An Armenian specialty, Ghapama is a cozy fall rice dish baked and served in a pumpkin. Perfect for an October meal when pumpkins are in season, this incorporates dried fruit, cinnamon and honey into the rice, lending a sweet and tart tension to a hearty side dish. In all honesty, the flavors weren’t as tantalizing to me as the presentation, and there are a few things I’d do differently the next time I make this. First, the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 sweet (or cooking) pumpkin, hollowed out with the top saved (about 3 lbs)
1 cup rice
1 ½ to 2 cups water
4 Tbsp. butter (½ stick)
¼ cup each of dried apricots, plums, cherries – all chopped
¼ cup raisins
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of salt
2 Tbsp honey
½ cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts or pecans) – optional
¼ cup hot water
Method:
Bring the water to a boil, then add rice. Turn to low and cover for 8-10 minutes.
In a small pan, melt butter and cook fruits, raisins and nuts for 5-10 minutes. Add cinnamon and salt. When rice is half-way done and water is mostly absorbed, add the fruit mixture and mix. Line the interior of the pumpkin with honey then add rice mixture. Leave a little space at the top (it will expand) and replace the top of the pumpkin. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours (until a toothpick slides easily into the side of the pumpkin indicating that it’s cooked).
How I would do it differently:
First, I’m not a fan of raisins and dried fruit, so perhaps this isn’t the best dish for me. Next time I try it I’ll decrease the amount of all of that and allow the rice to be the main element. Some recipes call for sugar in lieu of honey; I like the honey, but I may add some brown sugar to tip it just this side of sweet (and balance the tartness of the raisins and fruit). I’d also up the cinnamon a bit and maybe add some freshly ground nutmeg; this recipe is very forgiving, and the few I viewed online had several variations. Unhealthy as it may be, I’d also look into adding a little more butter to everything.
Those minor issues aside, this was a grand dish, especially in the presentation and serving. You cut out slices of pumpkin and allow the rice to spill over onto each, then serve the piece to your guest. If cut all at once, it fans out like some pungent fall flower. Even though I wasn’t an initial fan of the fruit, once I wrapped my head around what it should taste like, I began to enjoy it.
This is such a popular dish in Armenia that there’s a song written about it. For the benefit of all on hand, I did not try to sing it, but it certainly sounds fun.
