Caroline: This is a type of bread called lavash.
It's a regional flatbread enjoyed around
the South Caucasus and western Asia,
and it's an essential part of
Armenian, Iranian, and Turkish cuisine.
In 2014, lavash was added to Unesco's Representative List
of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
"as an expression of culture in Armenia."
As an Armenian-American, I was interested
to see how my ancestors made lavash,
so I traveled to Yerevan, Armenia,
to learn about its history
and see how it's traditionally made in Armenian communities.
Our first stop is to Tsirani Garden Restaurant.
The bakers thinly roll each ball of dough
and place it over a large cushion
before slamming it on the walls of a tonir, or clay oven.
The lavash bakes and bubbles in the tonir for a matter
of seconds before it's removed using an iron rod.
The result is an oval-shaped flatbread
that's about 70 centimeters long.
Throughout Armenia, we saw Armenian women making
and selling lavash in restaurants and markets.
I even got to try making one
at the Megerian Cultural Complex,
and all I can say is that this process is heavier, warmer,
and ultimately way harder than it looks.
We also visited the Gumi Shuka,
one of Yerevan's largest food markets,
where about 15 to 20 women sell
the lavash they've made in their homes.
You can eat lavash on its own or with some cheese,
or wrap it around kebab or khorovats, aka barbecue,
or dip dry lavash into a dish called khash,
a traditional soup made with boiled cow hooves.
However you choose to eat it,
no Armenian dinner table is complete without lavash.