Categories: Culture

Ghapama Day at St David Armenian Church, Boca Raton, FL

10 years ago

Every Sunday coffee hour follows church services in the
Fellowship Hall at St. David Armenian Church. It’s a great way for parishioners
to meet friends and, on occasion, enjoy a cultural event.

At our last Women’s Guild meeting, Father Paren Galstyan asked if I knew what Ghapama was. I assured him I did, and that I even knew of a
song which pays tribute to this traditional Armenian dish. I showed him the existing post on this very topic.

Yereztgin Anna, 2nd from right, serves her Ghapama to the congregation in their previous parish in the Mid-West.

Father Paren informed me that *Yeretzgin Anna, is quite
the ghapama expert. In fact, she will be hosting coffee hour on Sunday, October
26^th with her special ghapama recipe. She hosted a similar ghapama
event at their previous parish in the Mid-West to the delight of the
congregation.

* A special note to non-Armenian readers: ‘Yeretzgin‘ is a term which designates one as a priest’s wife.

What is ghapama, you ask? Father Paren was kind enough to
explain it in the church e-newsletter:

“Ghapama (Armenian: ղափամա) is
an Armenian stuffed pumpkin dish, often prepared during the holiday season. It
is prepared by removing the flesh of the pumpkin (known as դդում in Armenian, pronounced
ddum in Eastern Armenian and ttum in Western Armenian) and stuffing it with
boiled rice and a variety of dried fruits such as chopped almonds, apple, corn,
apricot, prunes and raisins. It is also common to pour on honey and mix in
ground cinnamon or sugar. The pumpkin is then baked until it becomes soft, and
then brought to the table where it is cut up and served.”

If you’re in the neighborhood on October 26^th,
please come to St. David Armenian Church, 2300 Yamato Rd, Boca Raton, FL.
Church service begins at 10:30 AM. Then join us in the fellowship hall for a
taste of this very special dish!