A festive Armenian dessert soup of hulled wheat simmered with dried apricots, raisins, walnuts, and warm spices, sweetened with honey and rosewater. This Christmas Eve tradition is a sweet, fragrant celebration in a bowl.
Ingredients
1 cup hulled wheat (dzedzadz)
8 cups water
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup blanched almonds
3 tbsp honey or sugar
2 tbsp rosewater
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of clove
Pomegranate seeds for garnish
Cinnamon sticks for garnish
Instructions
1Soak hulled wheat overnight, then drain and rinse. Place in a large pot with 8 cups water.
2Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour until wheat is very tender and begins to burst open.
3Add dried apricots, raisins, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Simmer for 20 more minutes until fruits are plump.
4Remove from heat and stir in rosewater. The consistency should be like a thick porridge.
5Let cool to warm or room temperature. The soup will thicken as it cools.
6Serve in bowls topped with chopped walnuts, almonds, a scattering of pomegranate seeds, and a cinnamon stick.
Did You Know?
Anoushabour literally means "sweet soup" in Armenian, and on Christmas Eve it is believed that eating it brings sweetness and blessing to the coming year.