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Nomadic Kitchen
by Zovak

“Can't Miss Culinary Experience”

Forbes Magazine

Our Wild Food Adventures are 5/5 star rated 3 course dining experiences in Armenia’s most beautiful natural settings, hosted by professionally trained local chefs and benefiting local wildlife conservation. All the dishes on our menus are authentic to each location and are prepared using fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients.

Join us in Armenia’s far north for an extraordinary culinary experience at the Nomadic Kitchen, set in an alpine meadow near the town of Berd. Seasonal cattle herders, who live in the meadow with their livestock between the late spring and early fall months, will welcome you to their world, and share their way of life, as well as some delicious local foods. Your meal will begin with welcome wine and some light bites, while your main courses are prepared right there before your eyes. You can help them cook and get to know local food traditions, or sit back and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. All the menu items at the Nomadic Kitchen are based on local recipes and use only seasonal ingredients, which your hosts will tell you all about. You’ll get a taste of what it’s like to be a sarvor [sahr-vohr], someone who lives in the mountains with their animals, and enjoy a hearty authentic meal high above the clouds. See all the details and book this Wild Food Adventure through the form below!

Your Location

This Wild Food Adventure takes place on a hill in the mountains near the town of Berd, in the Shamshadin area of the Tavush province. Locals call this part of the region “the real Tavush,” because it’s still relatively unknown to international travelers and practically untouched by tourism infrastructure and traffic. All the more reason to check it out! Near the hill where your dining table awaits are the temporary homes where some of your local hosts, the herders, live for several months throughout the year. You’ll meet their friendly shepherd dog as well as their cattle, who will graze alongside your dining table – don’t worry, they’re just as friendly as the dog and will really set the mood of your Wild Food Adventure.

Your Hosts

Husband-wife duo Garik and Ester decided to leave urban life in Yerevan and move to Garik’s family home in the village of Navur a couple years ago, and they couldn’t be happier! Though the region doesn’t receive very many tourists, they’ve turned their home into a guest house called Zovak Rural Guest House to encourage travelers like you to come visit their peaceful, green corner of Armenia. The Nomadic Kitchen is just one of many initiatives we’ve brought to this rural village. They teamed up with sarvors Alek and Mayranush to make this experience a reality!

Your Ride

You’ll meet your hosts at Zovak Rural Guest House in Navur village, from where you’ll hop into vintage Soviet SUVs and go on a short offroad ride to your dining location. If you need transportation from Yerevan to Navur, we’d be glad to arrange that for you at extra cost. We’ll confirm that and other details over email after you have submitted your booking request form through this site.

Your Menu

Like all our Wild Food Adventures, the menu of the Nomadic Kitchen was carefully created by your hosts and ONEArmenia, our nonprofit arm, with support from an Armenian food historian, and is based on the culinary traditions of the Tavush province. All ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced. Scroll down to see the full menu! Please note that the menu is fixed, and includes options for vegetarian diners. If you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies, we will be sure to ask during the confirmation process after you have submitted your booking request form through this site.

4 – 5 hours

•

8 people max

•

3 course meal

•

Vegetarian friendly

•

Professional local chefs

•

Untouched nature

•

4 – 5 hours • 8 people max • 3 course meal • Vegetarian friendly • Professional local chefs • Untouched nature •


Menu

Welcome Drinks & Amuse-Bouches

Appetizers

Green bean salad with dried tomato

Cheese khurjin (cheese casing) stuffed with local herbs

Bruschettas topped with tree mushrooms, strained yogurt and grilled pepper, and thyme-infused cheese

Main Course

Grilled local pork marinated with thyme and served with grilled mushrooms and vegetables

Seasonal vegetable omelet

Dessert

Sali (local sweet bread) served with strained yogurt, berry jam, and crushed nuts

Drinks

Red wine | Homemade fruit compote | Still and sparkling water | Coffee and tea

This menu was carefully created by your hosts and ONEArmenia, our nonprofit arm, with support from an Armenian food historian, and is based on the culinary traditions of the Lori province. All ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced.

Your table is ready, book now

Use this form to send a booking request and our team will get in touch with you to confirm the details of your adventure, including pricing, transport & dietary restrictions. Pricing by group size below.*

2 people: 70,000 AMD per person
4 people: 50,000 AMD per person
6 people: 38,000 AMD per person
8-10 people: 30,000 AMD per person

*Free cancellation up to 72 hours before each adventure.

Adventuring for Good

Transforming the lives of both travelers and local people through meaningful and responsible experiences is why we do what we do at 2492. We believe that Armenia can be a wonderful place to both visit and live in, which is why each of our experiences are thoughtfully built not only to connect you with local people and ways of life, but also positively impact the lives and communities that you encounter. For our Wild Food Adventures, that means: 

  • Local, seasonal ingredients: All our dishes are cooked using seasonal ingredients sourced from local communities.

  • Native, authentic recipes: With the support of an expert Armenian food historian and our nonprofit arm ONEArmenia, your hosts have created a menu that is true to the culinary and cultural traditions of each location while preserving its cultural heritage with local and near-forgotten recipes.  

  • Expertly trained community hosts: Your hosts have been trained in the culinary arts, hospitality, customer service, hygiene, food waste management, first aid, and environmental protection at the Yeremyan Academy, Armenia’s top culinary school, so that you can enjoy the Armenian Highland in comfort and feel good knowing that your experience has little to no impact on the environment. 

  • Untouched natural landscapes: Our Wild Food Adventures are set places of outstanding natural beauty, and to ensure that we not only keep them beautiful but also contribute to their wellbeing, every booking supports local wildlife organizations. We are proud to collaborate with the Caucasus Nature Fund, the Arpa Protected Landscape, the Khosrov Forest State Reserve, and Trails For Change NGO to protect Armenia’s natural environments.

FAQ

Questions? Concerns? Burning existential queries on life? We can help (with the first two).

  • Unfortunately not, as our menu is fixed.

  • If you are a vegetarian then absolutely yes. Some dishes in the lineup are already vegetarian-friendly. For dishes that are not, we have prepared vegetarian alternatives. Simply make sure to inform us if you or someone in your group is vegetarian when submitting your booking request. Unfortunately though, not all our vegetarian alternatives are vegan and dairy products are used extensively in Armenian cuisine so at this point we are unable to cater to vegans.

  • It will depend. Please let us know of any allergies and/or dietary restrictions anyone in your group may have using the booking request form, and we will see if we can remove/replace ingredients affected, though we cannot guarantee that there won’t be cross contamination.

  • No, however do bear in mind that some of our experiences include off-road driving on bumpy roads in order to reach the final location. If you have any physical impairments like back problems that might be affected, please inform us and we can advise on whether or not your desired experience is suitable.

  • Unfortunately, our regular itinerary is not. However, we aim to make our trips as accessible as possible so please let us know if you have any special requirements and we will try to find a solution within our means.

  • For safety reasons, children under 12 are not able to participate in the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Cliffs and Mountaintop Eats experiences. However, children are welcome in the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Vineyards experience.

  • English, Russian, and Armenian.

  • There are no pets allowed at the Winemaker’s Table: Areni Cliffs or Mountaintop Eats experiences, as both are set at high altitudes with rough terrains, and the former is also set within a protected area. As for Areni Vineyards, pets are welcome so long as they remain on their best behavior.

  • No, Armenian cuisine is not very spicy by nature. But that doesn’t mean it lacks flavor!

  • Of course! A fixed amount is included in the price of your experience and you can order additional alcohol during the experience itself, depending on what is available in the location. Note that we are unfortunately not able to provide an extensive menu given the wild nature of the experience. If you do not drink alcohol, don’t worry – a non-alcoholic alternative will be provided.

  • Though we cannot control the exact conditions on the day of your experience, insect repellent will be available for you to use in case of insects. We have done our best to select locations where there are few such critters but there is a chance you will come across other animals such as snakes (though they generally avoid people anyway). Our guide and local partners will advise you what to do in such situations.

  • We will notify you 48 hours before the experience start time if we need to postpone or cancel, in the case of a heavy rain forecast. Still, we recommend you bring a raincoat anyway in case of unexpected rain. Otherwise, the Armenian sun can be quite strong and while your dining area is arranged under a canopy, we recommend bringing a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen in case. As the evenings can get quite cool, we also suggest bringing warm layers.

  • There are no fixed toilets, however your hosts will of course show you a safe, comfortable and private place to “go in the wild.” Hand washing equipment will be provided. In case you need a fixed toilet, these will be available at the start and end points of your experience.

  • Not at all. The ride to Areni takes around 2 hours and transportation is easy to arrange. You can contact us for more information. As for Yeranos, transportation from Yerevan is included in the price of your booking.