STEPANAKERT. – Within the framework of the Program of Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR; Artsakh) will organize the first ever Zhengyal Bread Festival.

The event will take place on Wednesday at Nikol Duman House Museum in Tsaghkashat village of the NKR Askeran Region.

Each region of the NKR will be represented by participants skilled in preparing the most popular dish of Artsakh cuisine. The whole process of making the zhengyal bread followed by creative ways of its serving will be presented at the festival.

The objective of this event is to preserve and promote the intangible cultural heritage of Artsakh, and to instill respect and caring attitude towards national traditions and ethnic peculiarities.

The zhengyal bread is truly considered the hallmark of Artsakh cuisine. This unique dish, which is made from flour, herbs, oil and spices, has been prepared in Artsakh for a long time. It was first mentioned in written manuscripts of the 19th century, when the Artsakh folklore was being recorded. In 2013 the, NKR government included the zhengyal bread in the list of values of intangible cultural heritage of Artsakh.

The festival, which is organized at the initiative of the NKR Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs, is the third event held within the framework of the Artsakh Cuisine Festival.

In 2014, the traditional bread festival and the Artsakh pickle festival were held in Khantsk village of Askeran Region and in Drakhtik village of Hadrut Region, respectively.

The festival will start at 1pm, and it will be accompanied by traditional food serving, interesting games and competitions, concerts, and some other cultural events. The admission is free.