Adventures in Armenian Cuisine: Sheep Head

By Thong Do
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19 Mar, 2017
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To truly get in touch with another culture the best introduction is usually with food. I've been living in Armenia for almost a year now and finally got the courage to try this dish. Like most cultures, very little of the animal is wasted here and the sheep head is edible over. I asked one of my Armenian friends where I could try this and it turns out her brother is cook whose bistro offers sheep head. I had to try it even though I'd never have the nerve to try it back in America but when in another county I try to eat as the locals do. So, I contacted one of my classmates, Oleg, who lives only an hour away if he was interested. Oleg grew up eating all parts of the animal and has sheep head on at least a hundred occasions and jumped at the chance to eat this with me.

The bistro was located right next to the city bus station and when we walked in you can see the sheep heads behind the glass and can choose which one you prefer. The sheep head was already cooked and just needed to be heated. The cook, Andranik, has been a cook for 5 years and was very friendly with us and had no problem with us taking photos of the preparation. No secret recipes for sheep head, just salt and pepper.

*The lower jaw getting removed from the head..*

*Andranik, the cook, splitting the cut sheep head and it's almost ready to be eaten..*

After the sheep heads were heated up Andranik placed them on the chopping block and carefully removed the jaw and split the head. Afterwards he added a few onions and it was ready to be served. The server also gave us some lavash (Armenian flat bred) too. Everything on the plate was edible: the tongue, the cheek, the eyes, and the brain. I had to have my sheep head with a beer and Oleg had a yogurt drink with his meal. I'm not stranger to eating the organs of an animal but usually don't, the texture just doesn't sit well with me.

The cost of sheep head was very affordable and only cost 1,500 dram (roughly $3). I asked Oleg if he thought the sheep head was prepared well here due to his culinary experience with this and he thoroughly enjoyed it. I probably won't eat this again but I'm a big fan of trying new dishes whenever possible. Sitting down and having a meal is a great way to bridge the cultural divide and a great way to make new friends in the process.

Happy traveling and bon apetit!