Ghapama
Armenian stuffed pumpkin dish
title: "Ghapama" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["armenian-cuisine", "stuffed-dishes", "squash-and-pumpkin-dishes"] description: "Armenian stuffed pumpkin dish" topic_path: "general/armenian-cuisine" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghapama" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Armenian stuffed pumpkin dish ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox food"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Ghapama |
| image | Ghapama in Sherep Restaurant, Yerevan.jpg |
| image_size | 250px |
| caption | Ghapama served in a restaurant |
| country | Armenia |
| type | Dessert |
| main_ingredient | Pumpkin, rice, dried fruits, meat |
| :: |
| name = Ghapama | image = Ghapama in Sherep Restaurant, Yerevan.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = Ghapama served in a restaurant | alternate_name = | country = Armenia | region = | creator = | course = | type = Dessert | served = | main_ingredient = Pumpkin, rice, dried fruits, meat | variations = | calories = | other = Ghapama () is an Armenian stuffed pumpkin dish, usually served as a dessert. It is prepared by removing the inside of the pumpkin (known as դդում in Armenian, pronounced hy in Eastern Armenian and hy in Western Armenian) and stuffing it with cooked rice, butter, honey, dried fruits, nuts, and meat, to be baked. Dried fruits used in the dish include figs, apricots, prunes, and raisins, while the nuts include walnuts and almonds.
Historically, crops such as pumpkins, potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes, were brought to Armenia in the 19th century from the "New World". The crops were mixed with traditional Armenian dishes and were then "naturalized" to Armenian cuisine according to writers Irina Petrosian and David Underwood. Other than ghapama, other Armenian dishes that used the crops in include ajapsandali and tomato lavash.
Etymology
From Turkic: Qapamaq, means close, cover
Ottoman Turkish قپامه (kapama, “lamb stewed in a covered pot”)
Ghapama is usually served during autumn time in Armenia to celebrate the harvest during the season. The dish is also served at other major celebrations such as Christmas, New Year, Easter, and weddings.
A song in The Armenian Folk Song Treasury highlights the dish, being the only song in the treasury to highlight a food item. The song is entitled "Hey Jan Ghapama" () and repeats a line admiring the taste and aroma of ghapama. Lyrically, the song is about a community that was attracted by the dish's aroma made by one of the families in the community, everyone in the community ate a piece of the dish until it was finished. The song is commonly played at weddings was popularized by pop singer Harout Pamboukjian and by a Russian spin-off of My Big Fat Greek Wedding named My Big Armenian Wedding ().
References
Citations
Bibliography
References
- (21 March 2020). "Ghapama: an Armenian dish so good, they made a song about it". Jam News.
- {{cite Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1902), “խափամա”, in Tʻurkʻerēni azdecʻutʻiwnə hayerēni vray ew tʻurkʻerēnē pʻoxaṙeal baṙerə Pōlsi hay žoġovrdakan lezuin mēǰ hamematutʻeamb Vani, Ġarabaġi ew Nor-Naxiǰewani barbaṙnerun [The influence of Turkish on Armenian, and the Turkish borrowings in the vernacular Armenian of Constantinople in comparison with the dialects of Van, Karabakh and Nor Nakhichevan] (Ēminean azgagrakan žoġovacu; 3) (in Armenian), Moscow and Vagharshapat: Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages, page 176
- (1 March 2024). "Armenia's pumpkin delight". [[United Nations.
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