Lavash
Paper-thin unleavened flatbread, blistered and scored in the tradition of the hearth.
Step-by-step →Sweet · Ararat valley
ALANI
Ալանի
Sun-dried peaches stuffed with walnuts and sugar — two ingredients, no cooking, and a whole summer inside.
40 min
Total time
Makes 20
Yield
4
Steps
Step by step
HOW IT IS MADE
- 01
Soften the fruit
If the peaches are very dry, steam them briefly or wrap them in a damp cloth for twenty minutes until pliable.
- 02
Make the filling
Grind walnuts to a coarse meal and mix with sugar and spices — no butter, no syrup, nothing wet.
- 03
Stuff each fruit
Press filling into the cavity through the stone hole until the peach is plump and round again.
- 04
Rest before serving
Leave a few hours so the sugar draws moisture from the fruit and the filling holds together. Serve with coffee.
At a glance
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Energy
- ≈ 120 kcal each
- Preparation
- 40 min
- Cooking
- No cooking
- Season
- All year, made after the summer drying
- Occasion
- New Year tables, gifts, coffee with guests
Cook's notes
GET IT RIGHT
- Do not soak the peaches in water — steam or a damp cloth keeps them intact.
- Grind the walnuts coarsely so there is crunch.
- Keep the filling dry: no butter, no syrup.
- Let them rest a few hours before serving so everything holds.
Variations
Apricot alani
The same treatment with dried apricots — smaller and sharper.
With honey
A little honey in the walnuts for a richer, stickier filling.
Questions
ASKED IN THE KITCHEN
Where do I find whole dried peaches?
Armenian, Iranian and Middle Eastern grocers, usually sold pitted whole.
Can I dry my own?
Yes — pit them through a small hole and dry in sun or a low oven for two days.
History & Culture
WHY THIS DISH
Alani depends on a specific technique: peaches are pitted whole through a small opening and dried in the sun with their shape intact, a skill of the Ararat valley orchards.
It is a New Year sweet and a gift sweet, sold in bags at the market beside dried apricots, and one of the few Armenian desserts with no fire involved at any stage.
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