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Best Pokhindz in San Francisco

“Roasted wheat flour eaten in Armenia since ancient times, even before bread.”

Pokhindz

What the real thing tastes like

Pokhindz (Armenian: փոխինձ) is a traditional Armenian flour made from roasted wheat. The wheat is roasted, ground into flour, and has been consumed in Armenia since ancient times, even before bread. It can be eaten as is or mixed with water and salt to form a porridge. Pokhindz is significant in Saint Sarkis Day traditions, especially in the dish khashil, which involves heating pokhindz with salt and water over a fire, then adding butter. Legends about Saint Sarkis Day include a story where he transforms roasted wheat flour into a blizzard to punish a cruel father. A ritual on the eve of Saint Sarkis Day involved leaving pokhindz behind a door, hoping for a sign of good luck from Saint Sarkis. On the day itself, savory pastries made with pokhindz were prepared, and foods like roasted wheat, hemp seeds, raisins, walnuts, and roasted peas were shared with children after being carried around a fire.

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Pokhindz is roasted wheat flour, ground and eaten since ancient Armenia—a food so old it predates bread itself. Mixed with water and salt, it becomes khashil, a porridge heated over fire and enriched with butter, particularly central to Saint Sarkis Day rituals. The flour carries legend: Saint Sarkis once transformed it into a blizzard to shield the innocent. On feast days, it appears in savory pastries and is shared with children alongside walnuts, raisins, and roasted seeds, each element passed around a fire.

Order it here when it has

  • deeply historical
  • ceremonial significance
  • simple preparation
  • communal sharing

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