Christmas - 3 of 4

Christmas
page 3 of 4

Khash!

This is a picture of Hrach (a Birthright staff member) making Khash. What is Khash? Khash is a meal/dish/tradition that Armenians take part in during the winter months. Traditionally it starts the night before you have Khash. The Khash master starts by boiling pig hooves in a large pot. They are hard to break down, and it takes a good, long night stirring over a hot stove to get them into a digestible state. I think they add other things to the brew, but I am not sure of the exact recipe. The next morning everyone who slept over gets up early in the morning once the khash is complete. But you don't just eat khash by itself, either because it helps the khash go down easier or because you want to commemorate the occasion, you wash it down with shots of vodka.

We had the khash a bit later than normal, at 11am, and Hrach brewed it the afternoon before, not during the night. While it is not a Christmas tradition, it is definitely a winter tradition, something enjoy with friends or family while inside and protected from the winter's wrath. When I was eating it I was thinking about where a dish like this would originate from. I just imagine a group of hard working peasants, trying to survive harsh winters and the rule of foreign powers. They finish eating the rest of the animal and then saying "Well, I'm still hungry. We might as well figure out a way to eat the rest of it!"

It certainly felt like a hearty winter meal, like lumberjack food. Thick, warm, filling and packed with enough calories for the rest of the week. The men seemed to enjoy it the most. On the right is Varhan, the Birthright driver who takes us on excursions and picks up scared new birthrighters from the airport at 4 in the morning. On the left is one of Hrach's friends who came for the company and the food.

In the soup there is the thick broth, some small pieces and then one huge chunk of hoof. You break it up with your spoon into smaller pieces. It is sort of like a chewy, meaty jello, which makes sense because jello is made of hooves.

The khash has a faint flavor of a farmyard, a mix of wet earth, livestock, and things tying to grow. The taste, while very distinct, is not strong. So the table has ample supplies of salt and garlic drenched in oil. You add your own amounts to suit your taste.

I actually liked it, even though I just started eating meat once I arrived here after being vegetarian for ten years. I liked trying new foods, and this one is very unique. It is also very warm and I found it very comforting.

You also add bits of lavash (Armenian flat bread that resembles cloth) which have been dried to a crisp. It give the whole soup some mass. I added a lot, but not that much, just enough to thicken it. The Khash pros kept adding it and adding it until the soup had the consistency of chunky oatmeal.

Then the vodka started coming out and Hrach started pouring shots.

I asked for everyone to make faces of how they felt about Khash. Nairi, one of the Birthright employes and a Yerevan native, does not like khash. She unfortunately had to be at work for the two days the smell was enveloping the office.

Melanie tries some Khash as Maro (an old Birthrighter turned re-patriot) gauges her response.

Rachel was a bit ill, but did the best she could.

Maro has had it before but decided to come back for more.

You are suppose to eat the khash not too slowly, because then it gets lukewarm, less appetizing and more gelatinous. It was recommended that I don't plan anything else for a day that follows a khash morning. I was okay for the rest of the day, but I didn't need to eat much for the rest of the day and I felt like I needed a shower.

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