Armenia
SEASONINGS
Armenians use fresh herbs extensively — they are an absolute staple of nearly every meal. Flat-leaf parsley, purple basil, dill, mint, cilantro, cress, tarragon, and summer savory are either left whole as a side flavoring, allowing diners to personalize their experience, or chopped, offering a fragrant twist. In addition to fresh herbs, dried herbs, particularly spearmint, are essential in soups and stews. This conjunction of dried and fresh herbs builds layers in dishes.
Armenian cooking approaches spices with restraint and respect for the ingredients; the goal is just to enhance. Red pepper (particularly Aleppo), black pepper, sumac, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, fenugreek, paprika, lots of garlic, and onions are the most frequently used. Sourness is added with sumac, vinegar, yogurt, sour plums or unripe grapes. Mahlab, a spice from the cherry pits, is used in pastries, combined with nigella seeds, which flavors choreg bread, string cheeses, and boreks.
CHEMEN, a unique, bold spice mix combining fenugreek, cumin, black pepper, garlic, chili pepper, paprika, and salt as main ingredients, is used as a rub for air-cured beef basturma and to season spicy sausage yershig.
HAMIM red pepper paste, made from red bell peppers or chilies, is a staple for savoriness and gentle heat and a true Armenian classic. In can be jarred, frozen and later used for lahmachun, khorovats, kebabs and bean stews.
SAUCES
LECHO SAUCE, tomato paste, is another Armenian pantry staple used as a base for soups and stews. It is usually served hot and is made of tomatoes, red peppers, parsley, and salt.
MUHAMMARA, a dip associated with Syria, but also found in Turkey and Armenia is a red pepper and walnut spread from roasted red peppers, walnuts, garlic, Aleppo pepper, pomegranate molasses, salt, and sometimes cumin. It is typically served as a dip with bread or alongside meats and vegetables.
AJIKA, a spicy paste made from hot peppers, herbs, and garlic, adds a sharp heat to Armenian dishes. It is used to kick meats, stews, and sauces.
MATZOON alone can also be used as a sauce; spices and herbs are often added.
JAJEK, a yogurt condiment with cucumbers and garlic, is a cooling counterpart to spicy dishes. Like Greek tzatziki and Turkish cacik, it is often served alongside grilled meats.
Argentina
Argentine food runs mild — far less chili than Peru or Bolivia, less layered with dried spice than Brazil’s Bahian cooking. The Northwest, closest to the Andes, uses cumin and ground ají (capsicum pepper) more. Everywhere else — the Pampas, the coast, Patagonia — runs on salt, garlic, and parsley. Seasoning is restrained during cooking, sharper on the finished dish. A steak may reach the grill with little more than salt, then meet chimichurri or salsa criolla at the table.
Fresh aromatics dominate: onion and bell pepper cook into empanada fillings, stews, and tomato sauces. Garlic and parsley often work to flavor meat, potatoes, and sauces. Oregano goes into pizza, tomato sauce, and chimichurri. Black pepper is used everywhere. Bay leaf goes into anything cooked a long time. In the northwest, dried cumin, pimentón (dry paprika) and ají molido are more widespread. Ají molido — the most characteristically Argentine dry chile seasoning. Usually mild to moderately hot, with more warmth and pepper flavor than aggressive heat.
The Argentine flavors run around vinegar, salt and oregano, basil, bay and ají; household versions commonly add garlic, parsley and oil.
PROVENZAL — hopped garlic and parsley with no oil or vinegar, dusted onto milanesa, papas fritas, or sautéed mushrooms after cooking. Functions as a finishing seasoning.
CHIMICHURRI – a loose herb-and-vinegar sauce, usually made with parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar, oil, salt and ají molido. It is served with grilled beef, sausages and offal, or used as a marinade. Sharp, herbal and only mildly hot in most Argentine versions.
SALSA CRIOLLA is closer to a finely chopped relish: usually tomato, onion and bell pepper dressed with vinegar, oil and salt. It is served cold with asado, achuras and especially choripán. Unlike chimichurri, its main job is freshness and crunch.
MAYONESA CASERA — homemade mayonnaise, looser and more acidic than the commercial jarred kind, standard on sandwiches de miga and alongside milanesa.
SALSA GOLF — mayonnaise beaten with ketchup. Cold, used for shrimp cocktail, fries, sometimes milanesa.
