Armenian Wild CRAYFISH KEBABS + Medieval MONASTERY Tour | Lake Sevan, Armenia
My fourth day in Armenia continued with a trip to Lake Sevan, the largest lake in the country and the main source of Armenia’s fish. Join me as I enjoy some wild crayfish kebabs and tour a medieval monastery near Lake Sevan, Armenia!
Lusine:
Armenia Travel:
Dargett Craft Beer: |
My afternoon started at the Dargett Brewery about 20 minutes outside of Yerevan. Dargett Brewery is the number one brewing company in Armenia. I’d visited their facility in Yerevan the previous night. Then, we’d head out to Lake Sevan!
At this facility, my guide Lusine and I started by checking out their malts and learning about their six-barrel system. Next, it was time to try some beer directly from the tanks.
I started with a Pale Ale, which had a nice head and was perfect for the heat outside. It was light and light on the hops. Next was a Belgian-style triple, a delicious German Pilsner.
Next, we went to the bottling room. They bottle all of their 7 core beers here and send them to restaurants and supermarkets all over Armenia.
Then, I got to try their exclusive Armenian Imperial Stout. It’s 10% alcohol and has been aged in brandy barrels. It had a nice and had a nice head. It was strong but delicious!
Then, we headed to Lake Sevan, which is about 35 minutes away. It’s located 1,900 meters above sea level in the Gegham Mountains.
We climbed 245 steps to the top of the peninsula, where we get a great view of the lake. Along the way, I saw a typical Armenian cross-stone carving called a khachkar. On it was an Armenian-style cross, a tree of life, and more!
At the top of the stairs are two beautiful churches of the Sevanavank Monastery, a 9th-century monastic complex. I loved the gorgeous view of the lake and the mountains. It’s one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world.
Inside one of the churches is another khachkar. There are thousands of them in Armenia, but this one is unique because it’s one of only 4 that have Jesus Christ carved on them. There were also lots of figures, symbols, writing on them. You shouldn’t touch them, though!
Outside are the ruins of the Spiritual Educational Center, where the monks of Sevanavank Monastery lived. Only the foundations are left.
On our way back down the stairs, I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful peninsula and the valley. The church closes at 6 p.m., so you shouldn’t arrive later than 5 p.m. But now it was time to go have some Armenian crayfish kebabs after our monastery tour of Lake Sevan!
At the bottom of the hill is Ashot Erkat Restaurant. They have a huge dining hall with incredible views overlooking the lake. I went back to the kitchen, where I saw them making barbecue fish and crayfish kebabs. They use crayfish tail meat only and wrap it in lavash. I couldn’t wait to eat them!
The house wine was really nice! I loved the crayfish kebab. It was made of minced crayfish tail meat. I got it plain, without ketchup or onions. The crayfish tail meat and lavash was such an amazing combination! Crayfish are almost like small, gamy lobster. It was so good, but I couldn’t eat it all because I had dinner to eat later!
What an epic afternoon that took me from Dargett Brewery to having Armenian crayfish kebabs after touring a medieval monastery on Lake Sevan! It was such a fun day and it still wasn’t over yet!
I hope you enjoyed coming with me to try Armenian crayfish kebabs and visiting the Sevanavank Monastery at Lake Sevan. If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my upcoming travel/food adventures!
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About Me:
My name is David Hoffmann. For the last decade, I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food, and history! Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,100 destinations in 76 countries, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube channel, travel blog, and social media sites.
I focus a great deal on food and historical sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning about the local history and culture.
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