A whole pumpkin stuffed with rice, dried fruits, nuts, and honey, baked until the flesh is caramelized and sweet — Armenia's most dramatic autumn and New Year dish, carried to the table whole.
Ghapama is theater. A medium pumpkin is hollowed out, filled with a fragrant mixture of parboiled rice, dried apricots, raisins, prunes, walnuts, honey, and spices, then sealed with its own cap and baked in the oven until the pumpkin skin blisters and the filling inside steams in a bath of pumpkin juice and honey. It comes to the table whole, and when the cap is lifted and the first serving spoon breaks through the golden flesh, the steam and aroma that escape are among the most beautiful smells in cooking. Ghapama is associated in Armenian culture with New Year and winter celebrations. There is an Armenian folk song about it — 'Hey Jan Ghapama' — sung at the table as the dish is served, calling everyone to gather and eat. The recipe varies by family: some add chestnuts, some use pomegranate seeds, some season with cinnamon and cardamom only, others add a splash of cognac. The pumpkin itself is part of the dish — the flesh is scooped and served alongside the rice filling, the sweetness of both having commingled during the long bake.
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