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Similar Qutab, Balep korkun, Pletzel, Scaccia, Flatkaka | ||
Zhingyalov hats (Armenian: Ժենգյալով հաց, also zhengyalav hatz, zhangyalov hats) is a type of flatbread stuffed with finely diced herbs and green vegetables. It is a traditional dish of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. Zhingyalov hats is similar to other dishes of peoples of the Caucasus: herb qutab and afar.
In 2015, at the end of April, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic held a festival "Zhingyalov hats".
Preparation
Unleavened dough is rolled out until it becomes paper-thin, then it is filled with the stuffing that consists of 10 to 20 types of diced and oiled wild and cultured herbs. One of the most important steps in preparing a good zhingyalov hats is the greens' composition. Tasteless leaf vegetables and herbs with less pronounced taste make up the base of the stuffing, examples include lettuce, spinach, atriplex, beet greens, chickweed, shepherd's-purse, viola leaves and suchlike plants. Herbs with peculiar taste (chervil, urtica, allium), sour (rumex) or spicy (laserpitium) ones are needed in smaller quantities; bitter-tasting greens as taraxacum should be sparse. Additionally the stuffing might contain bryndza and fried onions.
After stuffing, zhingyalov hats is fried for around 10 minutes on a special griddle called "saj" or "sajin" (Armenian: սաջին), or in a tandoor for a couple of minutes.
The ready dish is consumed with beer, doogh, or wine. Zhingyalov hats is especially popular during the Great Lent.