“If there are no foraged herbs in the mix, it won’t make a good Jingalov hats” Oleg explains to me at CAIA’s Hayashen Centre, in early January 2025. 

Jingalov hats is a flatbread stuffed with a mix of finely diced herbs and green vegetables. A staple food for those living in the former Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the Syunik region of southern Armenia, Oleg and his partner Svetlana plan to carry on the tradition of making and serving the hearty dish as they settle into their new life in the UK. 

Born in Baku, Oleg’s family moved to Ukraine after the Sumgait pogroms in 1989 when he was a teenager. After studying and working in Ukraine for 33 years, he left Kharkiv at the outbreak of the war with Russia in 2022, making him a refugee twice. 

After spending time in various cities across the UK in 2023 and early 2024, he eventually joined his aunt, a long-time UK citizen in London. In May 2024, Westminster council gave Oleg and Svetlana a 1-bedroom council flat in Maida Vale and around the same time, the pair attended two training course organised by the CAIA at Hayashen. As a result, they both gained Food Hygiene in Food and a Level 2 health and safety in the workplace certificates.

After visiting 6 job centers who asked him to find any work possible, Oleg decided to pursue his own path – to preserve the tradition of making Jingalov hats. He began his search looking for an authentic firepit to cook the flatbread the traditional way, avoiding gas or electricity, to replicate the dish the way his ancestors in Artsakh did. 

With the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh in September 2023, Oleg stresses the importance of preserving his cultural heritage in the form of cooking, stating it is his duty to do so. He continues the practice of foraging for herbs across parks in London, to maintain the authenticity of the dish. 

With the help of CAIA and the food hygiene course, Oleg and Svetlana are set to begin their venture of educating their new community on this treasured dish. If you are interested in supporting Oleg’s story and many other similar journeys Armenian refuges take, please reach out to CAIA at: info@caia.org.uk