An Introduction to Georgian Food
This post is an overview of Georgian cuisine. Read about some of its most popular dishes and see why it’s among the tastiest in the world!
No jokes, Georgian cuisine is amazing. If you’ve never experienced it, you’re missing out big time!
I was fortunate enough to live in Georgia for three months in 2017, and I got myself closely acquainted with her cuisine. Even going so far as to teach myself how to cook some of the most popular dishes (Not always successfully mind).
Obviously, this doesn’t qualify me as some kind of expert on Georgian food, not by any means. However, most travellers when they visit the country, don’t really get much further than khachapuri and khinkali, the country’s two most popular foods. Well, the intention with this post is to take you further than the usual suspects and introduce you to some of the other delights of Georgian cooking.
PS: To see my first impressions of Georgia as a country read THIS POST
Recently, I’ve read a few different takes on Georgian cuisine, and they literally only mention a few dishes. It’s like they didn’t try anything outside of what the guide books tell them to while in the country. I, on the other hand, tried a great variety of Georgian dishes, from several different regions. I can even make some of them myself from memory.
In this post, I’ll share with you, the popular, the tasty, the not so tasty and the pure heaven.
Even Batman likes Georgian cuisine :
An Introduction to Georgian Cuisine
Khachapuri — ხაჭაპური
Cheesy bread
Pronounced: ‘Hatch — a — pu — ri’ (more or less)
This is one of the dishes that most other food bloggers get wrong. They write that Khachapuri is a boat shaped piece of bread with egg and cheese filling in the hollowed part. They are wrong. What they are describing is not khachapuri. They are describing ‘Ajaruli Khachapuri‘ — a certain type of Khachapuri from the region ‘Ajari‘ (west coast).
Khachapuri has lots of different styles, depending on the region of origin. At it’s heart, it is a thin round of bread, with cheese baked into it. I’ve actually seen a baker make khachapuri, and they fold the cheese right into the dough of the bread before baking it. In that way, the cheese is actually a part of the bread.
By the way, in Georgian, ‘Khacha‘ means ‘cheese’ and ‘puri‘ means ‘bread’. Hence: ‘cheesebread’!
Here are the basic types of khachapuri:
Imeruli Khachapuri — იმერული ხაჭაპური
Imeruli khachapuri is pretty much the bog-standard form of khachapuri. It is a flat disc of bread with the cheese baked right inside it. I would go so far as to say that it is the most popular type of khachapuri among Georgians.
Megeruli Khachapuri — მეგრული ხაჭაპური
This is a beast of a khachapuri. Essentially, it is the same as Imeruli khachapuri. The difference is that Megeruli khachapuri has cheese on the inside AND on the top. It’s like a double stuffed khachapuri! This is the khachapuri for the cheese lovers!
Ajaruli Khachapuri — აჭარული ხაჭაპური
This is the most popular type of khachapuri with visitors to Georgia. As I mentioned above, it is a boat shaped piece of bread, with a hollowed out middle part for filling. There are several different filling options. The most popular is definitely the cheese, egg and butter variety — more about that below. Another popular option is spinach and cheese.
The common way to eat them is by tearing off the edges of the long bread and using it to mix the filling together. This is important with the cheese and egg variety because the egg is usually served undercooked (almost raw). Mixing it with the hot cheese finishes off the cooking process. You can then use the edges of the bread to mop up the filling.
Alternatively, just dig in and eat it as you wish! Ajaruli khachapuri is usually served with a knob of butter on top too.
Here is a photo of my first ever attempt at making Ajaruli Khachapuri myself from scratch :
It’s not perfect, but I will definitely take it.
Ajaruli khachapuri is delicious. I’ve never met a person who doesn’t like it. I would eat it every day if I could! Unfortunately, it is one of those dishes that is not cholesterol friendly, so best not to over-indulge.
If you’re looking for good Ajaruli khachapuri in Tbilisi, you can seldom go wrong. One of the best places to try it in the centre is at RETRO. This is a popular restaurant on the main Maidan (Liberty) Square. They make a topnotch Ajaruli khachapuri there.
Kubdari — კუბდარი
Chunky meat pie
Pronounced: ‘Koob — dar — ee’
Svanetian Kubdari is another one of my favourites of Georgian cuisine. It lands just outside the khachapuri section because it shares some similar traits with khachapuri. Hence why I put it just underneath khachapuri in this article. The traits that it shares are that it can be eaten on the go, bought from bakers and is essentially a filled bread/pastry.
Kubdari is a meat pie from the Svaneti region of Georgia (NW). It is usually made with diced chunks of a mixture of beef and pork and should not be confused with Fydzhin which is made with minced meat and is a typical food from Ossetia. I liken kubdari to Russian belyash, except kubdari is a lot meatier and chunkier. Thus, it is a lot more satisfying.
The pastry is a simple mixture of flour, water and yeast, sometimes with egg and sugar added. The meat filling gets a combination of awesome Georgian spices added to it and, like khinkali below, becomes moist and juicy upon cooking. My favourite place to get a kubdari in Tbilisi was by this little hole in the wall baker’s near Dynamo’s football stadium. I would rock up before a match and get a warm kubdari before entering the stadium.
Puri — პური
Traditional wood-fired Georgian bread
Pronounced: ‘pu — ri’ (that’s a tough one)
You remember what ‘puri’ means right? I did tell you above… ‘Puri‘ is simply the Georgian word for ‘bread’. So, nothing fancy here. However, I did want to just write a little bit about Georgian bread because it is excellent.
Traditional Georgian bread is cooked in a well shaped oven. The dough is shaped using a mould and then stuck to the inside of the well and cooked until it is an appetising golden brown colour. This traditional type of bread is called ‘shoti‘.
My second apartment in Tbilisi just happened to be above a small local baker’s place. His name was ‘Ghiorghi’. I became friends with him, and he let me sit in his baker’s shop while he made the bread. It was very interesting to see him in action. What I also found interesting was the way that Georgians bought four or five of these shotis at a time and then took them home in their hands. The breads are so big that they could hardly see over them. It didn’t half look funny to see somebody stumbling along the street with these massive breads in their arms.
I loved getting the bread when it has just come out of the oven. Fresh and warm. I could eat a whole shoti by itself with nothing with it. That’s how good they were!
Lobiani — ლობიანი
A bread round filled with mashed beans
Pronounced: ‘Lobby — annie’
The word ‘lobio‘ means ‘beans’ in the Georgian language. Don’t get ‘Lobiani‘ confused with the dish ‘Lobio‘, which is a bean stew (see below). That’s what I did on my first day in the country. I wanted to order a bean stew, and instead asked for ‘Lobiani‘, which is similar to khachapuri — but not technically khachapuri because of the lack of cheese.
Lobiani is a bit like Imeruli khachapuri, except that instead of cheese in the middle, there are mashed beans. So, essentially, it is a flat bread with a bean filling. The beans used are red, and they seem like kidney beans, although I am not certain about that. In Georgia, it is traditional to eat Lobiani on December 17th; ‘St. Barbara’s Day’.
Lobio — ლობიო
Kidney bean stew
Pronounced: ‘Lobby — oh’
Lobio, simply put, is a kidney bean stew. There are several different types of lobio. Much like khachapuri, almost every region of Georgia has its own take on it. At its most basic, red beans are cooked in a ketsi clay pot usually with onion and a variety of spices. Practically all variations of lobio stem off from that central theme.
Lobio is a good choice for vegetarians although BEWARE — some restaurants put pork or pork fat in with the beans. Best to check first!
By the way, if you are a vegetarian or vegan, a good place for you to check out in Tbilisi is the beautiful vegetarian ‘Cafe Leila‘. It is almost right next to the Gabriadze Puppet Theatre in the old town. Not only do they do great vegan lobio, they also do a variety of other tasty vegetarian menu items. Try the lemonades and pumpkin soup! Highly recommended!
Lobio is sometimes served with ‘Mchadi’…
Mchadi — მჭადი
Georgian corn bread
Pronounced: ‘Ma (very quick) — hadi’
Mchadi is a very simple corn bread round. They are commonly eaten with Lobio (bean stew) or as an appetiser. I personally am not a huge fan of them because they are quite dense and heavy compared to other breads. For example, I wouldn’t eat one by itself. They go well with something like Lobio, or other stews where there is liquid to soften them.
Very simply, corn flour (maize) is mixed with water and salt, formed into a dough and then either fried or baked until browned. When ready, they look a bit like flattened doughnuts or swollen pancakes!
Khinkali — ხინკალი
Georgian dumplings
Pronounced: ‘Hin — cali’
This is the other big player of Georgian Cuisine. It is essentially a large dumpling. You can draw similarities between khinkali and Manti, Russian Pelmeni or Chinese soup dumplings. All of those types of dumplings are delicious. But for me, khinkali is the king of the dumplings. It’s fitting then that it is kind of crown shaped.
Khinkali starts its life as a simple flour-and-water pastry. It is rolled into a thin disc shape. The chosen filling is spooned onto the middle of this disc. Then, the khinkali is formed by crimping the edges together and twisting it shut. I myself have made khinkali several times, although I can’t claim to be great at it. The crimping and closing process is quite difficult and takes a lot of practice.
Supposedly, khinkali originated in the mountainous areas of Georgia. There are a few different fillings to choose from. There are the classic meat fillings : khevsuruli (beef, pork and spices), kalakuri (the same as khevsuruli but with herbs). In the mountains, lamb is the most common meant used for the filling. If you don’t fancy meat you can also go for potato, cheese and mushroom varieties.
How to eat khinkali:
Eating khinkali is not as simple as 1–2–3. There is a bit of a trick to it.
Firstly, you take the khinkali by the twisted top.
Then make a small bite in the side of the khinkali.
Through this hole you should drink the juices inside the khinkali. Tip your head back with the khinkali held to your mouth and suck out the juices.
You can then continue eating the rest of the dumpling.
NOTE: You don’t eat the top of the khinkali (the ‘kudi’). That part is only used to hold the khinkali. Instead of eating it, put it back on your plate. Traditionally, the number of these ‘tops’ on your plate would serve as your bill by telling the barman how many khinkali you’ve eaten. These days… you get a bill instead.
Peasants’ Salad
A simple tomato, cucumber and onion salad
Peasants’ Salad — as it is known in Georgia — is a simple, but delicious salad of onion, cucumber and tomato. Similar salads exist in several other countries in Europe, so I don’t believe that this mixture actually originated in Georgia. I find that the mixture goes together really well and makes a tasty, healthy and cheap meal.
Sometimes the salad is seasoned with Georgian salt, and sometimes Georgian walnut sauce is added. At home, I simply add a dash of olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Khashi
Tripe and calf foot soup
Pronounced: ‘Hashy’
I did try to make my own khashi at home, but it just tasted like barn
Khashi is another of my absolute favourites of Georgian cuisine. But then, I am a big fan of offal and unusual foods. Khashi is essentially a tripe soup. It is similar-ish to the Romanian ‘Ciorba de Burta‘ or the balkan ‘Shkembe Ciorba’. The big difference between them is that Khashi is less garlicky, buttery and milky and has a calf’s foot in it. Yeah… a whole calf’s foot. Yum!
I ate a few different khashis in Georgia, and I honestly love it. They say that it is particularly good as a cure for hangovers. Maybe that’s why!
If you look hard enough around the city you can find ‘Khasheria’s, little restaurants which specialise in Khashi — or, in theory they should. However, when I visited the khasheria in Abanotubani, the sulphur bath district near my second apartment in the city, I was disappointed to see that they didn’t have normal khashi. Only ‘spicy khashi’, which didn’t feature the expected foot. I have never been so disappointed to not have a cow’s foot in my meal before!
Here’s one little unpleasant story about khashi: In the supermarket Carrefour, you can by a recipe kit to make your own khashi at home. By ‘recipe kit’ I mean, you can buy a pack with tripe and a calf’s foot in it. I did try to make my own khashi at home, but it just tasted like barn, no matter how much I washed and cleaned the tripe and foot. I tried everything ; boiling them first, scrubbing them, washing and soaking in vinegar. In the end, my khashi was inedible because it only tasted like hay. It also left an unpleasant smell in the apartment for a few days. I’ll stick to ordering it when out!
Shkmeruli — შქმერული
Roasted chicken in garlic and milk
Pronounced: ‘Shek — meh — roo — lee’
Of all of the delicious foods that you can find in Georgia, Shkmeruli is my absolute favourite. It is also a pretty simple dish. It originates from the ‘Racha‘ region of Georgia.
A whole chicken is split into its separate pieces and briefly pan fried to brown the outside. It is then cooked in an oven in a ‘ketsi‘ (clay pot) with a sauce made from garlic, milk and chicken stock. The outcome is a deliciously tender garlicky chicken. It is fairly easy to replicate yourself at home, as I have done several times. It makes a wonderful centrepiece of a meal, with people helping themselves to the pieces of chicken that they like.
I tend to serve Chkmeruli with boiled potatoes and vegetables like green beans, which go well with the garlic sauce. Bread with this is a must!
Kharcho — ხარშო
Spiced beef soup with rice
Pronounced: ‘Har — ch — oh’
Kharcho is a meaty soup most commonly made with beef. You can, however, also find a chicken version and sometimes other meats. I would say that beef is definitely the most popular though. The soup is nicely spiced, and I would say that it is usually sour rather than being actually ‘spicy’.
The basic ingredients are; meat, red peppers, coriander, onion and tomato puree. When served, the meat is tender because it should cook for at least a couple of hours. You can find kharcho both with and without rice.
This is another dish that is pretty simple to make yourself at home. You just need to collect the ingredients and have the time to cook it. Also, be sure to have some bread handy to mop up that delicious broth!
Chikhirtma — ჩიხირთმა
Brothy chicken soup
Pronounced: ‘Chick — hear — t — ma’
I don’t actually remember if I ever tried chikhirtma myself while I was in Georgia. It is a pretty simply chicken soup recipe that creates a tasy broth style soup. The chicken is boiled in water for an hour or two. The chicken is then removed, and the leftover broth becomes the focus of attention. It is joined by lightly fried onions, raw egg yolks, flour, a drop of vinegar, salt and finally coriander.
It might sound a little bit simple, and different to your average chicken soup, but it is one of the most popular soups in the country.
Kuchmachi — კუჭმაჭი
Offal salad with pomegranates and walnut sauce
Pronounced: ‘Kooch — ma — chi’
It was the worst thing that I ate in Georgia
I really like discovering new offal dishes. The ‘offal fear’ that plagues some people doesn’t affect me at all. That’s why I was happy to get to try this dish ‘kuchmachi‘. It is a mixture of offal from a young pig. The recipe that I read says that it contains; heart, liver, kidney, spleen and lung.
What?! No Brain?
The offal mixture is boiled for several hours and then allowed to cool down. That’s right, it is eaten COLD. When the offal is cold, spices are added to it along with onion, garlic and pomegranate seeds. The whole thing is then covered with a few tablespoons of thick walnut sauce.
I suppose that I would be game to try this dish again. The problem with the one that I ate was that the offal flavour was really strong. That is something that I never normally say because,as I said, I eat a lot of offal. There was just nothing here to take the edge off the strong offaly flavour. I think that the fact that it is eaten cold (well, room temperature) also does not help. These factors combined to make this dish the worst thing that I ate in Georgia. But, as I said, I would be up for trying it again. I might get converted!
Churchkhela — ჩურჩხელა
Sweet sausage-shapes made of nuts and grape juice
Pronounced: ‘church — ke — la’
You can’t really visit Georgia without noticing Churchkhela. As you walk the streets of any city or town, you will notice stores with hundreds of these things hanging down from the ceiling. At first glance, they will seem like salami. However, on closer inspection, you will see that they are actually ‘churchkhela‘.
I don’t believe that anybody will debate with me if I say that churchkhela is the national sweet of Georgia. It always surprised me in supermarkets to hear Georgian children beg their mother for churchkhela, not for chocolate or western sweets. I thought that was really nice.
I don’t know too much about the process of making churchkhela. As far as I know, nuts are tied around a central thread (most commonly walnuts) which is then dipped in boiling grape juice. The grape juice solidifies around the nuts, forming a sausage shape. There are a few different versions of churchkela with different grape juices, different nuts and sometimes honey. Although, they don’t vary too much from this central theme.
When I arrived in Georgia for the first time, my host thoughtfully left me some churchkhela and a bottle of Georgian wine. Cheers!
The Best of the Rest of Georgian Cuisine…
All of those dishes that I listed above are only the tip of the iceberg of Georgian cuisine. Every region has unique dishes to try out, and I have missed out many many wonderful foods from this post.
Here are some of the other wonderful things to look out for in Georgia:
Mtsvadi — Barbecued meat kebabs. Usually pork, and usually served with onions.
Ostri — I almost forgot about this one! Ostri is a spicy beef stew. It is delicious!
Gomi — Cornmeal porridge similar to polenta and mamaliga.
Tkemali — A salty and spicy plum sauce. Commonly used with meat dishes.
Ajika — A spicy tomato and red pepper sauce common in Eastern Europe and the Caucus area.
Satsivi — Georgian walnut sauce. I mentioned it in a few of the recipes above.
Chacha — Strong Georgian alcohol similar to Italian grappa, but aged in old wine barrels like brandy
Also, I didn’t even mention much about the excellent Georgian spices, wines or cheeses. Be sure to try end experience those when in Georgia too! I love spice shopping in Georgia. The smells are amazing. Markets and small wine shops are a good place to start. If you are interested in wine, then a trip to Georgia’s main wine region ‘Kakheti‘ is right up your alley!
Finally, Georgian beer is also not too bad. There are a few different brands to try, but my favourite so far is called Argo.
Also, want to read about how I learned to read and write in Georgian in less than a month?
Tamada — The Toastmaster Tradition
While I’m on the subject of Georgian cuisine, I thought that it would be appropriate to also mention the Tamada tradition. At Georgian feasts, there is usually an appointed Tamada or ‘toastmaster’. This is usually, but not always, the most senior male present at the dinner.
It is the Tamada’s job to make toasts before every drink. He will stand up and raise his glass and make a short (or sometimes long) toast to the health of the people present. There is also usually one big toast that is made with a drinking horn. That drinking horn is filled with wine. Everybody — starting with the tamada — takes a drink from the horn and passes it around until it is empty. If you take a walk down to your local market, you will usually see these drinking horns for sale.
Where to Eat Georgian Cuisine in Georgia
When in Georgia, I really recommend hitting up the ‘Machakhela’ / ‘Samkitno‘ chain of restaurants. You can find them all around Tbilisi and a few other cities in Georgia. Some Georgians may scoff at this, but the chain offers a really thorough menu of Georgian dishes at good prices. Pretty much everything that I wrote about in this post can be found at Machakhela. AND.. they do most dishes very well too. I can’t recommend it enough. There are also plenty of other restaurants around which offer Georgian cuisine. It will never be too hard to find!
Of course, the best way to try these dishes is to get yourself in with a Georgian family! You might even get yourself invited to a feast where you will taste some of these dishes and witness the ‘Tamada’ (toastmaster) tradition in action! If you’re interested in that, have a look at doing a homestay in the country.
By the way, if you want to find recipes for any of these dishes, I really recommend the website Georgian Recipes. They have a pretty encyclopedic database of Georgian dishes and recipes for them.
To summarise, if you have never been to Georgia and tasted Georgian food… you need to get there! In my opinion, it has the best cuisine on the planet. Although of course, that is totally subjective.
Have you been to Georgia and tried any of these dishes? Maybe you are Georgian and have spotted a mistake that I’ve made above? Or maybe you want to tell me about something that I left out? Let me know by commenting below!
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Originally published at megliovivere.com on September 25, 2018.
