Ingredients
The vessel
- 1round pumpkin of 3 to 4 kg, firm, unblemished and able to stand flat
Filling
- 400 glong-grain or short-grain rice, rinsed and parboiled 5 min
- 150 gdried apricots, halved
- 100 gpitted prunes, halved
- 100 graisins
- 100 gwalnut halves
- 50 gblanched almonds
- 80 ghoney, plus 2 tbsp for the cavity
- 100 gbutter, melted
- 2 tspground cinnamon
- ½ tspground cloves
- ¼ tspground nutmeg
- ½ tspsalt
To serve
- a little extra honey
- matsun on the side, optional
Directions
- Cut a wide lid from the top of the pumpkin at a slight inward angle so it sits back in place without falling through, and keep it.
- Scoop out the seeds and stringy fibres, then scrape the walls back to an even thickness of about 2 to 3 cm. Too thick and the flesh will not cook through in the time the filling needs; too thin and the pumpkin collapses.
- Rub the inside with 2 tbsp of honey and a good pinch of salt and cinnamon.
- Parboil the rinsed rice in salted water for 5 minutes only, until the outside softens but the grain still has a hard core, then drain well. Fully cooked rice turns to paste inside the pumpkin.
- Mix the drained rice with all the dried fruit, the nuts, honey, melted butter and the spices, and pack it into the cavity, filling it to about 3 cm below the rim to leave room for expansion.
- Pour in 150 ml of hot water, set the lid back on, and wrap the whole pumpkin in foil or set it in a deep dish with a lid.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, depending on size. It is done when a skewer pushes through the wall with almost no resistance and the flesh gives when pressed, but the pumpkin still holds its shape.
- Rest it 15 minutes, carry it whole to the table, lift the lid and cut it in wedges from top to bottom so each person gets pumpkin, rice and fruit together, with a little extra honey drizzled over.
Technique
- Ghapama is a festive and autumn dish, strongly associated with weddings, New Year and with the folk song Hey Jan Ghapama, in which the whole village is invited to eat it. Bringing it whole to the table and cutting it there is part of the dish.
- The traditional version is meatless and sweet; there is no meat in it and the fat is butter. Savoury pumpkin dishes exist in Armenia but are not called ghapama.
- Choose the pumpkin carefully. A watery, thin-walled variety will steam into collapse; a dense winter squash of the Hokkaido or muscat type holds up and tastes better.
- If the walls soften before the rice is done, take the foil off and finish uncovered so the outside dries and firms.
Substitutions
- No pumpkin large enough: bake the filling in a deep dish topped with 3 cm rounds of squash, covered, for 1 hour. You lose the theatre but not the flavour.
- Dried figs, dates and dried cherries all work in place of any of the fruits, and are used regionally.
Variations
- A Lori version uses cracked wheat instead of rice and much less honey.
- Some households add a layer of cooked chickpeas and a spoon of rosewater to the filling.
History
Pumpkin hollowed and baked with rice, dried fruit and nuts, served at harvest and Christmas and celebrated in song.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ghapama?
Ghapama is a main from Armenia: pumpkin baked with rice, dried fruit and honey; celebrated in song. Pumpkin hollowed and baked with rice, dried fruit and nuts, served at harvest and Christmas and celebrated in song.
How long does Ghapama take to make?
Ghapama takes 40 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 to 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Ghapama?
Yes, within limits. No pumpkin large enough: bake the filling in a deep dish topped with 3 cm rounds of squash, covered, for 1 hour. You lose the theatre but not the flavour. Dried figs, dates and dried cherries all work in place of any of the fruits, and are used regionally.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ghapama?
Pour in 150 ml of hot water, set the lid back on, and wrap the whole pumpkin in foil or set it in a deep dish with a lid.
