Armenian cuisine includes the foods and cooking techniques of the Armenian people, the Armenian diaspora and traditional Armenian foods and dishes. The cuisine reflects the history and geography where Armenians have lived as well as incorporating outside influences. The cuisine also reflects the traditional crops and animals grown and raised in areas populated by Armenians.
The preparation of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes in an Armenian kitchen requires stuffing, frothing, and pureeing. Lamb, eggplant, mayonnaise, yoghurt, and bread (lavash) are basic features of Armenian cuisine. Armenians use cracked wheat (burghul) in preference to the maize and rice popular among their Caucasian neighbors (Georgia and Azerbaijan).[citation needed]
Armenian cuisine distinguishes itself from other regional cuisines in the following ways:[citation needed]
The primary sauces in Armenian cuisine are:
Armenian sauces are often cooked with the food, forming a consistency of stew and soup.[citation needed]
Armenian cuisine uses spices sparingly. The primary spices used in Armenian cuisine are: