I’m really enjoying this weekly challenge. I know I’ve done only seven countries so far, but I’ve trying new techniques and some great food. And it’s a good thing I still have a long way to go, because I don’t want to stop anytime soon.

So let’s get started with this week’s journey and a couple of new dishes from Armenia!

Officially known as the Republic of Armenia, Armenia is a state located in Eurasia’s South Caucasus region.

Geographically, Armenia is in a confusing spot. The South Caucasus region, where Armenia lies, sits between the continents of Europe and Asia. But going by the strict geographical demarcations of the world, Europe ends at the Bosporus in Turkey and at the border with Georgia in the Caucasus Mountain range. Based on that, Armenia is geographically part of Asia. 

Politically, Armenia has good relations with almost every nation in the world, regardless of continent, except for its immediate neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Since the collapse of the USSR, political ties between Armenia and Europe have intensified. As it stands, Armenia is a member of several international organizations, such as the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization, the European Broadcasting Union, and others.

Currently, Armenia is a representative parliamentary democratic republic. The Armenian Constitution followed the model of a semi-presidential republic until April 2018.

According to the current Constitution of Armenia, the President is the head of state and holds largely representative functions, while the Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises executive power.

Armenian cuisine is one of those ancient food traditions that brings together flavors from the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East all at once. It’s built around fresh herbs, grilled meats, and hearty grains.

A lot of Armenian cooking involves stuffing, puréeing, or frothing. Lamb, eggplant, and lavash (an iconic flatbread) are widely used. Fresh herbs are a big deal—used frequently in dishes or served on the side—and during winter, dried herbs are used instead.

Wheat is the backbone of the cuisine, showing up in all kinds of forms like bulgur, semolina, whole wheat, and flour. Fruits also play a big role. They’re not just eaten fresh or dried, but also used to add sourness and depth—for example: pomegranate, sour cherries, sumac, plums, and even apricots.

This week, after voting took place, the results came back with two winners: one savory dish and one sweet one.

For the main course, I prepared Manti. These are thumb-sized dumplings stuffed with ground meat, accompanied by a spicy tomato or red pepper sauce. What makes these dumplings special and different is that they’re not boiled, but baked instead.

And for dessert—and actually the first dessert I’m preparing in this challenge—I chose Gata, a sweet, egg-rich bread. The magic of gata lies in its gooey center, a melt-in-your-mouth “custard” made of flour, butter, sugar, and sometimes walnuts, encased in a brioche-like dough. Perfect for tea after a good hearty meal 😌.

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For the manti filling, I decided to go with ground beef, but honestly, any type of ground meat works—even plant-based alternatives—and it can be seasoned to suit your taste. 

As for the gata, it’s a simple recipe, but it takes time because the dough needs a long rest. Different recipes vary, but the general consensus is that it should chill for at least 6 hours at minimum, and up to overnight.

The recipe I followed suggests letting it rest for at least 8 hours, but recommends overnight. So the move here is to prepare the dough the night before, then make the filling and bake the next day. In the directions, this happens at step 6—so watch out for that.

Technically, there are no prerequisites for this recipe—unless you decide to let the gata dough rest overnight.

If that’s the case, then follow gata steps 1 through 6 the night before. In my case, I prepared the dough at 7:30 pm, let it rest overnight, and even part of the next day.

I honestly don’t know what difference it makes letting it rest a couple of hours versus overnight, but if that’s the Armenian way, I’m not questioning it—I’m just doing it.

Well, my manti didn’t exactly look like the pictures on the internet… but my gata did. Either way, both dishes exceeded my expectations in terms of flavor.

Let’s start with the manti.

Looks weren’t exactly their strong point. I expected them to puff up a lot more, and the baking dish I used was too big. On top of that, I thought I’d be making more, but I ended up with way more filling than dough, so I couldn’t make a nice circular pattern or have them all neatly side by side.

But hey—looks aren’t everything. And thankfully so, because they were incredibly delicious and packed with flavor. Since they’re small, I could just keep eating them one after another like a snack. But don’t let their size fool you—because it’s meat and dough, they’re surprisingly filling.

I also expected them to be a bit complicated to prepare, but I was wrong again. They’re actually pretty easy to assemble. And since all the cooking happens in the oven, the most time-consuming part is just filling and folding each piece—which, honestly, doesn’t take that long.

And one more thing: don’t underestimate the sauce. It’s simple, but it really enhances the flavor of the meat and keeps the dish from feeling dry.

This one quickly climbed into the top spots for both me and my girlfriend.

As for the gata, it was also a really nice surprise. Before starting this challenge, I used to make more desserts and bake more than I cooked savory dishes, so I had a general idea of what to expect with dough… but I had never made something with a gooey center.

The process felt new—and honestly a bit weird. I even thought I was doing something wrong because it seemed too easy (😆), and I was preparing for the worst. But the center turned out exactly how it should: gooey and delicious.

What I really liked is that it’s sweet enough to clearly be a dessert, but not overly sugary. I’d describe it as discreetly sweet.

Also, quick tip if you decide to make it: the recipe I followed says to cut the butter into pieces and pinch it down to pea size, but other recipes recommend grating the butter instead—and it works great. If you look at my pictures, you’ll see I went with grated butter. Best move ever 😉

Will I get to a recipe where I don’t learn anything? Maybe. Time will tell. But this is not that one.

One of the biggest things I’m learning during this challenge is how important it is to stay organized—organizing my steps, ingredients, utensils, the kitchen before and after, and in this case, my timing. And honestly, it all comes down to reading the recipe carefully ahead of time… ideally a couple of days in advance.

Why do I say this? I knew the gata dough needed a long chill time, and I had already decided to go with the overnight option. So I was fully prepared to make the dough the day before.

But because I only skimmed the recipe, I completely missed that step 5 requires the dough to rest for about 2 hours before going into the fridge. So instead of being done by 9 pm, I ended up putting the dough in the fridge at 11 pm—tired and just waiting to finish that step.

So yeah… lesson learned. Read and understand the recipe beforehand so I know what I need to do, what I need to buy or prep, and how long everything will take. That way, no surprises.

With another country complete, it’s time to head down under and explore our fifth continent and ninth country: Australia!