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“At his lahmajoon bistro in the centre of Yerevan, 28-year-old Gaidzak Jabakhtchurian is adding a layer of spiced meat paste to a dough base. Four years ago, Jabakhtchurian and his family left their two bakeries in Aleppo, home to many of Syria’s ethnic Armenians, and moved here to escape the fighting.

The Jabakhtchurians are among thousands of Syrian refugees in Armenia, bringing with them new flavours and cooking styles to a country more accustomed to milder cuisine. Lahmajoon (thin crust pizza with ground beef or lamb), spicy muhammara (hot pepper dip), fattoush (a green salad topped with pieces of pita bread), falafel and other Middle Eastern dishes are becoming increasingly popular, although they are often adapted to suit local tastes,” writes The Guardian referring the preparations of Syrian lahmajoon in ancestral homeland Armenia.

“We made our most famous lahmajoon less spicy,” said Jabakhtchurian. “We use our eight types of spices … but in Armenia we are quite mild.”

Gaidzak provided The Guardian with the recipe of Syrian-Armenian lahmajoon. He also mentioned the different names of lahmajoon conditioned with the spices. For example, one lahmajoon, big on the beef, is named after the capital, Yerevan. Another, made with onions and lots of parsley, after the northern city of Gyumri. Although lahmajoon is not new to Armenia, locals note a clear difference to the Aleppo variety.

“It is a really crazy mix of flavours,” said Yerevan citizen Gayane Bilbulian.

The UN’s Yerevan-based refugees coordinator, Anahit Hayrapetian, said the number of Middle Eastern restaurants in Armenia had increased significantly since the war started in 2011. Now there are more than 50 in the capital.

Hayrapetyan also said that Syrian-Armenians have been encouraged by the fact that locals warmly welcomed the tastes and the smells of their cuisine.