Georgian cuisine () consists of cooking traditions, techniques, and practices of Georgia. Georgian cuisine has a distinct character, while bearing some similarities with various national cuisines of the Caucasus, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Every region of Georgia has its own distinct style of food preparation. Eating and drinking are important parts of Georgian culture.
Georgia was one of the countries on the Silk Road, which resulted in travelers influencing Georgian cuisine.Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Ken Albala, p. 125 The Georgian love of family and friends is one of the reasons why the (feast) is so important in Georgia. Supra is offered spontaneously to relatives, friends or guests. Every has its (toastmaster), who gives the toast and entertains the guests.
Regional traditional cuisines Abkhazia Abkhazian cuisine uses many spices and walnuts. The most popular dishes from Abkhazia are abysta (, porridge made of corn, similar to the Margal ghomi); apyrpylchapa (апырпылчапа, pepper skin stuffed with walnut sauce); achma (ачма, a variation of khachapuri); aritsvmgeli (арицвмгели, cornbread with walnuts); achash (ачаш, Abkhaz chudu, with cheese); achapa (ачапа, kidney beans with walnuts); and akutaghchapa (акутагьчапа, hard-boiled eggs filled with walnuts, similar to deviled eggs). The most popular dessert is akuarkuar, a cookie with honey. Ajika is a hot, spicy, but subtly flavored sauce or paste, often used to flavor food. Ajika is also sold as a dry spice blend. [] Abkhazian wines include Lykhny, Apsny, and Anakopia.
Adjara Adjarian cuisine is considered a very diversified cuisine, which has been influenced by its geography (seaside, mountainous part) and by its history. In the mountainous Adjara, the main products are dairy products and the dishes are more fat and heavy and on the other side, in the seaside of the region, dishes are mostly spiced, and use many fresh herbs. The most popular dishes in Adjara are Adjaruli khachapuri (); borano (, chopped cheese fried in ghee); chirbuli (, an omelette with walnuts and tomato); malakhto (, mashed kidney beans with walnuts and crude grape juice); iakhni (, a stew similar to kharcho, traditionally made in and around Kobuleti); khavitsi (, a corn porridge with ghee); sinori (, made of nadughi and unleavened dough); pakhlava (, a version of baklava); and shaqarlama (, a biscuit).
Guria The cuisine of Guria is based mostly on poultry (especially chicken), cornbread (mchadi) and walnuts, like the cuisine of Imereti. The best-known dishes from Guria are satsivi (, meat, mostly of chicken or turkey in bazhe walnut sauce); mchadi (, cornbread); kupati (, sausage made from pork meat); badrijani Nigvzit (, fried eggplant with walnut sauce); Guruli gvezeli (, crescent-shaped pie filled with cheese and hard-boiled egg, usually eaten on Christmas Day); brinjula (, a cheese omelette with a dough base similar to khachapuri); and pkhali () and kuchmachi (, beef or poultry livers with walnut sauce and pomegranate).
Imereti The cuisine of Imereti shares many affinities with the neighbouring region of Guria and is known for its generous use of walnuts. The best-known Imeretian dishes include Imeruli khachapuri (, the most common version of the Georgian cheese bread), mchadi (, cornbread), pkhali (), kuchmachi (, beef or poultry livers with walnut sauce and pomegranate), soko (, fried mushrooms), lobio (, mashed red beans with spices), badrijani Nigvzit (, fried eggplant with walnut sauce), chakhokhbili (, tomato-based soup with poultry meat), mtsnili (, pickled vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage, beets, and jonjoli), ekala (, pkhali made from smilax) kupati (, pork sausage), satsivi (, meat, mostly of chicken or turkey in bazhe walnut sauce), and tsitsila isrim-maqvalshi (, roasted chick in a blackberry- and grape-based sauce). Imereti is known for its cheeses such as chkinti (, salty cheese), Imeruli kveli (), and sulguni ().
Kakheti Kakhetian cuisine is considered to be a more meat-based cuisine and the region itself is called the "Region of Wine". It is also known as the birthplace of one type of Georgian bread: Shoti. Notable dishes from Kakheti include Mtsvadi ( - meat cooked on fire), Chakapuli ( - soup made of fresh herbs such as tarragon and meat of sheep or lamb), Khinkali ( - dumplings filled with meat and seasoned with herbs), Khashlama ( - boiled meat of beef or lamb), Khashi ( - boiled meat, often eaten after Supra), Chanakhi ( - soup made of lamb and tomatoes), Chikhirtma ( - soup made of chicken meat), and Ajapsandali ( - kind of ragout made of eggplants, potatoes and tomatoes). In Kakheti, they make famous desserts such as Churchkhela ( - Candy made of grape juice and walnuts), and Pelamushi ( - Dessert made of grape juice). Kakheti is also well known for its wines, with wine-growing regions such as the Alazani valley, Tsinandali and Kindzmarauli and many indigenous grape varieties including Saperavi, Kisi, Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane.
Kartli Kartli is known as a very rich region in terms of fruits (especially apples, apricots, figs, and peaches) and vegetables (especially cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions). Kartlian dishes include Puris Kharcho ( - a kind of soup made of bread), Shechamandi ( - soup made of dogwood or docks), Jonjoli ( - pickles made of Bladdernuts), Chakhrakina ( - a kind of Khachapuri filled with cheese and beetroot leaves), Khabizgina ( - Ossetian Khachapuri filled with cheese and potatoes), Capers in Kaspi known as (capari) () and Chakapuli ( - soup made of fresh herbs and meat of lamb or beef).
Lazeti Though most of the historical part of Lazeti is located in Turkey, Lazes in Georgia, especially in Sarpi, still continue to carry their traditional dishes, some of them being : Paponi (): Baked sweet pastry filled with milk pudding. Gresta (): Chicken or beef with melted cheese and mushrooms. Kapça Tağaney (): Fried anchovies and vegetables. Kapça Princoni () : Anchovy pilaf. Kapçoni Mç̌kudi (): Fried cornbread with sliced anchovies, pkhali and herbs. Lu Dudey (): Navy beans mixed with red Pkhali, onions and leeks. Lu Ncaxeyi (): Sort of porridge made from different vegetables mostly cabbage, kidney beans, potato which are mixed with cornmeal. Muhlama (): Cornmeal with cheese.
Samegrelo The regional cuisine of Samegrelo can be considered the most famous in Georgia. It uses many spices and walnuts. Famous Megrelian dishes include Ghomi ( - porridge made of corn meal), Elarji ( - ghomi with Sulguni), Gebzhalia ( - rolls of cheese seasoned with mint), Megrelian Khachapuri ( - Khachapuri with cheese added on the top), Kupati ( - sausage made from pork organs and belly meat), Tabaka ( - chicken cooked with Ajika), and Kharcho ( - soup with beef). Sulguni () is traditionally made in the region. Ajika () is a sauce made of pepper and spices. It is made traditionally in Samegrelo and in Abkhazia.
Mtianeti, Khevi, Khevsureti, Pshavi and Tusheti These cuisines are often considered as one due to their similarities. Famous dishes include Khinkali ( - dumplings filled with meat, mushrooms, potatoes or cottage cheese), Gordila ( - boiled dough), Qaghi ( - dried and salted meat), Kaurma ( - a kind of soup made from meat), Kotori ( - Khachapuri filled with cottage cheese), Khachoerbo ( - dried cottage cheese in a ball shape), Megrelian kharcho (ხარშო - beef stew in rich walnut sauce) and Khavitsi ( - melted cheese) Tusheti also produces a goat / sheep based cheese, called Guda (). These regions are also well known for their beer (), and spirit, Zhipitauri ().
Racha-Lechkhumi The cuisines of Racha and of Lechkhumi share most of their dishes and are often grouped into one cuisine as a consequence. Notable dishes include Shkmeruli ( - chicken in a sauce made of cream and garlic), Rachuli ham ( - pork bacon), Lobiani ( - a kind of Khachapuri filled with kidney beans and lori), Lobio ( - mashed kidney beans with spices), Rachuli Khachapuri ( - a kind of Khachapuri made into a square form).
Samtskhe-Javakheti The Cuisine of Samtskhe-Javakheti consists of two regional cuisines: Meskhetian and Javakhetian. Due to their similarities, they are often considered one regional cuisine. This cuisine differs significantly from other regional cuisine of Georgia, partly because of its heavy use of goose meat and historical Turkish rule of the region.
Famous dishes from Samtskhe-Javakheti include Batis Shechamandi ( - soup made of goose), Meskhuri Khinkali ( - Khinkali filled with goose), Apokhti ( - dried meat of lamb, beef, goose and duck), Tatarboragi ( - boiled dough), and Rdzis Korkoti ( - wheat grains boiled in milk). Snails or Lokokina () are also a very common dish in the region due to the presence of French Catholics in the past. Samtskhe-Javakheti is also famous for its Chiri ( - dried fruits), Tklapi ( - fruit roll-up) and Tenili ( - a preserved, hand-pulled cheese).
Svaneti Main dishes from Svaneti include Kubdari ( - also known as Svan Khachapuri, a kind of Khachapuri filled with seasoned beef or pork), P'etvraal ( - Khachapuri filled with cheese and millet), Chvishtari ( - Mchadi with Sulguni inside), Lutspeq ( - boiled barley grains seasoned with pepper and garlic), Kharshil ( - soup of barley and urtica), Tashmijabi ( - mashed potatoes with Sulguni). Svaneti is also famous for its local alcohol made from fruits such as elderberry, and even honey. Svan salt, a spiced saltFAO, Atlas of Origin linked food Products in Georgia, Rome, 2020, pp. 83 Agasyllis (Svanetian ღეჰი Ghehi / (Georgian: დუცი Dootsi ) is a local, Angelica-like plant with medicinal properties that is also eaten raw, cooked and pickled as a delicacy considered to benefit the digestion. It is also taken to combat parasitic worms and to treat respiratory complaints.2017 Ethnobotany of the Caucasus, Rainer W. Bussmann Editor ISBN 978-3-319-49411-1 pps. 85-88. Part of the series European Ethnobotany, Series Editors: Andrea Pieroni, Manuel Pardo-de-Santayana and Renata Sõukand pub. Springer Reference.
Appetizers
Abkhazura (): Caul-fat-rolled meatballs from Abkhazia. Achma (): A dish with multiple layers of cheese and bread. It resembles a sauceless lasagna. Ajapsandali (): A traditional Georgian meal consisting of eggplant, potatoes, onions and spices. Badrijnis khizilala (): Fried and chopped eggplant. The name means "eggplant caviar". Jonjoli (): Pickled flowers of bladdernut. Khachapuri (): Cheese-bread with regional variation. This dish is very popular outside Georgia, especially in the ex-USSR. Kuchmachi (): Dish made of chicken livers. Kupati (): Fried sausage from Western Georgia. Kubdari (): Meat-bread made from bread, meat (lamb, kid or pork), spices, and onions. Leek (): Semi-boiled leek with walnut paste and vinegar. Lobiani (): Bean-stuffed khachapuri. Lobio (): Mashed beans with spices. Matsoni (): Dairy product of Armenian origin, similar to yogurt or sour cream. Muzhuzhi (): Pork jelly. Nadughi (): Cream-like dairy product. Nigvziani badrijani (): Fried eggplant with walnut paste. Pkhali (): Minced and chopped vegetables, mostly made of spinach, beets, and cabbage. Satsivi (): Poultry in a special walnut sauce.
Breads Traditional Georgian breads are varied, and include Tonis Puri, Shotis Puri, Mesxuri Puri, Nazuki and Mchadi.
Georgian breads are traditionally baked in a large, round, well-shaped oven called a tone.
Khachapuri
Khachapuri, also spelled as hachapuri, is a traditional Georgian dish of cheese (fresh or aged, most commonly sulguni), eggs and other ingredients.
There are several distinctive types of khachapuri in Georgian food from different regions of Georgia: Achma (), from Abkhazia, which has multiple layers and looks more like a sauceless lasagna. Adjarian (Adjaruli / () Khachapuri, in which the dough is formed into an open boat shape and the hot pie is topped with a raw egg yolk and a pat of butter before serving.