13 May 2019, 16:02
In Nagorno-Karabakh, over 12,000 people attend Zhengyalov khats national dish festival
More than 12,000 people attended the second festival of the national Karabakh dish of zhengyalov khats (a flat cake stuffed with herbs) in the village of Aterk in the Martakert District of Nagorno-Karabakh.
In 2013, the authorities included the dish of zhengyalov khats in the list of intangible heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Our goal is to ensure the flow of tourists to Artsakh and, in particular, to the village of Aterk, where there are all conditions for the development of ecological tourism, including beautiful nature, ecological food, and sightseeing tours ... Another our goal is to disseminate positive information about the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic," reported Samvel Mirzakhanyan, the head of the initiative group "Ecotourism in Artsakh".
According to him, the festival has become popular not only in Artsakh and Armenia, but also outside of the countries.
Radik Grigoryan, the head of the Aterk community, has noted that almost all men in the village have work, but they would be happy to have additional income through tourism.
Raisa Sargsyan, a resident of the village of Changatag, said she baked and sold zhengyalov khats to support her family.
"I am a widow of a warrior killed in the Karabakh war. In addition to my main job, I baked zhengyalov khats for sale. I raised six children by myself. Baking of zhengyalov khats can bring a small but daily stable income to the family," the woman believes.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 12, 2019 at 05:30 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Alvard Grigoryan Source: CK correspondent
