Lavash
Paper-thin unleavened flatbread, blistered and scored in the tradition of the hearth.
Step-by-step →Salad · Lori, Shirak
MSHOSH
Մշոշ
Lentils with dried apricots, walnuts and dark fried onion — sweet, sour and savoury in one cold dish.
45 min
Total time
Serves 4
Yield
4
Steps
Step by step
HOW IT IS MADE
- 01
Cook the lentils dry
Simmer the lentils until tender but whole, then drain well — the finished dish should not be wet.
- 02
Soften the apricots
Soak the apricots twenty minutes in hot water, then chop them roughly and keep a spoonful of the soaking water.
- 03
Fry the onions deep
Cook the onions slowly in oil for fifteen minutes until sweet and mahogany. Do not rush this stage.
- 04
Fold together cold
Mix lentils, apricots, onions with their oil and crushed walnuts. Season, cool to room temperature and finish with coriander.
At a glance
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Energy
- ≈ 280 kcal per serving
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 25 min
- Season
- Autumn and winter
- Occasion
- Lent, mezze tables, cold buffets
Cook's notes
GET IT RIGHT
- Drain the lentils properly — wet lentils make it taste flat.
- Fry the onions to real mahogany, not just gold.
- Cut the apricots small so every spoonful gets some.
- Add a squeeze of lemon if your apricots are very sweet.
Variations
With plums
Sour dried plums instead of apricots for a sharper version.
Warm mshosh
Served hot as a side to grilled meat.
Questions
ASKED IN THE KITCHEN
Which lentils?
Green or brown; red ones collapse into purée.
Is it vegan?
Yes, as written.
History & Culture
WHY THIS DISH
Mshosh is Lenten food built from the winter store cupboard: pulses, dried fruit, nuts and oil, with sourness and sweetness standing in for meat.
Every northern village makes it slightly differently — some add plums or barberries — and it is one of the clearest examples of Armenian fasting cooking being generous rather than austere.
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