How to Preserve the Taste of Home on the Other Side of the World: French Publisher to Release Siblings Zarzavadjian’s Book on Armenian Diaspora Cuisine

From Argentina and Lebanon to Australia and Japan, Armenian cuisine has long lived far beyond Armenia’s borders, evolving under the influence of new countries, ingredients and family stories. It is this journey that siblings Corinne and Richard Zarzavadjian explore in their new book, tracing the culinary traditions of the Armenian diaspora across different parts of the world. Their book, La Cuisine des Arméniens. Recettes et histoires de la diaspora à travers le monde (Armenian Cuisine: Recipes and Stories of the Diaspora Around the World), is being published by Solar.

For Corinne and Richard Zarzavadjian, this is far from their first joint project connected to Armenian heritage. In 2017, they published Cuisine d’Arménie with Solar, bringing together more than 70 traditional recipes from their mother’s culinary notes. Corinne Zarzavadjian is also a writer. In 2024, her novel Rose de Diarbékir, une passion arménienne was awarded the Prix Pierre Benoit, while her new novel, La Roseraie de Garabed, un destin arménien, was released in January 2026.

The new book significantly expands on this theme. The authors follow Armenian cuisine across different countries, showing how it maintains its connection to tradition while absorbing local flavors and ingredients. The book features 70 recipes, from boureks and manti to dolma and baklava.

But this is more than a collection of recipes. Behind each dish are the stories of Armenian families who found themselves in different parts of the world. Traditional recipes appear alongside new versions that emerged in different cultural and culinary environments.

Crispy boureks, manti, grape leaves for dolma, golden baklava: in the book, familiar dishes become stories of journeys, migration and family memory. The authors show how food helps preserve connections between generations while continuing to evolve rather than remaining unchanged.

The authors describe the book as a journey through Armenia and the diaspora, somewhere between a cookbook and a travelogue. At its heart are not only food, but also questions of identity, the transmission of traditions and cultural exchange.

Ahead of the official presentation in Marseille, the authors had already presented the book in Paris. On September 12, Corinne and Richard Zarzavadjian spoke about it at the Armenian pavilion of the international gastronomic festival Village International de la Gastronomie.