Food as a marker for economy and part of identity: traditional vegetal food of Yezidis and Kurds in Armenia

BackgroundThe traditional food of the Yezidis and Kurds of Armenia has some particularities and differences compared with the traditional cuisine of Armenians.MethodsEthnobotanical data collected during fieldworks in 2013–2015 in Armenia via interviews, direct observations and sampling of used plants for identification of species.ResultsTraditional dishes of Yezidis and Kurds are simple. They are mostly made from or contain as a main component lamb and milk products (sometimes beef and chicken, but never pork). The main vegetal components of their traditional food are represented by cultivated cereals, grains, and herbs of wild plants. Edible plants gathered from the wild are used primarily for nutritional purposes, for flavoring prepared meals and milk products, and for tea.DiscussionWe correlate these distinctions with the transhumant pastoral lifestyle of the Yezidi and Kurdish people.