Ghapama is one of the most festive dishes in Armenian cuisine — a whole pumpkin stuffed with sweetened rice, dried fruits, and nuts, baked until the flesh is tender and fragrant. It's so beloved there's a famous Armenian folk song about it: "Hey Jan Ghapama." Traditionally made for New Year, it's easier than it looks and absolutely worth making.
Ingredients
1 small sugar pie pumpkin (4–5 lbs).
Filling: 1½ cups long-grain rice (parboiled 5 minutes and drained), ¼ cup raisins, ¼ cup dried apricots (chopped), ¼ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup walnuts (roughly chopped), 3 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp butter (melted), ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp cardamom, pinch of salt.
Also: 2 tbsp butter for brushing, 1 tbsp honey for glazing.
Prep the pumpkin
Slice off the top to create a lid. Scoop out all seeds and stringy flesh. Lightly salt the inside. Save the lid.
Make the filling
Mix parboiled rice with all dried fruits, nuts, honey, melted butter, and spices. Taste for sweetness — it should be fragrant and slightly sweet. It will become more savory as it absorbs the pumpkin's juices during baking.
Stuff and bake
Pack filling loosely into the pumpkin — leave room as the rice will expand. Replace the lid. Brush the outside generously with butter and drizzle with honey. Place in a baking dish with ¼ cup water in the bottom. Bake at 350°F for 1.5–2 hours until deeply golden and a knife slides through the flesh easily.
Serve
Bring to the table whole. Scoop servings by cutting through the pumpkin flesh and scooping rice filling together. Leftovers reheat beautifully.