View source for Lavash

{{Short description|Baked thin flatbread common in many areas}}
{{About|the flatbread|the Caribbean island|Lavash Island}}
{{Redirect|Lavaş|the cheese|Lavaş cheese|other uses|Lavas (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Lavash
| image = Lavash, Temple Fortune, London (4444275978).jpg
| type = Flatbread
| place_of_origin = [[Armenia]]<ref name="Lavash" /><ref>Lavash is another popular flat cracker bread with ancient roots in Armenia.</ref><ref name="Albala">{{cite book|editor=Albala, Ken|title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia, Volume 1|publisher=[[Greenwood Press]] |location=[[Santa Barbara, California]]|isbn=9780313376269|page=5|quote=...on ''lavash'', a traditional flatbread of Armenia similar to tortilla...}}</ref><ref name="Goldstein 1999 https://archive.org/details/tasteofrussia00darr/page/185 185">{{cite book|last=Goldstein|first=Darra|title=A Taste of Russia: A Cookbook of Russian Hospitality|year=1999|publisher=Russian Life Books|location=Montpelier, VT|isbn=9781880100424|page=[https://archive.org/details/tasteofrussia00darr/page/185 185]|edition=2nd|quote=Armenian Flat Bread Lavash: Lavash has been baked for centuries in Armenia.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/tasteofrussia00darr/page/185}}</ref><ref name="Khanam">{{cite book|last= Khanam|first=R.|title= Encycl. Ethnography Of Middle-East And Central Asia (3 Vols. Set)|year= 2005|publisher= Global Vision|location=New Delhi|isbn= 9788182200623|page= 55|edition= 1st|quote= The t'onir is a round hole dug in the ground, which can be used for baking Armenian flat bread (lavash) and for heating the home in winter.}}</ref>  / [[Iran]]<ref name="Karizaki 8–14">{{Cite journal|last=Karizaki|first=Vahid Mohammadpour|date=2017-03-01|title=Ethnic and traditional Iranian breads: different types, and historical and cultural aspects|journal=Journal of Ethnic Foods|volume=4|issue=1|pages=8–14|doi=10.1016/j.jef.2017.01.002|issn=2352-6181|quote=The origin of lavash is most probably from Iran, according to the state of the encyclopedia of Jewish food.|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=marks>{{cite book |last=Marks |first=Gil|author-link=Gil Marks |date=2010 |title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&pg=PT151 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] |page=355 |isbn=978-0470391303}}</ref><ref name="Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony">{{cite book|last1=Reinhart|first1=Peter|title=The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread|date=2011|publisher=Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony|isbn=978-1607741299|page=178|quote="Lavash, though usually called Armenian flatbread, also has Iranian roots (...)"}}</ref>
| region = [[West Asia]]
| served = Hot or cold 
}}
{{Infobox intangible heritage
| ICH         = Lavash, the preparation, meaning and appearance of traditional bread as an expression of culture in Armenia
| State Party = Armenia
| ID          = 00985
| Region      = ENA
| Year        = 2014
| Session     = 9th
| List        = Representative
}}
{{Infobox intangible heritage
| ICH         = Flatbread making and sharing culture: Lavash, Katyrma, Jupka, Yufka
| Countries  = [[Azerbaijan]], [[Iran]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], and [[Turkey]]
| ID          = 01181
| Year        = 2016
| Session     = 11th
| List        = Representative
}}

'''Lavash''' ({{langx|hy|լավաշ}}; {{Langx|fa|نان لواش}}) is a thin [[flatbread]]<ref>{{cite book|last1= Kipfer| first1= Barbara Ann|author-link1= Barbara Ann Kipfer|title= The Culinarian: A Kitchen Desk Reference|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7xUafQwz2tkC| publisher= Houghton Mifflin Harcourt| publication-date= 2012|page= 334|isbn= 9780544186033|access-date= 2015-06-01|quote= LAVASH, LAVOSH, LAHVOSH, LAWAASH, or LAWASHA, also called ARMENIAN CRACKER BREAD, CRACKER BREAD, or PARAKI, is a round, thin Middle Eastern bread that is soft like a tortilla or hard like a cracker.|date=2012-04-11}}</ref> usually [[leavened]], traditionally baked in a [[tandoor]] (''tonir'' or ''tanoor'') or on a ''[[sajj]]'', and common to the cuisines of [[South Caucasus]], [[West Asia]], and the areas surrounding the [[Caspian Sea]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Alan Davidson|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RL6LAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA459|date= 1999|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn= 978-0192806819 |page=456 |quote=Lavash a thin crisp bread usually made with wheat flour made in a variety of shapes all over the regions of the South Caucasus, Iran (where it is often so thin as to be like tissue and can be almost seen through), and Afghanistan. It is leavened and baked in a tandoor. Lavash is served with kebabs and is used to scoop up food or wrap round food before being eaten. Its origins are ancient and it is also known as lavaş depending on the region. As in the other countries of this region large batches of this bread are made and stored for long periods. In Turkey they are stored on a board suspended by all four corners from the ceiling. The bread becomes dry and is restored by sprinkling with water and reheated as and when needed. Yufka is also a name for [[filo]] pastry.}}</ref><ref name="Marks 2010 - Lavash">{{Cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food |author=Gil Marks |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |year=2010 |page=355}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Morgan|first1=Diane|title=Skinny Dips|date=2010|publisher=Chronicle Books|isbn=978-1452100241|page=14|quote=Lavash, lavosh, or lahvosh is a gigantic, paper-thin, blistery, tortilla-like flatbread common throughout Armenia, Turkey, and Iran.}}</ref> Lavash is one of the most widespread types of bread in [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Iran]], and [[Turkey]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/tastes-memory-lavash-and-armenian-identity-180958673/|title=Tastes of Memory: How to Bake an Authentic Armenian Lavash|work=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]}}</ref> The traditional recipe can be adapted to the modern kitchen by using a [[griddle]] or [[wok]] instead of the ''tonir''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.saveur.com/story/recipes/lavash/|title=Lavash|date=February 26, 2020}}</ref>

In 2014, "Lavash, the preparation, meaning and appearance of traditional bread as an expression of culture in Armenia"<!--Note that the exact quote of the inscription is at the bottom of the cited page; the text of the nomination at the top is different and not what was inscribed--> was inscribed in the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]].<ref name=unesco>{{cite web|title=Lavash, the preparation, meaning and appearance of traditional bread as an expression of culture in Armenia, ''Inscribed in 2014 (9.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity''. Country(ies): Armenia|url= http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/decisions/9.COM/10.3|website=unesco.org|access-date=16 March 2016|archive-date=March 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317141436/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/decisions/9.COM/10.3}}</ref> In 2016, the making and sharing of flatbread (lavash, katyrma, jupka or [[saj bread|yufka]]) in communities of Azerbaijan, Iran, [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], and Turkey was inscribed on the list as well.<ref name=unesco2>{{cite web|title=Flatbread making and sharing culture: Lavash, Katyrma, Jupka, Yufka|url= http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/flatbread-making-and-sharing-culture-lavash-katyrma-jupka-yufka-01181|website=unesco.org|access-date=1 December 2016|archive-date=1 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201212008/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/flatbread-making-and-sharing-culture-lavash-katyrma-jupka-yufka-01181}}</ref> Lavash is similar to ''yufka'', but in [[Turkish cuisine]] lavash (''lavaş'') is prepared with a yeast dough while ''yufka'' is typically unleavened.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/portal/inceekmekyapmavepaylasmakulturu|title=İNCE EKMEK YAPMA VE PAYLAŞMA KÜLTÜRÜ|website=Kültür Portalı}}</ref>

==Etymology==
[[Hrach Martirosyan]] tentatively connects [[Armenian language|Armenian]] {{wikt-lang|hy|լավաշ|lavash}} with dialectal {{lang|hy|լափ}} {{lang|hy-Latn|lapʿ}}, {{lang|hy|լուփ}} {{lang|hy-Latn|lupʿ}}, {{lang|hy|լովազ}} {{lang|hy-Latn|lovaz}} 'palm, flat of the hand', {{lang|hy|լափուկ}} {{lang|hy-Latn|lapʿuk}}, {{lang|hy|լեփուկ}} {{lang|hy-Latn|lepʿuk}} 'flat, polished stone for playing', {{lang|hy|լավազ}} {{lang|hy-Latn|lavaz}} 'very thin' and assumes derivation from [[Proto-Armenian]] {{lang|xcl|*law}} 'flat'. He remarks that semantically this is conceivable since this bread is specifically flat and thin.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Martirosyan |first1=Hrach |title=Etymological dictionary of the Armenian inherited lexicon |date=2011 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004173378 |page=305 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=340lAQAAMAAJ}}</ref>

[[Sevan Nişanyan]] connects the Persian word for lavash to the [[Aramaic]] {{lang|arc|לושׁ}} {{lang|arc-Latn|lwš}} root meaning 'to knead' and recorded ''al-Faraj ba'd ash-Shiddah'' from 1451 as the oldest text to use the term in Turkish.<ref>{{Cite web |title=lavaş |url=https://nisanyansozluk.com/?k=lava%C5%9F |website=Nişanyan Sözlük |access-date=2020-05-24}}</ref> Compare especially to [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic]] {{lang|aii|ܠܵܘܵܫܵܐ}} ''lawasha,'' a flap of thin bread.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Search Entry |url=http://assyrianlanguages.org/sureth/dosearch.php?searchkey=24092&language=id |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=assyrianlanguages.org}}</ref>

==History==
Gil Marks traces the history of lavash to the early innovation of cooking thin flatbreads on terracotta griddles. The earliest forms of bread were cooked as cakes either on heated rocks or in embers, but when griddles started to be used breads had to be made thinner to fully cook through without burning like the bread ''rakik'' described in the [[Bible]]. With the innovation of early ovens, thicker loaves became possible.<ref name="Marks 2010 - Lavash"/>

According to ''[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]]'' lavash is "a thin unleavened flatbread of Armenian origin".<ref name="Lavash">{{cite web |title=Lavash |website=The American Heritage Dictionary |url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=lavash&submit.x=0&submit.y=0}}</ref> In 2014, Lavash was described by the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]] as "an expression of Armenian culture". This decision led to protests in [[Azerbaijan]], [[Iran]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], and [[Kazakhstan]] over claims that the food was "regional", not "Armenian".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lomsadze|first1=Giorgi|title=Armenia, Azerbaijan at Loggerheads Over Lavash|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/71171|access-date=December 10, 2016|work=EurasiaNet|date=December 3, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=McKernan|first1=Bethan|title=A 'pizza war' has broken out between Turkey and Armenia|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/pizza-war-breaks-out-between-turkey-and-armenia-a7383471.html|access-date=10 December 2016|work=The Independent|date=27 October 2016}}</ref>

The origin of lavash is often attributed to [[Armenia]],<ref name="Sergio O. Serna-Saldivar 2012 217">{{cite book|author=Sergio O. Serna-Saldivar|title=Cereal Grains: Laboratory Reference and Procedures Manual.|publisher=CRC Press|year=2012|isbn=9781439855652|page=217|quote=Lavash is another popular flat cracker bread with ancient roots in Armenia.}}</ref><ref name="Albala">{{cite book|editor=Albala, Ken|title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia, Volume 1|publisher=[[Greenwood Press]] |location=[[Santa Barbara, California]]|isbn=9780313376269|page=5|quote=...on ''lavash'', a traditional flatbread of Armenia similar to tortilla...}}</ref><ref name="Goldstein 1999 https://archive.org/details/tasteofrussia00darr/page/185 185">{{cite book|last=Goldstein|first=Darra|title=A Taste of Russia: A Cookbook of Russian Hospitality|year=1999|publisher=Russian Life Books|location=Montpelier, VT|isbn=9781880100424|page=[https://archive.org/details/tasteofrussia00darr/page/185 185]|edition=2nd|quote=Armenian Flat Bread Lavash: Lavash has been baked for centuries in Armenia.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/tasteofrussia00darr/page/185}}</ref><ref name="Khanam">{{cite book|last= Khanam|first=R.|title= Encycl. Ethnography Of Middle-East And Central Asia (3 Vols. Set)|year= 2005|publisher= Global Vision|location=New Delhi|isbn= 9788182200623|page= 55|edition= 1st|quote= The t'onir is a round hole dug in the ground, which can be used for baking Armenian flat bread (lavash) and for heating the home in winter.}}</ref> or [[Iran]].<ref name="Karizaki 8–14">{{Cite journal|last=Karizaki|first=Vahid Mohammadpour|date=2017-03-01|title=Ethnic and traditional Iranian breads: different types, and historical and cultural aspects|journal=Journal of Ethnic Foods|volume=4|issue=1|pages=8–14|doi=10.1016/j.jef.2017.01.002|issn=2352-6181|quote=The origin of lavash is most probably from Iran, according to the state of the encyclopedia of Jewish food.|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=marks>{{cite book |last=Marks |first=Gil|author-link=Gil Marks |date=2010 |title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&pg=PT151 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] |page=355 |isbn=978-0470391303}}</ref><ref name="Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony">{{cite book|last1=Reinhart|first1=Peter|title=The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread|date=2011|publisher=Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony|isbn=978-1607741299|page=178|quote="Lavash, though usually called Armenian flatbread, also has Iranian roots (...)"}}</ref> Food historian [[Gil Marks]] identifies the origin more generally as the Middle East.<ref name="Marks 2010 - Lavash"/>

==Preparation==
Lavash is made with [[flour]], [[water]], [[yeast]], [[sugar]] and [[salt]]. It can also be made in an unleavened version by omitting sugar and yeast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/lezizz/mayasiz-lavas-ekmek-tarifi-41496160|title=Mayasız lavaş ekmek tarifi|website=www.hurriyet.com.tr|date=16 April 2020}}</ref> Toasted [[sesame seed]]s and/or [[poppy seed]]s are sometimes sprinkled on before baking. Traditionally the dough is rolled out flat and slapped against the hot walls of a [[tandoor|clay oven]], but modern recipes may adapt for cooking on a wok or ''tava''.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

<gallery mode=packed heights="150px" style="text-align:left">
Making of lavash.ogv|Two women making lavash in a small restaurant in [[Yerevan]], Armenia
Fabrication du lavash à Noravank (1).jpg|Lavash making in Armenia
Azərbaycan Lavaşı.jpg|Lavash making in [[Lahıc, Ismailli]], Azerbaijan
</gallery>

==Usage==
While quite flexible when fresh, lavash dries out quickly and becomes brittle and hard. The soft form is easier to use when making wrap sandwiches.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

In Armenian villages, dried lavash is stacked high in layers to be used later, and when the time comes to rehydrate the bread, it is sprinkled with water to make it softer again. The dried bread is broken up into {{lang|hy-Latn|[[khash (dish)|khash]]}} ({{lang|hy|խաշ}}), while fresh lavash is used to wrap the [[Armenian cuisine|Armenian]] specialty dish {{lang|hy-Latn|[[khorovats]]}} ({{lang|hy|խորոված}}) and to make other wraps with herbs and cheese.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

In Iran, Turkey and some Middle Eastern countries lavash is used with [[kebab]]s to make {{lang|tr|[[dürüm]]}} wraps like {{lang|tr|[[tantuni]]}}. In its dry form, leftover lavash is used in Iran to make quick meals after being rehydrated with water, butter, or cheese.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

In [[Turkish cuisine]] {{lang|tr|lavaş}} can be used also for sweet dishes and served alongside some traditional [[List of Turkish desserts|Turkish dessert]] dishes like {{lang|tr|[[kaysefe]]}}, {{lang|tr|[[hasude]]}}, {{lang|tr|[[pestil]] kavurması}} ('braised fruit leather'), {{lang|tr|[[ağuz]]}} and {{lang|tr|[[halva#Grain-based halva|helva]]}}.<ref>{{cite book|title=Her Yönü ile Ani |date=2019 |publisher=TTOK}}</ref>

In Kashmiri cuisine, lavas is traditionally used with the morning tea, also known as [[Noon chai|Noon Chai]] or [[Noon chai|Sheer Chai]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=From Lavasa to Sheermal: Journey Through Kashmir's Bread Culture |url=https://www.slurrp.com/article/from-lavasa-to-sheermal-journey-through-kashmirs-bread-culture-1681137291276 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Slurrp |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Gull |first=Murtaza |date=2019-01-12 |title=Into The Heart of Kashmir Culture- Kashmiri Bakery |url=https://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/into-the-heart-of-kashmir-culture-kashmiri-bakery/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=The Kashmiriyat |language=en-US}}</ref>

In modern recipes lavash can be used like [[pizza dough]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014102-lavash-pizza-with-tomatoes-mozzarella-and-goat-cheese |title=Lavash Pizza With Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Goat Cheese |first=Martha Rose |last=Shulman |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2010-10-26}}</ref>

==Traditions and customs==
In Armenia, it is traditional for the mother of the groom to feed the newly wed couple lavash and honey as a wish of good fortune, fertility and sweetness for the couple.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} Dried lavash can be stored over a long time period (almost one year) and is used instead of leavened bread{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} in [[Eucharist]] traditions by the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]].{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

In [[Sabirabad District]] of [[Azerbaijan]] after a [[Wedding tradition in Azerbaijan|wedding]] when the bride comes into her new house, her mother-in-law puts lavash on her shoulder and says: "Let you come to the house of wealth, let your foot be lucky".<ref>Кулиева Н. М. Современная сельская семья и семейный быт в Азербайджане / Под ред. доктора исторических наук Т. Г. Мусаевой. — Б.: «Элм», 2011. — С. 97.</ref> In the [[Novkhani]] settlement, after a funeral, it is customary for people to prepare ''kyulchya'', which sometimes consists of [[halva]] wrapped up in lavash.<ref>Кулиева Н. М. Современная сельская семья и семейный быт в Азербайджане / Под ред. доктора исторических наук Т. Г. Мусаевой. — Б.: «Элм», 2011. — С. 122.</ref>

==In art==
Women baking lavash is a common theme that has inspired Armenian painters, including by the Soviet-era painter [[Minas Avetisyan]] (1972).<ref>{{cite web |title=Լավաշ են թխում. 1972. Մինաս Ավետիսյան |url=https://www.facebook.com/MinasAvetisyanHouseMuseum/posts/2754699678122309 |publisher=Minas Avetisyan house-museum |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250609171658/https://www.facebook.com/MinasAvetisyanHouseMuseum/posts/2754699678122309 |archive-date=9 June 2025 |language=hy |date=September 19, 2020}}</ref> A print of the painting ''Armenian Ladies Baking Lavash'' by the Armenian American artist [[Manuel Tolegian]] was selected by U.S. President [[Gerald Ford]] to hang in the [[White House]] [[United States Bicentennial|Bicentennial]] Collection. The weekend open-air arts-and-crafts market in downtown Yerevan offers many lavash-related paintings and handiworks, with renditions of happy women making lavash having become a common sight.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leahy |first1=Kate |title=On the Lavash Trail in Armenia |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/lavash-trail-armenia-180968864/ |work=[[Smithsonian Magazine]] |date=April 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250418060312/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/lavash-trail-armenia-180968864/ |archive-date=18 April 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* [[Barbari bread]], a popular type of Iranian bread
* [[Chapati]], an unleavened South Asian flatbread, made on a ''[[tava]]''
* ''Markouk'', an unleavened flatbread common in the Levant, made on a ''saj''
* [[Matnakash]], a traditional leavened Armenian bread
* [[Sangak]], a type of leavened Iranian flatbread, made in an [[oven]]
* [[Taftan (bread)|Taftan]], a thicker leavened Iranian bread
* [[Tandyr nan]], a Central Asian leavened bread made in a [[tandoor]]
* [[Naan]], an Indian leavened flatbread made in a tandoor or on a tava
* [[Tortilla]]
* [[Laffa]]

==References==
{{reflist|group="note"}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Wiktionary|lavash}}
* [https://explorepartsunknown.com/armenia/lavash-understanding-armenias-bread-obsession/ Lavash: Understanding Armenia's bread obsession]
* [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/lavash-trail-armenia-180968864/ On the Lavash Trail in Armenia]
* [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lavash Lavash] in Dictionary.com

{{Flatbreads}}
{{Cuisine of Armenia|bread}}
{{Intangible Cultural Heritage in Armenia}}
{{Cuisine of Azerbaijan}}
{{Intangible Heritage Azerbaijan}}
{{Cuisine of Iran|bread}}
{{Cuisine of Turkey}}

[[Category:Flatbreads]]
[[Category:Armenian breads]]
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[[Category:Middle Eastern cuisine]]
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[[Category:Kashmiri cuisine]]
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