Protecting Armenian vivifying tea

The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, commonly referred to as the Matenadaran, is well worth visiting in Yerevan. Some of the manuscripts on display are quite stunning. But apparently there’s more to the place than (very) old books. I bought this Vivifying Flower Tea in the gift shop, and the label refers to a Research Center for Medieval Armenian Medicine.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing online about this research center, but there’s clearly a lot of work around on Medieval Armenian medicine, and the role of plants in it. It’s interesting that the concoction I bought is actually protected by a patent (see the label). That’s a different route to the one taken by India, for example. The tea was in fact pretty good, if a bit expensive, though not, if I am honest, especially vivifying. I wonder if any of takings from the gift shop filters back into conservation, of either the tea’s constituent plants or the manuscripts which hold the secret of its manufacture. I suspect not.

Nibbles: Chickens, Millet adoption, Specialty crops, World Food Day, Migrating forests, Vietnamese pheasants, Yews, High prices, Genebank tour, Climate change conference.

The pomegranate in Armenia

The pomegranate is everywhere in Armenia. And I don’t mean just in the markets. A famous film is named after the fruit. Tea and wine are made from it. And its image features on everything from church walls to tourist souvenirs. I suppose it goes back to pre-Christian mythology, in which it was a symbol of fertility and abundance — something to do with the belief that each fruit contained exactly 365 seeds, perhaps. Anyway, here’s a compendium of pomegranate iconography from my recent trip. Couldn’t get much information on diversity, I’m afraid, how much there is of it and to what extent it is endangered. Something for the next time.

And where is Luigi now?

Due to overwhelming popular demand, ((Not really. Ed.)) here’s the next instalment of Luigi’s tour of Caucasus genebanks. Below is the site of the Scientific Center of Agrobiotechnology of the Ministry of Agriculture, which houses the Armenian national genebank, and is one of the key stakeholders in the national plant genetic resources programme. It is located in Echmiadzin (Էջմիածին), about a half hour drive to the west of Yerevan. A couple hundred meters north of the institute is the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, the central cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The national genebank boasts something like 450 wheat, 300 chickpea and 100 capsicum accessions, among others. The Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin boasts three pieces of the True Cross and a bit of Noah’s Ark.


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Nibbles: Moringa, Fungi, Blue potatoes, GRAIN, Nutrition, Maize Day, Sorghum research