Lavash
Paper-thin unleavened flatbread, blistered and scored in the tradition of the hearth.
Step-by-step →Soup · Syunik
KALAGYOSH
Կալագյոշ
Lentils and dried yogurt whisked into a thick soup and crowned with dark fried onion.
1 h
Total time
Serves 5
Yield
4
Steps
Step by step
HOW IT IS MADE
- 01
Soak the chortan
If using dried yogurt balls, soak them in warm water an hour and mash to a smooth cream.
- 02
Boil the lentils
Cook the lentils in 1.2 litres of water until soft, mashing a few against the side to thicken the soup.
- 03
Add yogurt off the boil
Lower the heat, stir the yogurt in slowly and keep the pot below a simmer so it cannot split.
- 04
Crown with onion
Fry sliced onion until dark and spoon it, with its butter and dried mint, into the centre of each bowl.
At a glance
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Energy
- ≈ 260 kcal per serving
- Preparation
- 1 h soaking chortan
- Cooking
- 40 min
- Season
- Winter
- Occasion
- Everyday supper, fasting days when made with water
Cook's notes
GET IT RIGHT
- Never let it boil after the yogurt goes in.
- Mash some lentils to thicken instead of adding flour.
- Rub the dried mint between your palms to release its oil.
- Fry the onions in butter for the traditional flavour.
Variations
With bulgur
A handful of coarse bulgur makes it a fuller meal.
Fresh matsun version
Use thick yogurt when chortan is unavailable.
Questions
ASKED IN THE KITCHEN
What is chortan?
Yogurt salted and dried into hard balls — an old mountain way of keeping dairy for years.
Why did it split?
Too much heat. Keep it below a simmer and stir steadily.
History & Culture
WHY THIS DISH
Kalagyosh depends on chortan — yogurt salted, dried into hard white balls and kept for years, a technology that let mountain households eat dairy in midwinter.
In Syunik it is still a working supper, thick enough to stand a spoon in, eaten with torn lavash and nothing else on the table.
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