👉 Kuchmachi is a beloved Georgian dish of chicken giblets – hearts, gizzards and livers – simmered until tender, then fried with onion and garlic and finished with ground walnuts, coriander, blue fenugreek and a shower of pomegranate seeds and cilantro. It comes from western Georgia, where it is served…
👉 Holodets (kholodets, studen) is the famous Russian and Ukrainian meat aspic: tender pieces of pork, beef and chicken set in a clear, savoury jelly made only from the natural collagen of the bones. It takes time but very little work, and no New Year table in Russia is complete…
👉 Pirozhki (also spelled piroshki) are Russia’s favourite hand pies: soft, golden yeast buns stuffed with savoury fillings and either baked or fried. Every Russian and Ukrainian grandmother has her own version – juicy beef and onion, mashed potato with dill, cabbage with egg or sweet apple and jam –…
👉 Samsa are the golden, flaky meat pastries sold hot from clay tandoor ovens in every bazaar in Uzbekistan. The thin layered dough wraps a juicy filling of chopped lamb, plenty of onion, cumin and black pepper, and the pastries are brushed with egg and sprinkled with sesame before baking.…
👉 Imeruli khachapuri (იმერული ხაჭაპური) is the everyday khachapuri of Georgia – a round, flat bread with a thick layer of salty, melted cheese sealed inside. It comes from the region of Imereti, and it is the one you will find in every bakery, on every supra table and in…
👉 Achma (აჩმა) is a cheese pie from Adjara, on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. Thin sheets of dough are boiled like pasta, then layered with salty cheese and lots of butter and baked until the top is golden and crisp. Inside it is soft, buttery and stretchy – many people…
👉 Gebzhalia (გებჟალია) is a cheese dish from Samegrelo, the western Georgian region famous for its sulguni cheese. Soft, stretchy sulguni is rolled around a filling of fresh cheese and mint, cut into pinwheels and served in a cool, tangy matsoni (yogurt) sauce with more mint. It is light, fresh…
👉 Lángos is Hungary’s favourite street food: a big disc of yeast dough fried until puffy and golden, brushed with garlic water and piled with sour cream and grated cheese. You’ll find it at every beach, market and festival in Hungary. A little mashed potato in the dough keeps it…
👉 Soko ketsze (სოკო კეცზე) means “mushrooms on a ketsi” – a Georgian clay dish. Whole mushroom caps are filled with butter and sulguni cheese and baked until the cheese melts and the mushrooms release their juices into the pan. Just three main ingredients and 25 minutes – a favourite…
👉 Kashke bademjan is one of the most loved Persian starters: soft, smoky fried eggplant mashed with golden onions and garlic, finished with tangy kashk (whey), mint oil and walnuts. Scoop it up with warm flatbread. It’s vegetarian, full of flavour and surprisingly easy to make at home. How to…
👉 Chebureki (çiberek) are large, thin half-moon pastries filled with juicy spiced meat and fried until bubbly and crisp. They come from Crimean Tatar cuisine and became a favourite street food across Ukraine, Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The secret is a very thin dough and a filling with…
👉 Kutab (also spelled qutab or gutab) is one of the most loved dishes in Azerbaijan: paper-thin dough folded around a filling of fresh green herbs, cooked on a dry griddle and brushed with butter. It’s simple, healthy and addictive – perfect as a snack, breakfast or part of a…
