he asked for the most beautiful shield to be brought to him from the Armenian army stationed at the borders of Assyria. Nebuchadnezzar had no objections, and the messengers of the Assyrian king went to the Armenian camp and conveyed Aram’s request. All night the servants of the king contemplated why he needed a shield and what did Aram request actually. When it finally dawned on them, they hid thin pieces of lavash in it and handed it to the messengers.

None of the Assyrians ever heard of lavash – tough to guess that bread could be hidden inside copper plating. After inspecting the shield, Aram shook his head: “It’s not good enough. May I have another?”

Each day before the competition, the messengers went to the border and again brought some lavash hidden inside a shield for Aram. On the eleventh day, Aram and Nebuchadnezzar went to the shooting range. Nebuchadnezzar was convinced that Aram, who had been left without food, would be dispirited and weak. To his surprise, Aram won the competition and returned to his country with honour. It was the lavash that saved him. Returning to his homeland, the king commanded that only lavash should be baked in Armenia instead of other kinds of bread.