Georgian food: discover traditional cuisine

TONIS PURI – wheat bread baked in a special large round stone oven called tone.

SHOTIS PURI – a sub-type of tonis puri bread with a specific canoe shape, usually more celebratory.

LAVASH – thick, but puffy flatbread with chewy texture, can be wrapped around fillings for handheld meals.

KHACHAPURI — Khachapuri is an iconic family of savory pastries made from wheat dough. They are stuffed with cheese and sometimes additional eggs, vegetables, or meat.

LOBIANI – bread, similar to khachapuri, but filled with mashed kidney beans, fried onions, spices.

MCHADI – baked or fried cornbread eaten with lobio (bean stew) and/or cheese.

CHVISHTARI – cornbread with cheese from the mountainous Svaneti region.

GHOMI – cornmeal porridge, served with cheese, which melts inside the hot porridge.

SHILA PLAVI – is a rice pilaf made with either meat or mushrooms, along with onions, oil, black pepper, and cumin. Saffron and white wine can be added as optional ingredients.

BADRIJANI NIGVZIT – grilled slices of eggplant, covered with walnut-garlic paste, seasoned with ajika and coriander, decorated with pomegranate seeds.

PKHALI or MKHALI – chopped and minced vegetables: cabbage, eggplant, spinach, beans, beets, combined with ground walnuts, vinegar, onions, garlic, and herbs. The common ingredient of all variations of pkhali is puréed walnut sauce.

LOBIO – a dish of kidney beans, onions, and garlic, braised in a clay pot and served with mchadi bread.

AJAPSANDALI – vegetarian summer stew with tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, onions, garlic, basil, cilantro and parsley. Sometimes potato, chili peppers and carrots are added. Typically served cold.

PICKLED JONJOLI (BLADDERNUT) – appetizer made with pickled sprouts from a Georgian native shrub of the same name, seasoned with salt, oil, and onions.

TOMATO-CUCUMBER SALAD – large chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers, onions rings, some parsley, optionally- some walnut paste.

CHRIANTELI – cold soup made from fresh, ripe cherries, apples, pears, peaches, and other fruits.

CHIRI – dried fruits, mostly apricots, grapes, dates and figs.

MURABA – jam made mostly from watermelon, quince, fig, berries, walnuts, and flowers, like wild rose.

TKLAPI – is a type of fruit leather made with fruit purée – a thin sheet that can be sweet or sour and used for ioups, stews, or desserts.

KHARCHO – thick, hearty beef, lamb or pork soup-stew with sour notes from pureed fruit leather tklapi or vinegar. Soup also features rice, carrots, tomatoes, chili peppers and cilantro.

CHANAKHI – layered lamb stew with onions, eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, greens, and garlic, simmered in individual clay pots in the oven with melted butter.

OJAKHURI – rich and hearty pork meat, potatoes, onion, garlic, all roasted together and served in a clay pot.

CHIKIRTMA – light chicken broth soup mixed with egg yolks, flavored with garlic, lemon, coriander and cinnamon.

KHASHI – intestines, tripes, and hooves soup with soaked bread, a common cure for a hangover, consumed in the morning.

CHAKHOKHBILI – herbed, dry-fried chicken and tomato stew. The name comes from the word “pheasant”.

SATSIVI — chicken in walnut sauce, made by combining walnuts into a puree and seasoned with fenugreek, coriander, cinnamon, garlic, salt, and peppers. Served cold.

OSTRI / CHASHUSHULI – spicy beef stew resembling goulash. The beef is cooked with tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, spices and herbs.

CHICKEN TABAKA – whole chicken that’s been flattened and pan-fried.

MTSVADI – traditional juicy barbeque on a large skewer, tossed with onions, finished with freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, served with tkemali plum sauce.

KHINKALI – Georgian dumplings stuffed with meat or other stuffings, eaten with hands.

SHKMERULI CHICKEN – is a traditional dish coming from a Racha region. It’s a roasted chicken further boiled in a garlic sauce, served in a clay pot.

KUPATI – homemade pork sausages, made from ground pork, intestines or chitterlings. Popular in Caucasus.

KUCHMACHI – chicken liver, hearts, and gizzards dish with walnuts and pomegranates topping.

SATSIVI FISH – cooked fish, often carp, in a walnut sauce seasoned with garlic and cilantro. Served cold.

KALMAKHIS KUBDARI – bread, stuffed with minced trout, onions, coriander, and ajika.

SULGUNI cheese – sour, moderately salty brined cheese of a dimpled texture and elastic consistency, made from cow’s milk. Often deep-fried or served in wedges.

IMERETIAN / IMERULI cheese – curd cheese from cow milk, soft and springy texture and slightly sour, salty taste.

GUDA – cheese from the mountainous East, made from fresh, whole milk from either sheep or a mixture of sheep and cow’s milk, which is then ripened in a sheepskin bag.

TENILI CHEESE – string cheese made of cow’s or sheep’s milk, it has a mild flavor and a springy texture.

NADUGHI – a product received after souring sheep or goat milk – dressed in mint and wrapped in Sulguni plates.

GEBJALIA – soft, creamy cheese rolls filled with mint and green ajika. Coming from the Samegrelo region where it was regarded as a meal of the Gods (source)

MATSONI – refreshing and tart yogurt soup, made from matsoni yogurt, broth, fresh dill, mint and cilantro, garlic, onions, and eggs.

CHURCHKHELA – a traditional Georgian pea-pod-shaped candy made from grape skin, walnuts, and flour.

JANJUNKHA – Same as churchkhela, but chopped hazelnuts are used instead of walnuts.

GOZINAKI – crunchy honey and walnuts bar.

PELAMUSHI – thick chilled porridge-like jelly from grape juice and flour, served with walnuts.

NAZUKI – sweet bread with spices.