Spas is one of the most popular soups in Armenian cuisine. Prepared with the fermented milk product matsoni (matsun). Extraordinary yummy! Hurry up to replenish your culinary treasury with another recipe for Armenian cuisine.
The national cuisine has many first courses based on fermented milk products. Spas is prepared with matsoni (matsun) - a thick fermented milk drink that tastes like kefir. This soup is considered healing among Armenians. It restores strength and immunity, and is useful for hypertensive patients, as it reduces blood pressure. Spas is the best pill for hangovers and high fever. In cold winters it is served hot, and in the summer heat it is cooled, and it is wonderfully refreshing and protects against overheating.
Spas fermented milk soup - ingredients
For 5-6 servings of Armenian spas you will need:
- 3 glasses of matsoni;
- 1.5 glasses of drinking water;
- 1 egg;
- 120 g bulgur or rice;
- 2 onions;
- 1 tbsp. heaped spoons of flour;
- 70 g butter;
- 30 g fresh cilantro;
- salt to taste.
The recipe for making Armenian soup was saved
- Before preparing salsa, bulgur or rice should be soaked in very hot water overnight. In the morning, rinse the grains and cook until the grains are soft. Strain the broth into a separate bowl.
- Fry onions in a frying pan - in butter, you can use melted butter. Fry the onion until light golden brown. If the soup needs to be made completely dietary, frying should be excluded. Then the onion is removed from the ingredients altogether.
- Next, add flour to the cooled bulgur or rice and mix well so that there are not even small lumps. Pour the egg into this mixture and mix again. You can add a couple of spoons of matsoni. And then fried onion with butter.
- In a separate bowl, dilute the matsoni with drinking water to the desired consistency - for example, like diluting kefir for okroshka. For dilution, you can also use a decoction strained after cooking the cereal. But keep in mind that the savior should not be too liquid.
- Next, move the pan with matsoni to the stove over low heat. Place the mixture of cereals and onions there. Boil, stirring all the time so that the fermented milk drink does not curdle. Cook for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and continue to simmer the Armenian soup for about ten minutes, add salt.
- Pour into bowls and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. And if desired - hot ground pepper. If you serve it cold, then instead of cilantro it is better to put a little mint. Bon appetit!
Spas - soup with matsoni, popular in Armenia
Video recipe: classic soup with matsoni
Recipe for summer Armenian salsa from the “Beautiful Armenia” channel.
This Armenian soup has two names. One, actually Armenian, is tan-apur, which roughly translated means “matsun-based soup.” The second name by which he is known in Russia is “saved.” Some time ago the magazine “Around the World” wrote about the origin of the Russian name. It is assumed that in the harsh winter in the mountains, an Armenian family saved a detachment of Russian Cossacks by feeding them this very soup.
As far as I can tell, this is the only source that interprets the Russian name for soup in this way. I have no reason to doubt its reliability, although, of course, two independent sources are better than one. Let's take this as a working version.
What is absolutely indisputable is that tan apur has two main ingredients: boiled Armenian cereal dzavar and the aforementioned matsun, or matsoni. There are also two ways to serve this soup: cold in summer and hot in winter. In the first case, “saved” is somewhat vaguely reminiscent of our okroshka.
I compared the soup with okroshka also because matsun is very sour, which makes it similar to homemade bread kvass. Out of habit, both seem quite unusual.
Tan-apur, aka Spas: Armenian matsun and dzavar soup
Why was I honored to prepare Armenian soup? Everything is very simple. As I told you the other day, I experimented with dzavar, and “spas” is the most frequently mentioned recipe with this grain.
Later and without any recipe, I found an even better way to manage the dzavar. You can use Armenian cereals as... Such salads are not only tasty, but also extremely healthy.
Returning to the Russian name for matsuna soup, I would like to note that after the excesses associated with the long May holidays, such a soup will definitely not hurt to restore strength. In this sense, its name can be taken literally.
Ingredients:
- 250 ml matsuna (matsoni);
- 250 ml water;
- 125 gr. boiled dzavar cereal;
- 30 gr. butter;
- cilantro.
Pour matsoni and water into the pan. Bring to a boil, add boiled cereal and, stirring constantly, cook for 10 minutes.
According to legend, in the 19th century, thanks to the Russian Cossacks, the word “bistro” appeared in France. But that's not all! The Cossacks also contributed to the Armenian language: in this country, too, thanks to them, traditional soup tan apur received a new name - saved.
They say that one night Russian Cossacks knocked on an Armenian house in the Kars region (now the territory of Turkey). Cossack regiments were constantly stationed in Transcaucasia in the 19th century after the Russian-Turkish wars. The Cossacks were very hungry and very cold: in winter in this mountainous area there could be frosts down to -30 °C. According to the immutable laws of hospitality, the host offered the unexpected guests a plate of hot, hearty soup, which has long been prepared in every Armenian home. The Cossacks ate the soup, thanked the owner and said: “You saved us, brother, you just saved us.” Since then, the traditional Armenian soup tan-apur has another name.
“Apur” means “soup” in Armenian, and the word “tan” refers to the fermented milk base of the matsun drink. Matsun in Armenian cuisine is a universal product. To prepare it, milk is heated to +40 °C, the starter is added and kept warm. This produces a healthy product that resembles yogurt or Bulgarian jelly. In villages it was stored in clay jars for about a week. Kamats matsun is also prepared from matsun, which looks like soft cottage cheese. It is eaten in Armenia for breakfast with warm flatbread, honey, nuts, mulberry sauce, or served as a light snack. Butter, karag, is also whipped from matsun. The remaining whey, tan, is drunk or boiled, then squeezed and dried in the sun, obtaining very sour and salty Chorotan cakes. They retain their beneficial and taste properties for a long time. These cakes are prepared for future use so that, if necessary, you can fill them with warm water and get another version of the liquid base for tan-apura.
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INTERVIEW
At least once a week. This is one of the most popular and healthy homemade soups. Depending on the season, it is served differently: in winter - hot, and in summer - cold. He something different from other soups? The consistency is a lot of liquid. Less wheat is added to the summer version of tan apur. Other soups in Armenia are prepared very thick and rich. Sometimes they resemble a stew of meat, vegetables and cereals. Why doesn't fermented milk matsun curdle when boiling? A raw egg added to soup does not allow this to happen. As a last resort, tan apur can be cooked without flour, which adds thickness. But the soup won't work without an egg. Each of its ingredients has a special purpose. Flour and dzavar wheat (it looks a little like barley, but tastes different) add richness, sour cream - sweetness, butter - creamy taste, herbs - aroma. |
Is tan apur often eaten in Armenia?Traditionally, the soup was cooked in a cast iron pot in a tonir oven (this is a hole dug in the ground with walls lined with stones and hot coals at the bottom). Such a stove used to be in every peasant house in Armenia. The famous Armenian lavash, which is usually served with tanapur, is also baked in tonir. And if the pita bread is dry, you can crumble it into soup.
Fermented milk matsun is the basis of tan-apur, to which flour and wheat are necessarily added, the main components of the diet of Armenians since ancient times and another symbol of hospitality. And finally, the egg - also an obligatory ingredient in the soup - was a symbol of the revival of life and prosperity: a fresh egg was broken on the forehead of a bull before plowing, expecting a rich harvest.
Today tan apur is still one of the most favorite Armenian dishes. It warms both the heart and the stomach. After trying the soup, you will definitely want to thank the owners from the bottom of your heart.
Armenian tan-apur (saved soup)
RECIPE
How many servings: 4
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Calorie content per 1 serving: 545 kcal
Wheat dzavar- 200 g
Matsun- 500 ml
Water- 1 l
Egg- 1 PC.
Wheat flour a - 100 g
Cilantro- 100 g
ButterO- 100 g
Sour cream- 2 tbsp. spoons
Salt- ½ tbsp. spoons
1. Wash the wheat and boil for half an hour over low heat. Place matsun and sour cream in an aluminum pan, add raw egg and flour.
2. Mix everything thoroughly. Fill with water at room temperature. Put on the fire and stir continuously so that the soup does not burn.
3. Bring to a boil, add boiled dzavar. Leave for 3-5 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly - this way the mass will not curdle and lumps will not appear. Put butter.
4. Add salt, remove from heat and add finely chopped cilantro. Serve hot or cold.
Armenia is proud not only of stunning nature and friendly people, but also of amazing cuisine that you want to discover again and again. Armenian soup is especially popular among connoisseurs. Tanov Singapore has the original taste. It is eaten after large feasts and is recommended for children, as well as for those who watch their figure. This dish is based on wheat, kefir, onions and herbs. We will tell you more about the recipe below. Now Armenian cuisine is gaining momentum in cafes and restaurants around the world, and the first courses, despite the ease of preparation, turn out to be satisfying and truly tasty.
Do you suppose that only representatives of this people can prepare Armenian soups? Not at all, the process is so simple that even those who don’t like to tinker with complex dishes can do it. Each soup has a traditional recipe and a modern, somewhat simplified one. We will focus on the first option. It is he who is considered classic and carries through the centuries.
Armenian soup khash
Since ancient times, Armenian khash was considered a dish of the poor. After the ritual sacrifice of a ram, its legs, stomach and offal were given to the poor, who prepared a rich broth from it. This can satisfy your hunger for the whole day. That’s why it’s customary to serve it for breakfast. Garlic, which is included in the composition, protects against diseases and colds, and greens grow in abundance - that’s why they put it and now put it, as they say, from the heart. Traditional Armenian khash is made exclusively from lamb or beef legs; you can add part of the stomach, but this is not necessary.
For the soup you need the following ingredients:
- beef or lamb legs - about a kilogram;
- part of the stomach, also called tripe - half a kilo;
- herbs (parsley, basil, dill, cilantro) - at least 200 grams;
- a couple of heads of garlic;
- salt and bay leaf to taste.
The detailed step-by-step recipe for making khash soup looks like this:
- Soak your feet and stomach, pour cold water over them for a day;
- Boil the legs and tripe until fully cooked;
- Grind the garlic with salt and add to the broth;
- Coarsely chop the meat and return to the water;
- Finely chop the herbs and place in a deep plate;
- Pour broth with meat over herbs;
- Serve hot.
This dish gives you a feeling of fullness due to its richness. The soup is very high in calories, so it is not suitable for those on a diet. The energy value of the legs and rumen is significant. It is advisable to eat khash all winter to stay healthy and active. It's better to do this in the morning to get enough. Ordinary pita bread goes perfectly with the dish.
Armenian saved
They say that soup saved – this is a national Armenian trait. Everyone should try it at least once in their life. What’s special is that tanov apur is served cold, it perfectly quenches thirst, and is good for the immune system and stomach.
To prepare Armenian spas, you will need:
- matsun or kefir – 1 liter;
- water – 1 liter;
- wheat grains – 100 grams;
- butter – 30 grams;
- one raw egg;
- wheat flour - a teaspoon;
- cilantro;
- mint;
- salt.
The exact Armenian spas recipe looks like this:
- Soak the grain in water overnight;
- In a separate saucepan, beat the egg with flour and salt;
- Pour the resulting kefir and break up all the lumps;
- Add water;
- add the swollen cereal;
- Place the dish on the stove, but do not bring it to a boil - it will curdle;
- fry the onion with butter in a frying pan;
- Add to soup;
- Add cilantro and mint;
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
You need to cook saved exactly according to the recipe, otherwise nothing will work.
Kolik
The simplest Armenian soup kololik. Its preparation does not take much time and effort, and the cook gets complete pleasure in the process. Roll yourself some meat balls and that’s it. After all, a kololik is literally a bun. Soup with koloboks.
In order to make this Armenian first course, you will need:
- lamb meat - half a kilo;
- semolina - about 3 tablespoons;
- butter - a tablespoon;
- 2 chicken eggs;
- potatoes - 4 pieces;
- 3 tablespoons rice;
- a little tomato paste;
- any greens;
- salt.
To prepare kololak, follow the instructions:
- Cook the meat and cool it;
- Save the broth - you will need it later;
- Make minced meat;
- Mix the minced meat with the egg and flour, roll into balls;
- Prepare the filling from rice, fried onions and herbs;
- Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each ball and seal tightly;
- Place the balls in the broth, add coarsely chopped potatoes and tomato paste;
- The dish is served only hot and garnished with fresh onions.
Lobahasha
This soup can be made vegetarian or not. It depends on what broth you take for it.
For lobahasha with beans, take:
- red beans - 2 cups;
- onion;
- half a glass of walnuts;
- a tablespoon of flour;
- butter – 50 grams;
- herbs and spices to taste.
You need to boil the beans in water and cool them. Chop the nuts and fry the flour in a dry frying pan. Divide the beans into 2 equal parts - puree one, and leave the other in its original form. Add broth to the flour, fry the onion in oil, chop the herbs and combine all the ingredients. Bon appetit.
Wake up Singapore
The famous and delicious vospi apur is prepared from the following products:
- lentils - you need a glass;
- potatoes;
- beef - half a kilo;
- prunes – 100 grams;
- wheat flour;
- lamb fat;
- carrots;
- Luke;
- herbs and spices.
Boil the meat, add potatoes to the broth, fry finely chopped carrots and onions in fat, add prunes and water, lentils, then flour to thicken. When the potatoes are cooked, add the previously prepared potatoes and herbs.
Krchik
Armenian krchik is a soup made from sauerkraut. Armenia is considered the birthplace of this creative dish.
The preparation is simple:
- take half a kilo of sauerkraut;
- potatoes;
- tomato paste;
- oil;
- greenery;
- dried apricots;
Fry the onion, add sauerkraut, tomato paste and dried apricots, add water and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for another 20 minutes. Sprinkle with herbs and serve.
Conclusion
Armenian soups are extremely tasty, yet as simple as possible. They will become the signature dish of any feast and will not take up much of the hostess’s time. The main thing is to put your soul into it. Then the taste will be as it should be.
Almost every housewife knows how to cook delicious chicken or pie. Second courses are a success for most. Add enough meat, sprinkle with aromatic herbs - and any man will happily ask for more. But most representatives of the stronger sex treat first courses with coldness. But maybe we just don’t know how to cook them? Try making Armenian spas soup. Original, bright and at the same time light, it will appeal primarily to adherents of a healthy lifestyle.
Main Ingredients
In some ways it is similar to our traditional okroshka. But experts say that this soup is much more interesting and healthy. We trust, but we verify. Therefore, today we are learning how to cook Armenian soup. Armenia is famous for its excellent cuisine. If you want to constantly surprise your family and friends, then study the simple, but original and original recipes that she offers.
But let's get back to the first courses. Armenian spas soup has an original taste, so if you are preparing it for the first time, you should not make a large portion. People at home may simply not appreciate it. Experts recommend preparing it after heavy feasts. It is suitable for baby food. This dish is based on just a few ingredients. These are wheat, kefir, onions and greens. Despite the simplicity of preparation, Armenian spas soup turns out to be nourishing and truly tasty.
Features of the dish
Its taste is truly unlike any of the soups we are used to. This is not borscht, not rassolnik, or even ukha. But everyone should try it at least once in their life. Its peculiarity is that the soup is served cold. This is very important for hot climates. Okroshka is prepared using the same principle, pouring kvass or kefir over chopped vegetables.
Local chefs produce vegetarian soups that are thick, rich and very satisfying. However, cooking methods can differ greatly from each other. Try chopping the vegetables raw and then frying them first next time. The resulting dishes will taste very different from each other. Sometimes vegetables are even pureed. Depending on this, they distinguish between khash, spas, kolik, lobahasha, vospi apur, and krchik. The choice depends on your personal preferences. Today we will take a closer look at the recipe for Armenian spasa soup.
Required Ingredients
The word “saved” makes it clear that the dish belongs to Lenten cuisine. Pass is from Armenian and is translated as fasting. The consumption of this soup is encouraged by the church during Lent, as well as other abstinences. The most important components of the soup are matsoni and dzavar. To prepare a dish that is as close as possible to the original, you need to try to find exactly these products:
- Matsoni is a traditional fermented milk product of Caucasian cuisine. It is believed to be an excellent antioxidant that helps improve the quality and length of life. If you can’t get it in your region, you can replace it with kefir. It won't be exactly the same, but close. The main thing is to choose a quality product with a high percentage of fat content.
- Dzavar is a special mountain fine-grained wheat. It is prepared in a special way. The grains are boiled, dried, peeled in stone mortars, and then finally dried. Thanks to this processing, the cereal cooks very quickly. You can use couscous. This is a different type of wheat, but its preparation occurs in a similar way.
The recipe for Armenian spasa soup is quite variable, which makes it possible to cook it at home when you want to diversify the table and offer your family something new.
In the cold and in the heat
Indeed, this is a unique dish. It can be consumed cold to quench your thirst on a hot day. But it is no less tasty when served hot. Freshly prepared, you can eat it hot, and then there is no need to reheat it. Very convenient in the country, where you can use the cellar as a refrigerator.
Ingredients
First, let's look at the classic recipe for Armenian spasa soup. To prepare it you will need:
- Matsun - 1 liter. The yield of the finished product is approximately 4 servings. For a large family, it makes sense to double the amount.
- Water - 1 liter.
- Wheat - 100 g.
- Raw egg - 1 pc.
- Flour - 10 g.
- Greenery.
- Onion and butter for frying.
You can adjust the salt and spices to your taste. As you can see, it’s nothing complicated, you can cook this soup every day.
Food preparation
A novice cook must remember that it is Armenian cuisine that does not tolerate fuss the most. The recipe for spasa soup is quite simple, but you need to prepare the cereal the night before. Wheat grains need to be washed and soaked overnight. After this, rinse the cereal well again and scatter it on a paper towel to absorb excess liquid.
Let's start cooking
- Break the egg into a plate and add salt.
- Stir with a fork, add flour and set aside for now.
- Pour the matsun and water into the pan. Both products must be cold.
- Pour the egg mixture into the pan in a thin stream.
- Add pre-prepared wheat. As a substitute, you can add couscous or millet.
- Place the mixture on the fire and stir occasionally with a wooden spatula.
- As it approaches boiling, start stirring more actively. Cook until cereal is soft, 5 to 20 minutes.
Your soup is almost ready. But all that remains is to give it a creamy taste and unique aroma. To do this, finely chop the onion and fry it in butter. After this, put the frying into a pan, add salt to taste and add chopped herbs. A little mint will give the dish an original taste. After this, remove the pan from the heat and cool to room temperature. That's it, the soup is ready, you can invite your family to the table.
Kefir soup
This option is better adapted to our realities. Armenian spas soup with kefir turns out no worse than with traditional matsun. No wheat? Don't despair, it can be replaced with rice and flour. The result will not be exactly the same, but close to the original. For preparation you will need:
- Onions - 15 g.
- Kefir - 3 glasses.
- Egg - 1 pc.
- Rice - 3 tablespoons.
- Flour - 1 cup.
- Butter - 2 tablespoons.
- Mint and greens.
As you can see, the composition is very close to the original. But at the same time, all products can be found in the store without any difficulties. Kefir should be diluted with water twice, mixed with egg and flour, and brought to a boil over low heat. You can adapt it to the tastes of your family, this is a good recipe for kefir. Armenian spas soup can be made more sour or bland. Add fermented baked milk along with kefir and you get the taste of baked milk. Not everyone likes it, it’s a matter of habit.
Some difficulties
Sometimes, instead of a tasty soup, you end up with a mass similar to cottage cheese. This is a little puzzling for novice housewives. In fact, there is nothing complicated in preparing soup, you just need to observe the temperature regime. If you immediately put the pan on high heat, then this result is very likely. Therefore, heat the soup carefully and stir constantly. You don't have to know any more tricks. You will get a great dish that will suit the whole family.
Instead of a conclusion
You need to prepare soup every day. First courses are perfectly filling, and at the same time they are quite gentle on the mucous membranes and the digestive system as a whole. If you adhere to the principles of a healthy diet, if you have a history of digestive problems and gastrointestinal diseases, then the soup saved is simply indicated for you to consume as often as possible.
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