From one of the stands of the underground passage of the Berekamutyun station of Yerevan Metro, the aroma of hot “zhengyal bread” [NK-specific snack food with herbs—zhengyal– inside dough] spreads every day, and the name “Taste of Shushi” posted on the wall does not miss the view of passers-by. That’s what Lida Mkrtchyan called her “zhengyalov bread” stand. It turned out that she was a teacher in Artsakh and taught Armenian language and literature for about 30 years at the primary school named after Khachatur Abovyan in the city of Shushi, NK.
“My husband, Meruzhan Sargsyan, was a mathematics teacher and I was an Armenian language and literature teacher. For almost 20 years, I was the deputy director of the primary school named after Khachatur Abovyan in Shushi. We lived peacefully and harmoniously, but in 2016, after the Four-Day War, we were already living in between peace and war. 2020 September 27 was an ordinary Sunday. I was in a hurry to finish the housework so that we could go to church. Our house was between two churches – St. jogn the Baptist and St. Ghazanchetsots. As soon as I heard the explosions that day, I immediately understood that it was a war. We got out of the house quickly. There was no hiding place, no suitable basement. Looking here and there with the neighbors, we decided to go to the yard of the House of Culture, which was nearby. A large number of young people had already gathered there to volunteer for the defense. All three of my sons voluntarily went to defensive positions in different directions,” my interlocutor presented her experiences of the war, continuing to bake zhengyal bread.
The bombardment in the direction of Shushi gradually intensified. The situation worsened after the bombardment and destruction of the House of Culture and St. Ghazanchetsots Savior Church. Things were very serious. Inner worry and anxiety did not give rest to Mrs. Lida, because her boys were in defensive positions without a shift. She was informed by the military commissariat that there was no order to replace them. My interlocutor promised the neighbors that as soon as her three sons return from the front, she will bake zhengyal bread. One day, all three miraculously came home for a short leave and the happy mother undertook to fulfill her promise.
Ignoring the rain of bombs and shells, Mrs. Lida and another woman collect greens from the garden and bring them to the shelter. “Together with the women, we cleaned, washed, cut the greens and baked 50 zhengyal breadd, which was enough for everyone. Our most difficult moments in the basement days were hearing the names of the dead in public. We read their surnames holding our breaths. Once they published the name of the victim with my son’s last name. My husband got sick. They assured me that this Meruzh’s father’s name was different. And my husmabd said it doesn’t matter if the father’s name is mine or another one: someone’s life was destroyed, didn’t it?” the teacher talked excitedly about the nightmares of those days.
After getting married, since 1983, Lida Mkrtchyan lived in Yerevan for about 7 years, but during the Karabakh Movement, they decided to move to Artsakh with their family and contribute to the existential battle. Lida Mkrtchyan was born in Chartar; her husband is from Sos village. 1990 they moved with their family to the village of Sos and her husband participated in the Artsakh liberation struggl, and, after the liberation of Shushi, they settled in that fortress city. Their 3rd son was born in the city of Shushi.
The last days of October, 2020 were very dangerous in Shushi. Mrs. Lida and her husband did not want to leave the city. “My sons forced us to evacuate to Armenia. They accompanied us to Tegh village, from where we moved to Yerevan. On the night of November 9, my son called and told us that the war was over but we have nothing left anymore. It was very hard for me, but as a mother I had to support them. I said, dear boy, don’t worry about material things. The important thing is that you are alive. The next day they were in Yerevan. My sons could not take anything from our house. I only took my documents and the house keys with me. Until now, I do not know why I am keeping those keys,” said my interlocutor indignantly.
After moving to Yerevan and losing everything, they had to start a new life. The intelligent family was in a difficult situation. Working in a school was not realistic for the spouses who were already close to retirement age, and Mrs. Lida came up with the idea of selling bread with the traditional Artsakh zhengyal. Now, she prepares Artsakh zhengyal bread every day in a small rented stall in the underground passage of “Berekamutyun” metro station. During the conversation, she takes out a container of freshly cut greens from the refrigerator, rolls the freshly kneaded dough on a small table and warms the bread.
“Who would have thought that baking bread with zhengyal would become a means of livelihood for me? Since we lost Artsakh, I didn’t want the Artsakhculture to disappear and decided to preserve our traditional bread making formula, naming this small business “Taste of Shushi”. That’s how I keep alive our memories, an important and special component of our culture. Every woman is obliged to bake bread with zhengyal and I am even ready to teach it. It may decrease my work, but that culture shall develop,” added Mrs. Lida.
The mother-in-law who has reached the threshold of 90 also lives with them in a small apartment. Due to housing and employment problems, two of her sons do not get married. “Salaries here are very low and a homeless resident of Artsakh cannot take care of his/her livelihood problems. And with the housing program offered by the government, it is not possible to buy an apartment at current market prices. The plan is not realistic; it’s just a mockery,” Lida Mkrtchyan concluded her speech.
Zara Mayilyan