Khash – a substantial soup of cows’ feet and stomach enjoyed in Armenia with plenty of garlic, all sorts of pickled vegetables and vodka on top of everything. Traditionally khash is served in the morning between 7-10 a.m. Centuries ago, when rich people slaughtered animals, they used only meat and threw away the feet and it is believed that poor people picked them up, cooked and ate them early in the morning so that nobody could see what they were eating. To prepare khash a cow’s feet are stripped of hair and scraped off until they turn opaque. Then, the cow’s feet are boiled all night.

Unlike other kinds of Armenian meals khash is served only with limited ingredients, such as garlic, salt, mineral water, greens, radishes, yellow chili peppers, lavash, and vodka, which makes it possible to digest the “feet soup”.

Eating khash requires some sophisticated skills. After adding salt and garlic the meat of feet should be removed from the soup plate, put on another plate and covered with soft lavash. Then dried lavash is crumbed into the broth until it becomes like a sponge. True khash eaters – as they call themselves – eat it with their hands, using lavash for the spoon.