Georgian Traditional Food

Georgian cuisine uses well familiar products but due to varying proportions of its obligatory ingredients such as walnut, aromatic herbs, garlic, vinegar, red pepper, pomegranate grains, barberries and other spices combined with the traditional secrets of the chef ‘s art the common products do acquire a special taste and aroma, which make Georgian cuisine very popular and unique.Georgian national cuisine is notable for an abundance of all possible kinds of meat, fish and vegetable hors d’oeuvres, various sorts of cheese, pickles and pungent seasonings, the only ones of their kind.

Satsivi

Satsivi (Georgian: საცივი) is a Georgian sauce made of walnuts and served cold either as a dipping sauce for bread, or sauce for boiled or fried game or fish. Traditionally, satsivi is made of walnuts, water, garlic, combination of dried herbs, vinegar, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste.

Khinkali

Khinkali (Georgian: ხინკალი, Azerbaijani: xingal, Avar: ХинкIал, Chechen: Хи́нгал, Armenian: Խնկալի) are Caucasian dumplings filled with various fillings such as mushrooms or cheese, but mostly with spiced meat (usually beef and pork, sometimes mutton) with greens, onions and garlic. They are eaten plain, or with coarse black pepper. The meat filling is uncooked when the Khinkali is assembled, so when cooked the meat's juices are trapped inside the dumpling. To eat one must suck the juices while taking the first bite or the Khinkali will burst. The top, where the pleats meet, is tough and is not supposed to be eaten, but discarded to the plate so that those eating can count how many they have consumed. In Georgia, this top is called the "kudi" (Georgian ქუდი, hat) or "kuchi" (Georgian კუჭი, belly button). The towns of Dusheti, Pasanauri and Mtskheta are particularly famous for their khinkali.

Khachapuri

Khachapuri (Georgian: ხაჭაპური - xač’ap’uri or "cheese bread") is a filled bread dish from Georgia. The bread is leavened and allowed to rise, and is shaped in various ways. The filling contains cheese (fresh or aged, most commonly suluguni), eggs and other ingredients. Ajarian khachapuri, filled with cheese and topped with a raw egg and butter. Megruli Khachapuri, filled with cheese and topped with cheese.There are several distinctive types of khachapuri in Georgian food from different regions of Georgia:Imeretian (Imeruli) khachapuri, which is circular and probably the most common type. Adjarian (Acharuli/Adjaruli) khachapuri, in which the dough is formed into an open boat shape and the hot pie is topped with a raw egg and a pat of butter before serving. Mingrelian (Megruli) khachapuri, similar to Imeritian but with more cheese added on top. Abkhazian (Achma) khachapuri, which has multiple layers and looks more like a sauceless lasagna.Ossetian (Ossuri) khachapuri, which has potato as well as cheese in its filling.

Lobiani

Lobiani – "Bean khachapuri", bread baked with a seasoned bean stuffing. Especially

eaten on the Georgian holiday of Barbaroba, or St. Barbara's Day

Mtsvadi

Shashlyk or Shashlikis a form of Shish kebab popular throughout the former Soviet Union, parts of Eastern Europe, Mongolia, and Israel. Shashlyk is originally lamb (in some extent pork or beef) depending on local preferences and religious observances. These skewers of meat are either all meat, all fat, or alternating pieces of meat, fat, and vegetables such as bell pepper, onion and tomato. Meat for shashlik (as opposed to other forms of shish kebab) is usually marinated overnight in a high-acidity marinade like vinegar, dry wine or sour fruit/vegetable juice with the addition of herbs and spices. While it is not unusual to see shashlik listed on the menu of restaurants, it is more commonly sold in Western Asia by street vendors who roast the skewers over wood, charcoal, or coal. Shashlyk is usually cooked on a grill called a mangal.

Kharcho 

Kharcho (Georgian: ხარჩო) is a traditional Georgian soup containing meat, rice,

vegetables and a highly spiced bouillon. The soup is usually served with finely

chopped herbs.The characteristic ingredients of the soup are sun-dried plum purée

(tklapi/tkemali) and grated walnuts.As with all soups, there are numerous

variations; however, 3 components are key and cannot be replaced : walnuts, plum

sauce (pomegranate juice can be substituted instead) and beef broth.An example of

a Georgian recipe for Kharcho: Cut a cleaned, thoroughly washed piece of beef into

pieces, put it into a sauce-pan, add shredded onions, close the cover, and place the

pan on the fire. Stew until the onions turn brown, then cover the pieces with boiling

water and add peeled, finely chopped tomatoes. Pound walnuts, garlic, dry and

fresh coriander, pepper, and saffron in a mortar and put them into a small bowl.

Gradually add broth using a tablespoon and thoroughly stir the mass. Pour the mass

into the pan and boil until cooked. Add salt to taste.

Chakapuli 

Chakapuli (Georgian: ჩაქაფული) is a Georgian dish. It is considered to be one of the

most popular dishes in Georgia. It is made from onions, lamb chops, dry white wine,

tarragon leaves, tkemali sauce (plum sauce), mixed fresh herbs (parsley, mint, dill,

cilantro), garlic and salt.

Lobio

Lobio – a cross between bean and soup and refined beans. Its consistency and tase

varies widely, bears a resemblance to Mexican bean dishes and is almost always

satisfying.

Mchadi

Mchadi - Georgian corn bread so dense you`d think it was a paperweight. Eaten

with lobio.

Ajapsandali

Ajapsandali (Georgian: აჯაფსანდალი) is a Georgian vegetarian dish consisting of eggplant, potato, tomato, bell pepper and seasoning.

Matsoni

Matzoon (matsoon, matsoun,matzoun, madzoon, madzoun macun, matson, matsoni) (Armenian: մածուն macun , Georgian: მაწონი mats'oni) is a fermented milk product found in Caucasian cuisine, armenian origin.It is very similar to yogurt.It is made with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus lactic acid bacteria. It is said to be originated in Armenian Highland.Matsoni is made from cow's milk (mostly), goat's milk, sheep's milk, or a mix of them and a culture from previous productions

Tkemali

Tkemali (Georgian: ტყემალი) is the Georgian name for the Plum Sauce, as well as a sauce made of cherry plums. Tkemali is made from both red and green varieties of plum. The flavor of the sauce varies between sweet and pungently tart. To lower the tartness level, occasionally sweeter types of plums are added during preparation. Traditionally the following ingredients are used besides plum: garlic, pennyroyal, cilantro, dill, cayenne pepper and salt.Tkemali is used for fried or grilled meat, poultry and potato dishes much like ketchup is used in the West. It can be made at home, but is also mass produced by several Georgian and Russian companies. Tkemali can be eaten with spaghetti as well.

Adjika

Adjika is a hot, spicy but subtly flavoured paste often used to flavour food mainly in the Caucasian regions of Abkhazia and Samegrelo. Adjika is usually red, though green adjika can be made with unripe peppers. The name itself comes from the Abkhaz word аџьыка "salt (literally, "red salt") and аџьыкаҵәаҵәа are also used to refer specifically to adjika. The Abkhazian variant of adjika is based on a boiled preparation of hot red peppers, garlic, herbs and spices such as coriander, dill, blue fenugreek (only found in mountain regions such as the Alps or the Caucasus), salt and walnut. A dry form of adjika exists that is sometimes called svanuri marili in Georgian (სვანური მარილი "Svanetian salt"); this looks like small red clumps mixed with a looser version of the spice mixture[citation needed]. Home-made adjika is available from many market stalls in the Caucasus and in the Krasnodar Krai of Russia. Tomatoes are not an ingredient of traditional adjika, though different versions of adjika, sometimes having tomatoes as a main ingredient, are produced on a commercial scale and sold in supermarkets in Ukraine and Russia. In appearance and consistency adjika resembles Italian red pesto. The spiciness varies from recipe to recipe; those acquainted with British-Asian curry styles would

probably rate a typical adjika as "vindaloo strength".. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus lactic acid bacteria. It is said to be originated in Armenian Highland. Matsoni is made from cow's milk (mostly), goat's milk, sheep's milk, or a mix of them and a culture from previous productions.

Churchkhela

Soutzoukos, probably from Turkish sujuk meaning 'sausage' because of its shape,[7] making has two parts: making must jelly, called palouzes or moustalevria; and dipping strings of almonds into it.Must is placed in a large bronze cauldron (called chartzin or kazani) and heated slowly. A small amount of a special white earth called asproi is added to the boiling must and causes impurities to rise to the surface where they are collected and removed. It is possible to substitute asproi, when not available, with lager beer, which has a similar result. Once the cleansing process is complete the must is left to cool. Next, flour is added while stirring and heating the mixture. When it gets to the right consistency, judging from the rate of steam bubbles and the fluency of the mixture, it is removed from the heat. The mix, called palouzes, is now ready for dipping the almond strings and make soutzoukos. The next step is the making of soutzoukos involves the creation of strings of almonds (or walnuts), which are dipped in the palouzes mixture and are then left to dry. First, the nuts are shelled and dipped into water in order to become softer. Once soft enough, they are strung onto 2-3 meter-long threads. The strings are dipped in the palouzes mixture until completely covered. This process is repeated several times (usually three times) until soutzoukos has the desired thickness. Soutzoukos strings are then left to dry for 5-6 days.

Gozinaki

Gozinaqi or Gozinaki (Georgian: გოზინაყი) is a traditional Georgian confection made of caramelized nuts, usually walnuts, fried in honey, and served exclusively on New Year's Eve and Christmas. In the western Georgian provinces of Imereti and Racha, it was sometimes called Churchkhela, a name more commonly applied to walnuts sewn onto a string, dipped in thickened white grape juice and dried. In several of Georgia's rural areas, both walnuts and honey used to have sacral associations. According to a long established tradition, Gozinaqi is a mandatory component of New Year's Eve/Christmas celebration.