Ghapama facts for kids
Mini ghapama with butternut squash instead of pumpkin
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| Type | Stew |
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| Place of origin | Armenia |
| Main ingredients | Pumpkin, rice, dried fruits (almonds, apple, cornel, apricot, prunes, raisins) |
Ghapama (Armenian: ղափամա) is a special and tasty Armenian dish. It is made by stuffing a pumpkin with a mix of delicious ingredients. People often prepare Ghapama during the holiday season. It is a warm and comforting meal, perfect for sharing with family and friends.
Contents
What is Ghapama?
Ghapama is a unique dish because the pumpkin itself becomes the cooking pot. First, the inside of a pumpkin is carefully cleaned out. In Armenian, a pumpkin is called դդում (pronounced dtum in Eastern Armenian and ttum in Western Armenian). After cleaning, the pumpkin is filled with a sweet and savory mixture.
Ingredients for Ghapama
The main filling for Ghapama is boiled rice. To this, many different dried fruits are added. These can include chopped almonds, pieces of apple, cornel berries, apricots, plums, dates, prunes, and raisins.
For extra sweetness, people often pour honey over the mixture. A sprinkle of ground cinnamon or sugar is also common. These ingredients create a wonderful flavor combination.
How Ghapama is Made
Once the pumpkin is filled with all the delicious ingredients, it is baked. It stays in the oven until the pumpkin itself becomes very soft. This means the pumpkin flesh is cooked and ready to eat. The baking process also helps all the flavors inside mix together perfectly.
Serving Ghapama
When Ghapama is ready, it is brought to the table as a whole, beautiful pumpkin. Then, it is cut into wedges, much like a cake. Each slice shows off the colorful rice and dried fruit filling. It is a festive and impressive dish to serve.
The Ghapama Song
Ghapama is so loved that there is even a famous Armenian song about it! The song is called Հէյ Ջան Ղափամա (Hey Jan Ghapama). A famous singer named Harout Pamboukjian helped make this song very popular. It shows how important and cherished this dish is in Armenian culture.
