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One of the coffee hours at Cosmo Club during the spring semester was the Armenian coffee hour organized by the Armenian Association. ArmA team tried to make the evening appetizing and enticing for both the regulars of the coffee hour and the accidental wonderers. One of the world's oldest civilizations, Armenia once included Mount Ararat, which biblical tradition identifies as the mountain that Noah's ark rested on after the flood. It was the first country in the world to officially embrace Christianity as its religion (c. 301). Under Tigran the Great (fl. 95-55 AD) the Armenian empire reached her height and became one of the most powerful in Asia, stretching from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Seas. Over the centuries Armenia was conquered and was further enriched by the assimilation of the elements of various great civilizations that invaded Armenia: Greek, Roman, Persian, Byzantine, Mongol, Arab, Ottoman, and Russian. Armenia’s cuisine is just the reflection of her history. It combines Mediterranean flavors with Persian and Russian accents. It is rich in flavors, scents, and seasonings. There is a Russian proverb, which says, Tell me who is your friend, I will tell you who you are. I want to rephrase it by saying, Tell me the country’s history, I will tell you what her people eat. A typical Armenian dinner may consist of a series of appetizers: salted and roasted almonds, marinated olives, stuffed vine leaves, chickpea dip followed by a soup and there is a good array of them. The main course may be roast lamb, fish, poultry, or vegetable stew with chunks of lamb accompanied by cracked wheat (bulgur), lavash bread, or rice. During the Armenian Cosmo coffee hour we tried to replicate a small portion of a typical Armenian dinner and we hope we were successful in that.
View pictures from the Armenian Coffee Hour at the Cosmopolitan Club.
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