Marco Island Eagle, FL
April 20 2005
Cuisine: An Armenian family tradition
By MARION NICOLAY, Special to the Eagle
April 20, 2005
In the 1890s, during a conflict between Armenia and Turkey, there
occurred a political upheaval so violent that it is referred to in
history books as the Armenian Massacre.
Some prominent families escaped their homes in Constantinople and took
refuge in the Russian Embassy. These people eventually made their way
by ship to Marseille on the coast of France, where some remained –
but the majority were sponsored by the British and American Woman’s
Christian Temperance Union and immigrated to England and America.
Those who came here settled for the most part in Portland, Maine,
aided by the local WCTU. Today there are still about 200 Armenian
families in that area.
The men excelled at running small grocery stores or barber shops,
and many of them later worked at the Portland Pottery, making ceramic
tiles of many kinds.
Occasionally a member of this group would revive some of the ancient
ethnic traditions.
Such a man was John Mezoian, the father of Marco Islander Anthony
(Andy) Mezoian. John opened his own small bakery, which prospered by
offering Old World items unavailable elsewhere.
Andy grew up in Portland, helping with the family business alongside
his brother until college and the Army took him away. He eventually
became an English teacher in south Portland, where he met his Greek
wife, Becky, when she was his student teacher.
As a project in graduate school, Andy compiled a slide presentation of
the cultural group to which he belonged. This work so impressed the
college staff that in 1985 the University of New Hampshire published
a book based on his thesis research and photographs as The Armenian
People of Portland, Maine.
Now retired and spending winters on Marco Island, Andy and Becky
decided three years ago to produce an Armenian cookbook. The result
was Armenian Baking and Cooking, published just a few months ago by
Franklin Printing of Farmington, Maine.
Their inspiration was that nowhere in the available books on the
subject was there a recipe for pagharch, which might qualify as the
Armenian national dish (the recipe appears below).
The book’s photographs are delightful, with easy-to-follow directions –
amazing when you consider that the couple took the pictures at home
with an inexpensive camera. Andy laughs as he points out a picture
for which he stirred a bowl of ingredients with one hand and held
the camera with the other.
The photographs feature colorful, traditional meals and table settings
– in one, the colors of the handsome Armenian flag (bold horizontal
stripes of red, blue and orange) are displayed with napkins.
The couple still travel quite a bit, although Becky has been in real
estate for many years. They collect French Impressionist prints and
Portland glass, a relatively unknown antique line produced in Maine
only from 1860 to 1870, when the factory was destroyed by fire.
One picture caught my eye, and I asked if the Portland goblets
pictured held red wine or were made of ruby glass. The answer was
neither – the glasses were full of shurub, an Armenian beverage made
with cherry juice, sugar and water. It’s interesting to speculate
whether this drink was named for the New England fruit shrubs dating
back to colonial times.
Armenia today produces excellent grapes and manufactures brandy. Andy
says Armenian beer is very popular in the Portland area as well.
The book contains brief historical notes, helpful maps and a glossary
to aid cooks. The retail price is $15.95, and it is available at
Sunshine Booksellers North, 1000 N. Collier Blvd., Marco; and at The
Book Trader, 600 Goodlette-Frank Road N., Naples.
Pagharch
This peasant dish originated in the Kerghi region of Anatolia many
centuries ago. There were 200 villages in the area, occupied by Turks,
Armenians and Kurds, and connected by rough paths and trails.
The people grazed flocks in the mountains, the herds yielding milk
and butter, and they raised wheat, rye and maize. All of these are
basic ingredients of pagharch.
Like Irish stew or Italian spaghetti, no two recipes for this dish
are alike. Andy gives us his father’s family recipe, so old that
nobody knows its origins.
5 pounds flour (16 to 20 cups)
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup cornmeal
1 pound shortening
1 quart water (more if necessary)
1 can evaporated milk
1 quart homogenized milk
1 egg
Mix the dry ingredients and cut in the shortening with a pastry
blender or two knives. Add the liquids slowly and mix thoroughly
for 15 minutes. Use enough liquid to make a springy, not sticky,
dough. A dough hook on the electric mixer helps.
Place the dough on a floured table and use a rolling pin to make a
circle 3 to 4 inches thick. Grease the baking pan well and sprinkle
with the cornmeal, then carefully place the dough in the center of
the pan. Whisk the egg in a cup with a fork and brush all over the
top and sides of the dough.
Bake in a 300-degree oven for 3-1/2 to 4 hours, until the loaf is
very brown with a glossy finish. Cool for six to eight hours. Slice
the top off the loaf and remove the inner part, leaving a half-inch
shell at the sides and bottom. The inner part may appear grainy and
uncooked. Do not be concerned.
Break up these pieces and the crisp top and spin in a food processor
, then stuff back into the shell. Now prepare the following to pour
over the loaf:
4 to 6 cups yogurt mixed with equal amount of water
1 beaten egg
1 to 2 pounds melted butter
8 cloves chopped garlic
Heat the yogurt and water slowly in a large pan, stirring constantly.
Do not overheat! This mixture is called tun. When it’s blended and
resembles cream, remove from the heat and whisk in the egg.
Melt the butter and add the garlic.
Place the loaf shell on a serving platter. Mound up the filling
inside and pour one-third of the tun and butter alternately into the
cavity. Stir the filling again and pour more liquids over it. Do this
several times and use all the liquids if possible.
Make sure you have space around the inside of the shell so that the
liquids do not overflow. The texture of the filling should be like
lumpy cornmeal.
In the old days, the dish was scooped out with fingers as people sat
around the table. Today, you may scoop out the filling to serve on
each plate.
The recipe will serve 25. It often is accompanied by tourshi, pickled
vegetables or pickled cabbage.