Anoush Abour

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 500 g wheat (wheat grains)
• 500 g sugar
• 1 ½ liters of water
• 1 handful of walnuts
• 1 handful of almonds
• 1 handful of raisins
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp walnuts, ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 5 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 55 minutes; Total time approx. 6 hours 55 minutes

Armenian New Year’s Soup. An Armenian recipe from my great-grandmother. A sweet soup made from wheat grains, nuts, and dried fruits, served with cinnamon.

First of all: The wheat kernels need to absorb the water over several hours, preferably overnight. Rinse the wheat kernels thoroughly until the water runs clear. Place the rinsed wheat kernels in a large pot with 1.5 liters of boiling water, boil in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes, or at least 45 minutes, until the kernels have expanded slightly. Turn off the stove. Cover the pot completely with a thick towel and let it stand at room temperature overnight. The next morning, the wheat will have absorbed all the water. Gently warm the mixture on the stove. Add the sugar and raisins and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside. Soak the almonds (if they are in the skin) in hot water for 20 minutes to loosen the skin. Place the walnuts and peeled almonds on a baking sheet and bake gently at 200 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes. Let cool and chop if desired. Add the nuts to the wheat mixture and mix in. The anoush abour is served with cinnamon and ground walnuts. Note: In Turkey (the cuisines are generally very similar), other dried fruits are added in addition to raisins; this is rather uncommon in Armenia and Bulgaria.