapped in it, and it is used to scoop food from the plate. Dried lavash keeps for months – before eating you simply sprinkle it with water and wrap it in a cloth until it softens again. Baking lavash is often a shared task for several women, who divide the work around the oven.
Main ingredients
- wheat flour
- water
- salt
Armenia: In Armenia lavash is baked on the walls of a tonir oven; it was inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2014, and at weddings it is laid on the shoulders of the newlyweds.
Azerbaijan: In Azerbaijan lavaş is baked in a tandir or on a saj griddle; since 2016 it has been part of a shared UNESCO listing for flatbread culture.
Iran: In Iran nan-e lavash is one of the most common everyday breads, eaten at breakfast with cheese and herbs.
More: Wikipedia (en)
