Armenian Food, fact, fiction and folklore by Irina Petrosian and David Underwood

I have just finished reading a book on Armenian food written by a couple, whose origins together with the thorough two year research  made on this particularly vast matter may be behind what I personally consider  to be an extremely complete and successful book that goes well beyond the realm of food, spicing it with Armenian legends, rituals, traditions and etiquette that made my delight and certainly any other reader's delight.

The fact that  Irina is of Armenian origin, whilst her co-author and husband is not has, in my opinion, contributed towards this unprecedented tour of Armenian culinary and culture as seen from within and from afar, thus providing numerous anwers to whichever questions any reader or potential traveller to Armenia might have. 

 

 

I don't think I had ever enjoyed embarking on a gastronomy voyage like this one since  having read The Taste of Portugal by Edite Vieira, which in spite of being rather  similar in  its approach to history and folkore focussed  a lot more on recipes.

 

 

I feel that an updated edition could be justified, with maybe more colourful pictures (and I have nothing against black and white photographs), for no other reason than to further entice potential readers to get into the Armenian "soul" and their art of cooking and receiving others.