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Rice-a-Roni and the Armenian woman who inspired its creation











The Captanian family in New York in 1921: Pailadzo, Gilbert, Aram and Herant.

Courtesy of Captanian FamilyThe Captanian family in New York in 1921: Pailadzo, Gilbert, Aram and Herant.

Courtesy of Captanian Family



Pailadzo Captanian (1882-1968) was a teacher at an Armenian school in Samsun. In her important memoir, she talks about being forced to leave her home. She had to leave her two children behind and gave birth to her third child during the journey. She named this baby Tsʿavag, which means sorrow or pain. In 1918, Pailadzo returned to Constantinople and was reunited with her children. She later moved to the U.S., where she published the Armenian version of her memoir. She also inspired the creation of Rice-A-Roni, "The San Francisco Treat."



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