Most mornings, House of Lavash in Belmont bakes a paper-thin, pliable flatbread called lavash. When spread out, each one is over 2½ feet long and more than a foot wide. It has a lovely faint scent of wheat. “When you talk about the Armenian kitchen, the first thing you say is lavash,” says the proprietor, Arman Manoukian, who recently opened the shop with his wife, Armina, both natives of the country. “It’s the go-to bread for Armenians.” UNESCO has, in fact, included the flatbread on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Balls of dough — merely flour, water, and salt — are rolled, stretched, and cut to create the outsize oval shape and then baked, achieving a burnished, bubbly surface. Traditionally, flatbread was baked in underground tandoors, but automated equipment has replaced this practice, still, it’s a labor-intensive process. “No one makes it fresh in Boston,” he says. “We knew there would be a demand.” Manoukian initially came to the area to study international relations at Boston University, then returned to his homeland to serve in the diplomatic corps. The family moved back to Boston in 2005 and planned to eventually run a business. Opening a food shop made sense. “I love bread. I love desserts,” Manoukian says. A rack lined with other Armenian foods may catch your eye. One is gata, a small pastry baked on-site with Armina’s recipe and reminiscent of rugelach with a sweet moist, super buttery center, and just right for nibbling on with a cup of coffee. Hand-packed sun-dried fruits include sour cherries and three types of apricots, light golden to burnt orange. The dried fruits’ flavors reflect the region’s volcanic soil, high elevations, and penetrating sun. There are tender sujuk walnuts steeped in syrup and threaded on a string; tart and lemony wild sorrel is braided and dried. “Come visit Armenia through our products!” says Manoukian. A package of lavash includes four sheets for $7. 7 Cushing Ave., Belmont, 617-484-1575, houseoflavashboston.com.
‘It’s the go-to bread for Armenians’: Labor-intensive lavash is now made fresh locally
