A rich, gelatinous soup made from beef feet simmered overnight until the collagen melts into a silky, healing broth. This ancient Armenian ritual dish is consumed at dawn with garlic, lavash, and vodka.
Ingredients
4 beef feet, split and cleaned
2 beef tripe pieces (optional)
Water to cover generously
1 full head of garlic, separated into cloves
Coarse salt
Dried lavash, torn into pieces
White vinegar
Dried oregano
Crushed red pepper
Instructions
1Clean beef feet thoroughly by scrubbing and blanching. Place in a very large pot and cover with cold water by at least 10cm.
2Bring to a boil, skim all foam meticulously. Reduce to the lowest simmer possible.
3Cook uncovered overnight, at least 8-10 hours, until the meat falls off the bones and broth is rich and gelatinous.
4Remove bones, shred any remaining meat, and return it to the broth. The broth should be opaque and slightly viscous.
5Crush raw garlic cloves and place in small bowls as condiments alongside coarse salt, dried lavash, and vinegar.
6Serve steaming hot at dawn. Each person adds crushed garlic, salt, crumbled dried lavash, and vinegar to their bowl to taste.
Did You Know?
Khash has its own unwritten social rules: it must be eaten at dawn, requires vodka or mulberry arak as accompaniment, and no other food should be served alongside it.