Armenia's signature barbecue — cubed pork shoulder (or lamb), salt-and-pepper-only marinade (no excess spice), threaded on long metal skewers (shamper), and grilled over open vine-wood embers until the outside is deep-mahogany-crusted and the inside is just-cooked-juicy. Served on a sheet of lavash with grilled vegetables (tomato, pepper, eggplant), fresh herbs (parsley, basil, dill, tarragon), pomegranate seeds, and pomegranate molasses (nar rob).
Khorovats is the Armenian national grilling tradition, rooted in the country's ancient pastoral and nomadic herding life — quite possibly one of the oldest of Armenia's cooking customs. The dish is the centerpiece of every Armenian family gathering: Sunday lunches, namesake (anvanakichi) celebrations, weddings, baptisms, and Vardavar (the summer water festival). The skewers are long (50-80 cm), the embers are vine-wood (gives a sweet-smoky flavor), and the meat is simply seasoned to let the quality speak; the grilling is traditionally done by the men of the family. Yerevan's central market has dozens of khorovats grills; rural villages in Garni and Goris are pilgrimage sites. The Armenian diaspora — Glendale, Beirut, Moscow — has carried the tradition globally.
Slide a piece of khorovats pork off the skewer onto warm lavash — exterior is deep-mahogany-crusted, the inside pearl-pink and just-juicy, smoky from the vine-wood embers. First bite: the salt-and-onion cure has penetrated, the char adds bitter-smoky depth, the vine wood's faint sweet smoke perfumes everything, the pork is tender but not falling apart. Pinch fresh tarragon and parsley on top, sprinkle pomegranate seeds, drizzle pomegranate molasses, wrap in lavash. With Armenian red Areni wine, this is the Sunday family lunch perfected.
Pork shoulder has the right fat-to-meat ratio (15-20% fat) for grilling — leaner cuts dry out, fattier cuts flare. The overnight onion-salt cure works in two ways: salt diffuses inward by osmosis (gentle cure, no harsh saltiness), while onion's natural proteolytic enzymes gently tenderize the meat's surface. Vine wood gives a specific aromatic compound profile — phenolic, slightly sweet, with grape-leaf notes that infuse the meat. Vine wood is the traditional Armenian choice because vineyards are abundant; oak or fruitwood are acceptable substitutes.
Variations
Lamb khorovats uses leg or shoulder; preferred in Yerevan urban version. Beef khorovats uses tenderloin; less common but seen in restaurants. Eggplant khorovats (vegetarian) uses just thick eggplant slices and bell peppers. Chicken khorovats uses bone-in thighs. Modern fusion khorovats marinates with yogurt + spices (more like Levantine shish kebab). Diaspora khorovats often uses gas grill instead of vine wood — flavor is different but acceptable.
On the Palate
Where Khorovats sits in the Armenian flavor cloud
Grill over glowing embers with no flames and pull the pork at just-cooked (65-68°C) — flames char the outside while the center stays raw, and the whole point is a mahogany crust over juicy, barely-pink meat.
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
11 steps · 40 min active + 50 min waiting
- 110 min
Acquire 1.5 kg pork shoulder (Armenian preference) or lamb leg. Trim sinew. Cut into 4-cm cubes — important: not too small (dries out) or too large (uncooked center).
- 25 min
Make marinade: 2 large finely-chopped onions + 2 tbsp salt + 1 tbsp black pepper + 100 ml dry white wine (optional — Armenian preference for wine over yogurt). Toss with the pork.
- 3600 min
Cover and refrigerate 8-12 hours (overnight is ideal). The salt-and-onion combination gently cures the surface.
- 430 min
Soak long metal skewers (or thick wooden ones) in water 30 min before grilling.
- 525 min
Build a hardwood charcoal fire (ideally vine wood for the authentic flavor). Let it burn down to glowing red-orange embers — no flames.
Watch outWait until the coals glow steady red-orange with no flames licking up — that's the right heat.
- 68 min
Thread the marinated pork onto skewers, pressing the cubes tightly together — about 6-7 cubes per skewer.
- 714 min
Cook over the embers, holding the skewer 15-20 cm above the coals, rotating every 3-4 min. Each batch takes 12-15 min total.
Watch outRotate every 3-4 minutes; you want an even mahogany crust forming all around, not black scorch marks.
- 82 min
The pork is done when the outside is deeply mahogany-crusted and the inside is just-cooked (interior temp 65-68°C, slightly pink).
Watch outCut into one cube to check — the center should be just set and faintly pink, still juicy.
- 912 min
While the meat cooks, also grill tomatoes, eggplant slices, and bell peppers over the same embers for the universal khorovats accompaniment.
- 104 min
Tear large sheets of lavash. Slide the meat off the skewer onto the lavash, alongside the grilled vegetables, fresh herbs (parsley, dill, tarragon, basil sprigs), and pomegranate seeds.
- 115 min
Eat by hand: wrap meat and herbs in a piece of lavash, dip in pomegranate molasses, eat. Drink Armenian wine (red Areni or white Voskehat).
