Table number 9 menu for the week. Pevzner's therapeutic diets
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Traditional dishes of Georgian cuisine
Abkhazuri- sausages from minced meat, "wrapped" in a fatty net.
Abkhazuri in Racha Cafe, Tbilisi
Ajapsandali- stewed vegetables, the composition always includes potatoes and eggplant. A light and easy-to-prepare dish, a kind of “Georgian fast food”, is usually prepared in the summer if there is no time or desire to cook something serious. A real salvation for vegetarians in predominantly "meat" Georgia. In general, this is a separate question - why do vegetarians and teetotalers go to Georgia, depriving themselves of about half of the pleasures that it can give with their food restrictions. But the fashion for vegetarianism is now very widespread in large cities, and among my acquaintances there are more and more vegetarians or “almost vegetarians” every year. And these people also want to travel. So, ajapsandali and similar dishes will be just a “lifeline” in the stormy culinary waves of “meat” Georgia.
Achma- Georgian "cheese lasagna".
Kebab- a dish of minced pork or lamb, salt and spices. The dish, although not Georgian, is so widely represented in all regions of Georgia that I decided to mention it in this article.
Georgian kebab is somewhat different from what is understood by this name in Turkey and Arab countries: in Georgia it is usually two long cutlets wrapped in thin pita bread. Kebab is usually served with satsebeli (spicy tomato sauce) or tkemali (wild plum sauce), as well as chopped onion rings.
Kalmakhi- although Georgia is predominantly a “meat” country, there are also signature fish dishes here. And one of them is kalmakhi, a type of river trout.
The most delicious kalmakhi is considered to be the one found in the Aragvi River, so it makes sense to try it while traveling along. Kalmakhi is considered a delicacy and quite an expensive dish, especially those caught in the river. In Tbilisi, you can find Kalmakh artificially bred in a pond for 7-10 lari/kg live and 10-12 lari apiece in a cafe/restaurant.
Kubdari- Svan meat pie, similar in appearance and taste to Ossetian, but the dough is thinner and the filling is spicier. A very tasty thing, is on the menu of the Georgian restaurant chain Samikitno Machahela.
Kupaty There are countless variations of this dish. Restaurants usually offer Megrelian kupaty and kupaty in Imereti. Megrelian kupats are distinguished by the fact that they are made only from offal with the addition of a large amount of pepper and garlic. Imeretian kupaty: meat and offal sausages with spices and pomegranate seeds.
Kuchmachi- fried or stewed offal, served in a hot pan. The dish as a whole is “an amateur” - for example, for me it is too fatty.
Kuchmachi in Imereti
Pita- a completely integral part of the Georgian table. It is both food and the basis for many other dishes, and even utensils: since ancient times, shepherds in the mountains have used pita bread as a plate - they put food on pita bread, wrapped it up and a new hearty and tasty dish was obtained.
Lobio- a dish of beans. Along with khinkali and khachapuri, lobio is one of the symbols of Georgian cuisine. Red lobio - not very thick red bean porridge, served with pita bread.
Lobiani- one of the varieties of Georgian fast food, a tortilla stuffed with red beans (Georgian "lobio"). Also sometimes on the menu comes across Lobiani in Adjarian(it looks like a regular Adjarian khachapuri, but instead of cheese and eggs there are beans).
Lobio, lobiani, ajapsandali, pkhali and shilaplavi are the most common vegetarian dishes of traditional Georgian cuisine.
Matsoni- a fermented milk product, tastes like kefir, and sour cream in consistency. It is considered a very useful remedy for digestive problems. In addition, women willingly use matsoni as a cosmetic product. Mingrelian matsoni is considered especially useful - there it is made from buffalo milk, which makes the dish more fatty and nutritious.
Brains on ketsi- a rather unusual and tasty dish. Lamb brains baked with spices in the oven on a special stone frying pan "ketsi".
Brains on ketsi
They taste much better than they look.
Ojakhuri- very tasty roast with potatoes. Prepared and served in a ketsi pan.
There are options with veal, pork and mushrooms.
pkhali- a salty snack of finely chopped spinach (such phali are called Hispanics), eggplant, asparagus or beet tops. The dish is quite unusual, but very popular in Georgia. According to director Rezo Gabriadze, “phali is a special genre of food.”
Satsebeli- the famous Georgian sauce, prepared using the juice of unripe grapes, nuts, fruits. Indispensable for meat dishes.
Satsivi- nut sauce, usually goes with meat or poultry. In fact, these are pureed nuts mixed with broth, spices, vinegar (or other acidifier); the consistency is a thick slurry. Used hot and cold. Stalin was very fond of Satsivi, and he already knew a lot about Georgian cuisine.
Svan salt ( svanuri marili)
is salt mixed with various spices. For the first time, such a mixture appeared in the high-mountainous part of Georgia, where, due to high humidity, salt was difficult to store, it melted. Salt was rare and very expensive there. The highlanders figured out how to store it: mix it with spices, in which case the salt does not melt. In modern Georgian cuisine, Svan salt is added to hot dishes and salads, it gives them a "zest".
Suluguni- Georgian white cheese. It goes as an independent snack, as well as an ingredient for other traditional Georgian dishes, primarily khachapuri. It looks like a puff pastry in shape. Imeretian suluguni is considered the most useful, as it is prepared from fresh milk with maximum preservation of vitamins and minerals. In general, a feast or just lunch in Georgia rarely goes without cheese. Georgians themselves say: “cheese and bread are a good heart”, describing their minimally sufficient diet with this phrase. There are a huge number of varieties of cheese in Georgia - and puff suluguni from Megrelia, and curd cheese of Imeretia, and the sharp-smelling sheep "guda" of Tusheti. In some cafes and restaurants, you can order “nadughi” – curd cheese with tarragon wrapped in a single layer of suluguni, and “gebzhalia” – small cheese rolls with matsoni and mint sauce.
Tkemali- Georgian "signature" plum sauce, usually served in cafes and restaurants with meat dishes (shish kebab, kebab, etc.). The main ingredients of the sauce are sour plum tkemali, garlic and herbs.
thlapi- a dessert made from thickened grape juice in the form of thin sheets, very common in wineries. The taste can be very different: from vigorously sour to sugary-sweet.
Kharcho- spicy beef soup
Like khashi, it is considered more of a "winter" dish. In addition to the canonical kharcho, in the menu of Georgian restaurants you can find Megrelian kharcho: this is not a soup, but a second course: pieces of meat in a sauce of nuts. Both varieties of kharcho perfectly satisfy even the most brutal appetite.
Khachapuri- a dish of unleavened dough with cheese filling (usually suluguni), and the cheese in the filling is more like cottage cheese, and the dough is always soft. Khachapuri is a symbol of Georgian cuisine, along with khinkali and pkhali. In each region of Georgia, khachapuri is made in its own way: khachapuri in Imeretian style is a flatbread made of thin dough with cheese filling, Megrelian khachapuri- the same, but the cheese is not inside, but on top; Adjarian khachapuri or acharuli- This is a boat-shaped cake stuffed with cheese, where, before serving, a raw egg is broken and a piece of butter is added. Egg, cheese and butter are mixed and eaten, tearing off pieces from the cake and dipping it into the resulting slurry.
Adjarian Khachapuri in Batumi
Is there some more Khachapuri a la Khevsur- inside, in addition to cheese, there are still greens, and khachapuri in Kakhetian style, that is, on a spit.
In addition, there are various variations with fillings: for example, Adjarian khachapuri with meat and beans, acharuli khachapuri with vegetables, khachapuri with stewed mushrooms. Also in the menu of restaurants there are baroma (it also looks like Adjarian khachapuri, but the filling is cheese with bell pepper), Adjarian khachapuri with stewed veal and chili, stewed chicken and tomatoes, with ajapsandali, with spinach.
Khashi (hash)- in contrast to ajapsandali, a predominantly winter dish, soup on a very rich beef leg broth - boiled until the meat is completely separated from the bones.
In winter, it warms well and satisfies hunger, and is also considered an excellent remedy for a hangover. In addition, it helps with joint pain and fractures. Khash is very common in neighboring Armenia as well; while in Yerevan, I got acquainted with the following recipe for “Armenian khash”: beef legs are poured with water for 2-3 days (the water is changed periodically), then the soaked legs are put on a slow fire and boiled for several hours until the meat begins to separate from the bones , after which the bones are discarded. The broth is not salted during the cooking process - the khash is served unsalted to the table, the eaters themselves salt it to taste. We take pita bread, garlic, radish and vodka (yes, from the recipe, as well as from the song, “you can’t throw out the words”), pour the broth into a plate and add garlic and boiled meat there. We tear off pieces from pita bread and dip them into the broth; we drink the whole thing with vodka and have a bite of radishes. Armenians eat khash - attention! - early in the morning. I can imagine how someone had breakfast with hashem with garlic and vodka and went to work in the office :-))
Khinkali- large Georgian "dumplings with a leg." But, unlike dumplings, real khinkali necessarily contain broth.
They eat them like this: they take them by the leg, bite and drink the broth, then they eat the rest (except for the leg - it is not customary to eat it). In the menu of cafes and restaurants, khinkali come with a wide variety of fillings (potatoes, mushrooms), but only khinkali with meat are considered real. Traditionally, khinkali in Georgia is sculpted by men - because the dough is very tight. Khinkali should contain about 30 folds and is molded so that the most valuable thing - the broth - does not spread.
Chakapuli- stew with greens (according to the canon, this is lamb, but the situation with lamb in Georgia is not the most rosy - see "kebab / mtsvadi"). Chakapuli is found in Georgian cuisine in two forms - as a second dish and as a soup:
Chakapuli
According to the recipe, chakapuli usually contains tarragon (tarragon), which gives the dish a very unusual taste.
Chakhokhbili- a well-known Georgian dish of chicken in tomato sauce with spices and garlic (by the way, initially chakhokhbili was prepared only from pheasant meat).
Chakhokhbili
Chashushuli- a national Georgian dish of beef or veal meat cooked in tomato. The name translated from Georgian means "sharp".
Beef Chashushuli at Zakhar Zakharych, Tbilisi
Chikhirtma- rich, thick and fragrant chicken or meat broth with the addition of raw eggs.
Chikhirtma (actually white soup, just piled greens on top)
Chkmeruli- the name of the dish comes from the village of Chkmeri, which is in the mountainous region of Racha in northern Georgia. Chkmeruli is a chicken fried in a ketsi stone frying pan and served in a delicious creamy garlic sauce.
No, friends, we are not turning into a culinary site. The thing is that when talking about Georgia, it is simply impossible to bypass the topic of food or touch it superficially: the food here is so amazing that it is worth coming here just to eat.
This is another article about Georgian cuisine, this time - as many as 30 dishes that you must try. Read, take note and be sure to come try.
1. Puri
No wonder they say that bread is the head of everything. Georgian cuisine begins with bread, bread is special here and is one of the main components of the diet. Puri is the most recognizable pastry in Georgia due to its shape - this bread cannot be confused with anything.
Georgians bake bread in traditional clay ovens called tone. The fire burns at the bottom of the oven and heats its walls, on which the Georgian baker “slaps” the cakes so that they are attached and baked in a vertical state.
2. Khachapuri
Georgian cheese bread or tortilla with cheese is another important part of Georgian cuisine. There are several versions of khachapuri preparation, which depend on the region. Everything you need to try:
Imeretinsky - round with cheese inside.
Megrelian - similar to Imereti, but contains cheese and butter not only inside, but also outside.
Adjarian - boat-shaped khachapuri containing cheese, egg and butter.
Khachapuri on a skewer - cheese and dough are wound on a skewer and cooked on a barbecue.
3. Science
- This is Georgian spicy bread, which can be tasted far from everywhere. It is also baked in tone, but is interesting in that it has the aroma of cloves, cinnamon and contains raisins. This pastry is typical for the city of Surami. There are many small roadside bakeries where you can buy science hot right out of the oven.
4. Chvishtari
Chvishtari are Georgian cornbread. They come from Svaneti. Inside chvishtari - cheese, served with sauce.
5. Suluguni
Georgian cheese similar in texture to mozzarella. It is salty, viscous, divided into "strings". It is eaten just like that or added to various dishes (for example, khachapuri).
6. Nadugi
This is an original Georgian appetizer, consisting of fresh cottage cheese with a delicate creamy taste, wrapped in thin suluguni cheese.
7. Jonjoli
A traditional Georgian appetizer, plain in appearance, but very interesting in taste. These are pickled flowers. Slightly reminiscent of sauerkraut and salted olives.
8. Salad
The word "salad" in the menu of Georgian cafes often refers to a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes. Additional ingredients and dressing may vary by establishment. The photo shows a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes with onions and walnuts. It also turns out very tasty with Kakhetian oil.
9. Georgian chicken salad
Another salad that often appears on the menu of most establishments is listed as qatmis salati. It is a simple chicken salad with onions, mayonnaise and spices.
10. Olivier or Russian potato salad
Olivier is considered a traditional dish of Russian cuisine here. This salad is quite popular, it is served almost everywhere. But this is not quite familiar to us Olivier. Here it is cooked without sausage. And often confused with vinaigrette - ask the waiter what exactly is called Olivier in the institution.
11. Badrijani
One of the most favorite snacks of tourists is eggplant rolls. The filling can be very varied, but always contains cheese and walnuts.
12. Phali
Pkhali is an original appetizer in the form of flatbreads, the main ingredient can be almost any vegetable or herb, the most popular are beets and spinach. It is served as a side dish for meat dishes, as an independent dish, as an appetizer.
13. Dolma
This is an appetizer in the form of a rice-meat mass wrapped in a cabbage or grape leaf. In Georgia, it is traditionally served with yoghurt garlic sauce. Strictly speaking, this is a dish of Armenian cuisine, but in Georgia they love dolma and know how to cook it.
14. Khinkali
This is boiled meat in dough, reminiscent of dumplings. You need to eat only with your hands, holding them by the ponytails. In each region, they are prepared differently and with different fillings. In Tbilisi, we recommend trying the city recipe with meat and herbs. If you are traveling along the Georgian military road, stop in the village of Pasanauri. It is considered the birthplace of khinkali and here they are excellent.
15. Chikhirtma
Unusual chicken soup, which includes meat, herbs, egg, flour and vinegar. From the habit it may seem a little sour due to vinegar, but in general the taste of the broth is rich and harmonious. If you went too far with wine yesterday, chikhirtma will be your salvation.
16. Mtsvadi
Served with plum sauce tkemali or tomato satsebeli. As a rule, the meat is cooked without marinade at all, but generously flavored with onions and pomegranate seeds.
17. Fried potatoes
A classic side dish that can be ordered everywhere is fried potatoes served with tkemali sauce.
18. Lobio
A dish of beans with onions and herbs. Depending on the institution, it may differ slightly both in composition and in consistency. Served most often in a small clay pot. Try drowning a pod of hot pepper in a pot and popping lobio along with mchadi (corn tortilla).
19. Chashushuli
A traditional Georgian dish is veal stewed with onions and peppers.
20. Chakapuli
Again, meat stewed with herbs and spices. Lamb is used as meat, sour plums, cilantro, tarragon, white wine are used as additives.
21. Kharcho
Traditional Georgian first course with beef, can be served with or without rice. There are also vegetarian versions of kharcho with eggplant, zucchini, walnuts. Be careful - kharcho is always a very spicy dish.
22. Trout in pomegranate sauce
Trout is fried whole until crispy, served in sweet or salty pomegranate sauce.
23. Matsoni
This is Georgian yogurt. It has a pleasant delicate taste, served at room temperature. Also widely used in sauces and dressings.
24. Churchkhela
This is a dessert in the form of a string of nuts in thick caramelized grape syrup. It is sold on every corner, but do not buy churchkhela on the street - there it has dried up, absorbed all the delights of road dust. Buy in stores. The correct churchkhela is not hard, but stretchy, like nougat.
25. Chiri
Chiri is dried persimmon. Such a delicacy can be found in the same shops where they sell churchkhela. Sliced persimmons are strung on threads and hung until completely dry for several weeks.
26. Borjomi
This is a popular mineral water not only in Georgia, but also far beyond its borders, which is extracted from the source of the same name. You can buy it in any store and cafe, as well as drink directly from the source if you find yourself in Borjomi.
27. Lemonade
If Georgians do not drink Borjomi, wine or beer, then they drink lemonade. There are many variations of lemonade here, it can be different in taste and color.
28. Waters of Lagidze
This is sparkling water with syrups that awakens warm nostalgia in tourists. There are many flavors: cherry, cream, lemon, pear, tarragon, grapes, vanilla and even chocolate.
29. Traditional wine
Namely, made in kvevri (large clay jugs buried in the ground) according to the traditional recipe, as the ancestors did eight thousand years ago. You will not taste such wine in any other country in the world, so take a moment - taste Georgian wines and take them home.
30. Chacha
Traditional grape vodka, which is made from the remains of wine materials. Try chacha if you like hard liquor. The main thing is to calculate your strength and do not interfere with other alcohol.
This list is far from complete, there are many more delicious dishes in Georgian cuisine. When you find yourself in Georgia, eat everything and more - it is better to gain a couple of extra pounds than to regret the missed opportunity to know one of the most amazing cuisines in the world.
By Katherine Belarmino and Romeo Belarmino.
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