The national cuisine of Georgia is a true art. Rarely in any other country can you be served such delicious, hearty, and diverse food. The local appetizing palette is seasoned with signature Georgian toasts. "Supra" or traditional feast cannot be without them. It can last for hours accompanied by loud choral songs and lively dances.
Appetizers to whet your appetite
Despite the fact that Georgian cuisine is three-quarters meat dishes, the appetizers here are a paradise for vegetarians. Among the local delicacies, the following dishes have gained worldwide fame:
- Lobio
boiled legumes (chickpeas, beans, peas) served in a clay pot with a mixture of peppers and aromatic herbs. Most often, lobio is made with kidney beans in a tomato sauce. The dish pairs perfectly with cornbread.
- Ketsi-grib
(or mushrooms on ketsi) - fried champignon mushrooms, white mushrooms, or boletus mushrooms served on a clay skillet (ketsi) on which they were cooked.
- Ketsi-sulguni
cheese baked on a clay skillet in the oven. The dish is the Georgian equivalent of grilled cheese.
- Badrijani
walnuts served on stewed, lightly fried eggplants. Sometimes the dish is presented as original rolls, sometimes in a "lazy" style (slices of eggplant topped with walnuts).
- Pkhali
salad made from boiled eggplants, spinach, beets, and other vegetables, garnished with pomegranate seeds. Pkhali is often positioned as a side dish for meat dishes.
- Soliani (Mzhaveli)
pickled and salted vegetables generously flavored with various herbs and spices. Pickled bean pods and sweet peppers, as well as salted tomatoes, are especially popular among locals and guests of the Caucasus.
- Jondjoli
exotic appetizer made from marinated flowers of a local plant. It tastes similar to green olives.
- Cheeses
in each region of Georgia, you will find its own variety of cheese. In Imereti, they make a very soft (signature Imeretian) cheese with mint called gadazelili, while in Teulada, they prefer sheep's cheese called guda, which is made in small bags of the same name. Salty sulguni and cottage cheese nadugi are also considered national cheeses of Georgia.
For those who have come to Georgia exclusively for meat delicacies, the dish called "kuchmachi" is perfect as an appetizer. It consists of fried chicken or veal hearts, liver, lungs, and tongue, garnished with pomegranate seeds and herbs. Despite the fact that the ingredients of this dish are an acquired taste, the finished dish will delight even the most demanding gourmets.
In some restaurants, they serve dolma - a roll made of cabbage leaves filled with chicken mince mixed with rice. Garlic sauce perfectly complements the dish. It is mistakenly believed that dolma belongs to Armenian cuisine. Georgia has its own unique recipe for this cabbage roll analogue.
What to eat "first" or first courses
Georgians are not particularly fond of first courses. The local soups are quite different from European ones - they contain almost no vegetables, but eggs and flour are generously used in their preparation. Most often, the following first dishes can be found on the menus of cafes and restaurants:
- Khacho
a thick soup made from meat broth using beef, pork, lamb, or veal. According to the traditional folk recipe, it is always made with rice, garlic, dried plums, a variety of herbs, and spices. Khacho is not recommended for tourists who cannot tolerate spicy dishes.
- Chikhirtma
a tangy thick chicken soup with eggs and cornmeal. Chikhirtma is seasoned with vinegar, which prevents the eggs from curdling during cooking.
- Hashi
a rich soup made from pork or beef, resembling a partially set aspic in appearance. It is made using beef or pork leg, as well as heart, lungs, liver, and tongue. The rich meat flavor is harmoniously complemented by spicy garlic and a variety of herbs.
All Georgian soups are an excellent remedy for hangovers, which can help inexperienced tourists who may have had a bit too much wine the night before. Traditionally, lavash bread is served with the first courses.
Main dishes of Georgian cuisine
Main dishes of Georgian cuisine, also known as second courses, have one characteristic: they are predominantly made from meat. Despite being bordered by the Black Sea, fish is less common on the menu. An exception is grilled trout in a sweet and sour pomegranate sauce.
While in Georgia, it is essential to try the following signature main dishes:
- Shashlik (Mtsvadi)
prepared from lamb, veal, turkey, pork, or sturgeon, cooked on skewers or kecats (clay pans). Georgian shashlik differs from what guests are accustomed to in their home countries: the meat is not marinated. As a result, mtsvadi is a relatively tough dish that is almost impossible to eat without sauce.
- Khinkali
a Georgian version of dumplings. It is a favorite dish of the people in mountainous Georgia. Instead of using a meat grinder, the meat is chopped with a knife until it reaches a jelly-like consistency. There is always flavorful broth inside the dough. When eating khinkali, it is recommended to take your time, first biting off the spicy tail, savoring the juice, and then moving on to the filling of the Georgian dumpling. Tourists are often advised to try khinkali during excursions to Pasanauri along the military Georgian road. The region is considered the homeland of khinkali.
- Satsivi
stewed turkey or chicken in a walnut sauce. Traditional satsivi uses a variety of herbs.
- Cklyopa
despite the name, it has nothing to do with cigarette tobacco. To prepare this dish, chicken is simmered under a tappa (a heavy weight) for several hours.
- Kupaty
delicious homemade pork sausage.
- Ostri (Chanakhi, Chakhapuli, Chashushuli, Chkmeruli)
spicy meat dishes made with pork, lamb, or chicken, stewed and lightly fried with tomatoes and herbs.
- Khachapuri
traditional Georgian cheese bread, usually filled with sulguni cheese and often with additional ingredients such as eggs, spinach, or meat.
- Khashlama
boiled meat with seasonings according to an old Kakhetian recipe. Don't even try to find out the secret spices - reproducing the recipe is unlikely to succeed.
- Buglama
fragrant braised lamb with spices.
- Basturma
grilled beef fillet.
- Chakhokhbili
stewed chicken in tomato sauce.
For vegetarian main dishes, almost every restaurant in the Caucasus offers the following menu options:
- Ojakhuri
pan-fried potatoes with a mixture of herbs and spices on a clay kecat (pan). Sometimes ojakhuri is served with chicken or pork.
- Borano
stewed Adjarian cheese dipped in cornmeal and then fried in
butter.
- Gomi
cornmeal porridge cooked in butter and melted cheese (usually sulguni) is added.
Bread on the table or Georgian bakery
A distinctive feature of Georgian cuisine is the abundance of various baked goods. In the bakeries of this Caucasian country, you can find the following signature baked goods:
- Puri or Shotis Puri
an appetizing cheese-filled elongated bread with a flat pancake shape in the center. It is baked vertically in special tone ovens.
- Achma
a hearty pastry layered with melted cheese.
- Kubdari
a spicy pie with meat and herbs.
- Lobiani
a spicy pie filled with beans.
- Mchadi
unsweetened cornbread made from cornmeal. It is usually served with cheese.
- Gurij
wheat crescent rolls with cheese filling.
- Chvistari
cornbread cakes with cheese filling.
Among the bakery items, you may also come across "Penovani" - a square pastry filled with cheese made from unleavened dough. Sometimes it is mistakenly confused with khachapuri, but compared to khachapuri, penovani is drier in taste.
Khachapuri - Culinary Heritage of the Nation
A beloved bread item that is closely associated with Georgian cuisine is khachapuri. In 2011, this type of baked good was even patented to permanently assign the recipe of "cheese bread" (which is the literal translation of its name) to the Georgian people. "Proper khachapuri" is made exclusively with cheese. When baking it in the airy dough, the cheese should not be sliced or grated, but rather crumbled. Meat, fish, or bean fillings have no place in khachapuri.
On the shelves of local stores, you can find different varieties of khachapuri:
- Round Imeretian khachapuri
usually the most common and affordable (costing only two lari).
- Megrelian khachapuri
round in shape with cheese added not only inside but also on top.
- Adjarian khachapuri
open-faced, topped with melted cheese and an egg (costing up to six lari).
- Gurian khachapuri
in the shape of a young moon.
Khachapuri in Georgia is not just a delicious dish, but also a way to spend a unique time. In major resort cities (including Tbilisi and Batumi), there are often khachapuri cooking masterclasses available. This popular excursion is suitable for small groups (from 2 to 8 people) and lasts for about three hours.
Exquisite National Desserts
For those with a sweet tooth in Georgia, the following desserts are prepared:
- Churchkhela
a signature sweet made from walnuts and hazelnuts, shaped like a candle. To create it, the nuts are coated with a thick syrup made from grape juice and corn flour. Churchkhela can be dark or light, depending on the grape varieties used. The "authentic" Georgian version is typically a dark sweet made from the famous grapes of Kakheti.
- Kozinaki
(usually pronounced gozinaki in Georgia) - walnuts roasted in honey.
- Pakhlava
a layered dessert made from thin pastry and honey.
- Nazuki
a honey bread with a filling of raisins and a delicate aroma of cinnamon and cloves.
- Tklapi or pastila
dried thin sheets made from apples or plums, rolled into tubes.
- Chiri
or dried persimmon.
- Baty-buty
corn flakes.
- Kada
a sweet bun.
- Pelamushi
a thick cornmeal jelly cooked with grape juice as a base.
Fruits: Delicious and Nutritious
Georgia is a veritable fruit paradise, and the entrance can be found at any of the local markets. It is here that you can buy the freshest vegetables, fruits, and berries at a lower cost. Another option is to purchase goods "from the hands" of local residents along the road during excursions throughout the country.
The price of fruits is heavily influenced by regional specialization. For example, figs are much cheaper in the eastern regions (including Tbilisi), while grapes are more affordable in western Adjara (where Batumi is located).
The factor of seasonality is also important. When traveling through the country at different times of the year, you can try the following fruits:
- Spring
local strawberries, cherries, sour cherries, and exotic tutu.
- Summer
peaches, apricots, figs, watermelons, melons, raspberries, currants, blackberries, grapes, plums, and apples. Hazelnuts are traditionally considered a summer nut.
- Fall
citrus fruits, persimmons, pomegranates, feijoas, and almonds.
Excellent gifts for yourself and your loved ones are feijoas (both fresh and in the form of jam), figs (both green and ripe), as well as hazelnuts and almonds. These fresh treats transport well.
Sauces: Concentrated Georgian Flavor
The basis of any sauce is local herbs (coriander, tarragon, basil, summer savory, mint, and onions). Additional ingredients include pomegranate juice and pulp, blackberry, apricot, Cornelian cherry, and currant. In combination with spices (such as coriander and garlic), as well as fresh vegetables and fruits, they perfectly complement any dish and create a unique national flavor.
Most often, the following sauces are found on the tables of cafes, restaurants, and local homes:
- Bazhe (Baje)
the emperor of all sauces. Walnuts, garlic, and spices are ground and boiled in sour cream, and it is only served with meat dishes on special occasions.
- Tkemali
a sweet and sour sauce made from dried plums, herbs, greens, and garlic, with a spicy aftertaste.
- Ajika
a spicy sauce made from red pepper, garlic, and green herbs.
- Satsivi or Georgian ketchup
a sweet and sour sauce made from tomatoes, paprika, garlic, and spices.
Georgian signature sauces also include garo, satsivi, kindz-dzmaria, Imeretian, Cornelian cherry, and blackthorn. A sauce in beautiful packaging is a nice gift for friends from sunny Caucasus.
Rules of Georgian Cuisine
When getting acquainted with Georgian national cuisine, it is important to follow the following rules:
- - Avoid skimping on visits to cafes and restaurants in Georgia. Cooking meals yourself will ultimately cost as much as experiencing the national cuisine in eateries.
- - Food prices in the country are quite affordable. Vegetables and fruits are the cheapest items (for example, a kilogram of cucumbers costs only half a lari), while sausages are the most expensive items in local supermarkets (around 13 lari per kilogram).
- - Myths that there is nothing to try for those who avoid spicy food are not true. The menu assortment is always extensive. Moreover, Georgia is a hospitable country, and restaurants can accommodate requests for dishes with less pepper or garlic.
- - In cafes and restaurants, regardless of the region, it is customary to serve very generous portions. An Adjarian khachapuri can be enough for breakfast for two people.
- - A great tip for finding a cozy and affordable restaurant is to look for places that are popular among local residents.
- - You can save money on buying ready-made food by visiting small cafes and bakeries where the service charge is not included. Unlike such budget-friendly places, luxury restaurants have a 15% surcharge.
- - There is no smoking ban in public places in Georgia. Those who are bothered by tobacco smoke should pay attention to the presence of designated non-smoking areas in restaurants.
- - It is best to buy fruits and nuts at markets. Products that require certified quality marks (such as sausages) are better purchased at supermarkets.
- - Due to the high temperature in the tourist season, it is not advisable to buy a large quantity of fruits. They spoil quickly even in the refrigerator. It is also not recommended to risk and try unripe nuts (especially green hazelnuts). Greed for exotic delicacies can play a cruel joke on visitors.
- - In Georgia, it is not economically viable to maintain dairy farms, so there is hardly any milk, kefir, or yogurt available on store shelves. These dairy products are imported and relatively expensive. Cheese is a pleasant exception.
To get at least a "basic" impression of Georgian cuisine, you should try the following: local shashlik, a couple of types of khachapuri, khinkali, Imeretian cheese, and chikhirtma. As for desserts, churckhela is usually recommended. It is also worth taking feijoas, hazelnuts, and almonds from Georgia as delicious souvenirs.
