Flatbread-making and sharing are part of the culture of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey, which has enabled it to persist as a widely-practiced tradition.
According to Gil Marks, a food historian, lavash originated in the Middle East more generally than in Armenia, but some scholars say it originated in Iran. Lavash traces its roots to the early invention of making thin flatbreads on terracotta griddles, according to Gil Marks. Initially, bread was cooked as cakes either on heat rocks or in embers, but as griddles were developed, bread had to be made thinner to cook properly without burning, as described in the bible in the rakik recipe. The invention of early ovens made thicker loaves possible.
The process of making the bread (lavash, katyrma, jupka or yufka) involves at least three people, many of whom are family members who take turns preparing and baking it. In rural areas, neighbors work together in the process. The bread is also baked in traditional bakeries. It is baked on earth or with stones using a tandyr/tanur a ground oven, a saj (a metal plate), or a kazan (a cauldron). Instead of the tonir, a griddle or wok can be used in the modern kitchen to adapt the recipe.
Aside from regular meals, flatbread is eaten at weddings, births, funerals, holidays, and at prayers. Traditionally, in both Azerbaijan and Iran, it is put on the shoulders of the bride or crumbled over her head to wish the couple prosperity. Meanwhile, in Turkey, it is given to the couple's neighbors. Kazaks believe that the bread should be prepared before God makes a decision for the deceased, while in Kyrgyzstan, it is believed that the deceased will have a better afterlife if they share the bread together. Through participation within families and through teaching from master to apprentice, the practice represents hospitality, solidarity, and certain beliefs that represent cultural roots that reinforce community identity.
Furthermore, lavash baking is a common theme that has inspired Armenian painters. An example is the portrait of Minas Minassian, a famous Soviet-era artist, on display at Yerevan's National Museum of Art. Also, during U.S. President Gerald Ford's administration, a print of the painting Armenian Ladies Baking Lavash, by Armenian American artist Manuel Tolegian, was included in the White House Bicentennial Collection. As of today, Lavash-related paintings and handiworks can be found at the weekend open-air arts-and-crafts market in Yerevan, where happy women are often seen making lavash.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/flatbread-making-and-sharing-culture-lavash-katyrma-jupka-yufka-01181) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavash)