FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET IN TBILISI
A tradition of home-cooked meals, using fresh ingredients, means that the fruit and vegetable markets in Georgia are always busy. Shoppers have a sharp eye for quality and will often individually select fruit and vegetables and sometimes taste something before they decide to buy. Prices are almost always cheaper than supermarkets. Cheese is always tasted … Continue reading
LOBIO WITH TOMATOES AND SPICES
The Georgian word ‘lobio’ (Georgian: ლობიო) means ‘beans’ and there are a number of varieties of lobio dishes. In this recipe we show how to make lobio with tomatoes and spices. Ingredients: 400 grams of kidney beans. Other ingredients: 4 Bay leaves, 3 cloves of garlic, 4 white onions, 3 tomatoes, 20 grams of fresh green … Continue reading
CHICKEN LIVER WITH RED WINE AND SVANETIAN SALT
In this recipe we show how to make a chicken liver dish that uses Svanetian salt as a flavoring. Ingredients (4 servings): 1 kilo of chicken liver, 4 bay leaves, 1 tbs coarse dried hot pepper, 1 tbs of Svanetian salt, 2 juicy tomatoes, 2 onions, 150 ml of red wine, 1 tbs of vinegar, 10 grams of … Continue reading
SPICES AND HERBS USED IN GEORGIAN CUISINE
A tradition of home-cooked meals means that markets in Georgia overflow with a vast array of spices and herbs that give Georgian cuisine its rich flavors and aromas. In this article we describe some of the spices and herbs that are most commonly used in Georgian cooking. We have included links to examples of our … Continue reading
MOKHRAKULI KHACHAPURI
Khachapuri (Georgian: ხაჭაპური), is a cheese bread that is justifiably considered to be one of Georgia’s national dishes. Different regions of Georgia have their own type of khachapuri. In this recipe we show how to make Mokhrakuli Khachapuri (Georgian: მოხრაკული ხაჭაპური). This type of khachapuri is called a “lazy khachapuri” as it is fried, not baked, and takes much less time to … Continue reading
Kababi with Pomegranate Juice
Kababi is a very popular meal in Georgia and can be flavored with a variety of spices. In this recipe we show how to make kababi wrapped in thin lavashi bread and flavored with spices and pomegranate juice. We have also included a recipe for a spicy tomato sauce to serve with the kababi. Ingredients … Continue reading
ELARJI – CORNMEAL WITH SULGUNI CHEESE
Elarji (Georgian: ელარჯი) is a popular dish from Samegrelo region, made from coarse cornmeal, cornflour and Sulguni cheese. Ingredients: 200 grams of coarse cornmeal, 4 tbs of cornflour and 1 kilo of sulguni cheese. The cheese must be new. Mozzerella cheese can be used as an alternative to sulguni. Add the coarse cornmeal to a deep pot. Add … Continue reading
TBILISI BEER FESTIVAL 2013
The Tbilisi Beer Festival is held every year in summer. Organised by the Georgian drinks company Natakhtari, this was the fourth beer festival held in Tbilisi. 1.5 GEL bought a token that could be exchanged for a beer. We were there to join in the fun. Gaumarjos! (cheers!). Beer glasses! Georgian bands entertained the crowd. It wouldn’t be a Georgian … Continue reading
LOBIO WITH IMERETIAN CHEESE
The Georgian word ‘lobio’ (Georgian: ლობიო) means ‘beans’. There are a number of varieties of Georgian lobio dishes and in this old, family recipe from Racha region we show how to make lobio with Imeretian cheese. Ingredients: 400 grams of kidney beans. Other ingredients: 300 grams of Imeretian cheese (feta or mozzarella cheese can be used), 4 Bay … Continue reading
TOLMA (DOLMA) – STUFFED VINE LEAVES
Tolma (Georgian: ტოლმა), known as Dolma in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, is a popular meal in Georgia and many other countries and there are many variations. It usually describes a filled, hollowed-out vegetable or a filling wrapped in a leaf. Fillings can include meat and vegetables. In Georgia, fillings wrapped in cabbage or vine leaves and stuffed peppers are very popular. … Continue reading
GEORGIAN SULGUNI CHEESE
Sulguni (Georgian: სულგუნი) is a cheese from the Samegrelo region of Georgia. It has a sour, moderately salty flavor and an elastic consistency. Sulguni is made using only natural ingredients: normalized cow milk clotted by rennet with pure cultures of lactic bacteria. It is a “quick cheese” maturing in just one or two days. A typical … Continue reading
SHKMERULI – CHICKEN COOKED IN MILK AND GARLIC
Shkmeruli (Georgian: შქმერული) is a chicken dish from the Racha region of Georgia. A young chicken is usually used for this recipe and is cooked in milk and garlic. Sour cream can be used instead of milk.Ingredients: 1 whole young chicken, 50 grams of garlic, 100 ml of milk (80 grams of sour cream if … Continue reading
KARTLI WINE FESTIVAL 2013
We attended the “Kartli Wine Festival” in the city of Gori (Georgian: გორი) in Shida Kartli region in eastern Georgia. The event aimed to promote and popularize Kartli wine. Visitors had an opportunity to speak to local wine producers, taste the wines, browse stalls displaying local crafts and also enjoy traditional music and a barbecue. The festival was held … Continue reading
GREEN TKEMALI – SOUR PLUM SAUCE
Tkemali (Georgian ტყემალი) is the Georgian name for a variety of wild, sour plum, as well as a sauce made from the plums. Tkemali sauce is used for fried or grilled meat, poultry and potato dishes, and has a place in Georgian cuisine similar to tomato ketchup in America. The two main types of plum sauce are green … Continue reading
EKALA (ეკალა)
The Ekala (ეკალა) plant (Smelax excelsa) is a type of spinach used in the cuisine of the Imereti region of Georgia (Georgian: იმერეთი). In this recipe we will show how to prepare and cook Ekala. Ingredients (2-3 servings): 1 kilo of fresh Ekala, 200 grams of walnuts, 1 clove of garlic, 1 medium size onion, 3-4 tbs of wine … Continue reading
MUSHROOM CHASHUSHULI
Mushroom Chashushuli is a family meal made with potatoes and mushrooms. It is especially good with new potatoes. Ingredients (4 servings): 700 grams of small new potatoes, 500 grams of mushrooms, 6 cloves of fresh garlic, 2 hot green peppers (or mild if you prefer), 2 large onions, 50 grams of fresh purple basil, oil and … Continue reading
Georgian Recipes 