Georgia
SEASONINGS
Georgian food tastes sour and savory first, then nutty and herbal, with warmth. Flavors are built around contrast between richness and acidity. Sourness is very important; it is created with sour plums, pomegranate juice, grape verjuice, and small amounts of vinegar. Fruit acidity sharpens meats and walnut sauces and often replaces the role that citrus or dairy plays in other cuisines.
Walnuts are a structural element, ground into sauces satsivi and bazhe, used to thicken stews, and mixed into fillings. Walnuts add fat, bitterness, and body without cream or butter.
Fresh herbs define much of the aroma. Fresh cilantro is the most important, used both as leaves and seeds. Dill, parsley, summer savory and especially fresh tarragon are used generously. Many dishes combine dried and fresh herbs in a single dish. Garlic is used confidently but in balance, rarely sharp.
Georgians use coriander seed, fenugreek, marigold petals, and black pepper a lot. Chili exists, but does not define the cuisine. Blue fenugreek is much more prominent than in neighbouring cuisines. It belongs to the same family as the fenugreek, but has a milder, sweeter flavour reminiscent of autumn leaves. Also, the marigold flower is quite distinctive, called the Imeretian Saffron. Georgians use the dried and ground petals to give an earthy flavour and bright yellow colour to walnut dishes and sauces.
Many spices are dried and ground together rather than added separately, thus there are unique Geogrian mixes:
KHMELI SUNELI – a distinct blend, which combines coriander, fenugreek, blue fenugreek, marigold, bay leaf, summer savory, celery seed, dried basil, dill, parsley, and mint. There is no fixed recipe for khmeli suneli, like Indian masala.
SVANETIAN SALT is a popular mix; the recipe originates in Svaneti, but nowadays it can be bought virtually everywhere and is a practical souvenir. Salt contains a mixture of sea salt, dried garlic, fenugreek, coriander, cumin, chili pepper, dill, and several other herbs.
AJIKA – a spicy and subtly flavored condiment made with hot peppers, garlic, coriander, tomato, fenugreek, marigold, and salt. It is a part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia. It comes in red and green varieties, with red being the hotter option. Red ajika exists in two variants – dry and wet. Dry is a seasoning mix used on raw meat, while the wet one has the consistency of a thicker mustard and is used to highlight the already roasted meat.
TKEMALI – Georgian sauce made of cherry and red-leaf plums. The flavour of this sauce varies, but it’s generally pungently tart. Alongside plums, garlic, cumin, coriander, dill, chili pepper, pennyrile and salt are used. Tkemali is used for fried or grilled meat, poultry and potato dishes, and has a place in Georgian cuisine similar to the one ketchup has in the United States.
BAZHE – rich and creamy sauce of ground walnuts, coriander, fenugreek, blue fenugreek, marigold petals and sometimes onions and garlic. The unique texture comes from the way the walnuts are processed and emulsified with water or other liquids. A touch of vinegar or pomegranate juice is often added to balance brightness. It can be served as a dip for vegetables or bread or poured over grilled meats or fish.
SATSIVI – is a thicker, more luxurious sauce compared to bazhe. It’s made with ground walnuts, coriander, fenugreek, blue fenugreek, sometimes cinnamon or cloves. Satsivi can be served hot or cold and is a classic accompaniment to poultry dishes, especially chicken or turkey.
Portugal
SEASONINGS
Portuguese seasoning traditions share many herbs with their Mediterranean neighbors. Portugal stands out in Southern Europe for its extensive use of cilantro, using it in countless traditional dishes. Parsley also dominates the herbal profile, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg enhance pastries, while pepper, bay leaves, cumin, and paprika add distinctiveness to savory dishes. Onions, garlic, and tomatoes form the aromatic base, complemented by olive oil, butter, and grape-based wine vinegar.
SAUCES
While Portuguese cuisine is not known for being spice-hot, it has a unique fiery signature sauce unmatched in southern Mediterranean cooking: PIRI-PIRI (or PERI-PERI). The key ingredient, the spicy chillied travelled a long way to settle in southern Portuguese cuisine. The original chilli comes from the Americas, but it was not immediately adopted by the Portuguese. They carried chilli plants to their African colonies, mainly Mozambique and Angola, where the plants thrived and the African bird’s-eye variety developed. Portuguese settlers and local African cooks began mixing these chillies with garlic, lemon, oil and salt. The sauce later made its way back to Portugal and became part of Portuguese cuisine. The sauce is paired with flame-grilled chicken (frango piri-piri), seafood, rice, and vegetable dishes.
MOLHO VERDE – A green sauce with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and vinegar or lemon juice, commonly served with grilled fish.
VINHA D’ALHOS – A marinade-like sauce of wine vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and paprika used for pork and other meats.
ALHADA – A garlic-olive oil emulsion sometimes enhanced with cilantro, used particularly with shellfish dishes like amêijoas à Bulhão Pato.
MOLHO DE VILÃO – a traditional sauce from the Azores, made of garlic, onions, olive oil, paprika, vinegar, and sometimes white wine. A tangy sauce paired with grilled meats, particularly pork, gives a rich, smoky flavor.
REFOGADO – Not strictly a sauce but a flavor base of sautéed onions, garlic, bay leaf, olive oil, and sometimes tomatoes that starts many Portuguese dishes.
