In Yerevan, chef Alain Alexanian cooks with Armenian seeds at the French Embassy
- Published
- Place
- Yerevan, Armenia
- Event date
- Event date not established
Summary
The French Embassy in Armenia held a tasting in Yerevan of Armenian dishes prepared under the direction of the French-Armenian Michelin-starred chef Alain Alexanian. The event was part of the COP17 biodiversity conference and of the HATIK project, which aims to preserve Armenia’s local seeds. Students from the French-Armenian Vocational Training Centre helped prepare the food.
Analysis
HATIK (“seed” in Armenian) is coordinated by the Lyon Metropolis with Yerevan Municipality and co-funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. It was launched by the Centre for Applied Botany Resources (CRBA), with the Scientific Centre of Agrobiotechnology of the Armenian National Agrarian University. Its aim is to collect, study and share knowledge of the country’s seed varieties. According to the French ambassador, Florian Escudié, scientists collected seeds resistant to different climates this summer from about 300 farmers in nine regions of Armenia. The menu included mushosh from Van, made with green lentils, wild sorrel bites, gata and anushabur, a traditional dessert.
Possible consequences
The ambassador, quoted by the Armenpress news agency, said Armenian farming needs new markets because “Russia has closed its doors to Armenian agro-industry”; the embassy says it is working to find European partners and to help Armenia bring its agriculture into line with European standards. Olivier Araujo, Vice-President of the Lyon Metropolis for international relations, attended; the day before he had visited the Tsitsernakaberd genocide memorial.
What remains uncertain
The sources do not give the exact date of the tasting: Armenpress reported it on 27 October and the newspaper Nor Haratch on 28 October. The figure of 300 farmers comes from the ambassador; the results of the seed collection have not been published. No figure is available on the project’s cost.
