Georgian Recipes

In this recipe we show how to make a spicy Abkhazian sauce that is traditionally used to flavour meat and fish. The recipe uses sour plums called Alycha (also called Alucha), Ajika (a hot, spicy paste), Akhkhyla (Abkhazian spice mix), garlic and Summer Savory.

Ingredients: 1.5 kilos of alycha (sour plum), 2 tbs of ajika (click for recipe), 1 tbs of akhkhyla (click for recipe), 1 level tsp of Summer Savoury, and 4-5 cloves of garlic.

Preparation: Wash the plums and add to a deep pan with 400 ml of water.

Bring to the boil and then allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Use a colander to drain the juices from the cooked plums into a deep pan.

Squash the plums with a wooden spoon to extract all of the juice and pulp. Discard the plum stones.

The juice and pulp should look like the picture below.

Chop the garlic and prepare 2 tbs of ajika, 1 tbs of akhkhyla, and 1 level tsp of Summer Savoury

Add the chopped garlic, together with the ajika, akhkhyla and Summer Savory to the pan of plum juice.

Stir thoroughly and heat on a low temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Serving: Allow to cool before serving. We served our sauce with a roast chicken. The sauce can also be bottled. If you intend to use it over a short period, allow it to cool down before bottling and storing in the refrigerator. To keep the sauce for long periods without refrigeration, prepare bottles by washing thoroughly and leaving until they are completely dry. Half fill a tall pot with water. Add the bottles. Heat on a low to medium temperature for 15 minutes. Place the plastic caps that will be used to seal the bottles in boiling water. Fill each bottle to the top with hot sauce and seal immediately with one of the plastic caps that has been boiled and dried. This bottling method allows the sauce to be stored for long periods in a cool, dark place without the need for refrigeration.

Enjoy your Abkhazian Sauce!