👉 Tolma is the Georgian version of dolma: tender grape leaves wrapped around juicy minced meat, rice and lots of fresh herbs, then simmered slowly and served with a cool garlic-yogurt (matsoni) sauce. It’s a summer favourite in Georgia, but with jarred grape leaves you can make it all year…
👉 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…
👉 Khinkali are Georgia’s famous soup dumplings: a thin, pleated dough purse filled with spiced meat and its own hot broth. You hold one by the twisted top, bite a small hole, sip the juice, then eat the rest – the top knot (kudi) traditionally stays on the plate. The…
👉 Satsivi is the star of the Georgian New Year table: tender chicken served cold in a thick, aromatic walnut sauce flavored with garlic, fenugreek, marigold and a hint of cinnamon. Its name means “something cold”. 🇬🇪 What Is Satsivi? Satsivi (საცივი) is one of Georgia’s most festive dishes, traditionally…
👉 Gozinaki is a traditional Georgian New Year candy made from just walnuts and honey. Toasted walnuts are cooked in boiling honey and cut into diamond shapes – crunchy, sweet and full of festive tradition. 🇬🇪 What Is Gozinaki? Gozinaki (გოზინაყი) has been made for New Year and Christmas in…
👉 Churchkhela is Georgia’s most iconic sweet – strings of walnuts dipped again and again in thickened grape juice and dried until chewy. Often called “Georgian Snickers”, it is sold in colorful rows at every market in the country. 🇬🇪 What Is Churchkhela? Churchkhela (ჩურჩხელა) is made in autumn during…
👉 Lobio is Georgia’s classic red bean stew – creamy kidney beans cooked with onions, garlic, herbs and spices, traditionally served bubbling in a clay pot. Simple, cheap and deeply satisfying. 🇬🇪 What Is Lobio? Lobio (ლობიო) is simply the Georgian word for beans. “Lobio kotanshi” – lobio in a…
👉 Kharcho is a thick, warming Georgian beef soup with rice, ground walnuts, sour tkemali and plenty of spices. It is one of the most famous Georgian soups – hearty, aromatic and perfect for cold days. 🇬🇪 What Is Kharcho? Kharcho (ხარჩო) originally comes from Samegrelo, where it was made…
👉 Mtsvadi is the Georgian version of shashlik – juicy chunks of pork grilled on skewers over glowing coals. Georgians keep it simple: good meat, salt, fire and a sprinkle of pomegranate and raw onion at the end. 🇬🇪 What Is Mtsvadi? Mtsvadi (მწვადი) means “grilled” and is the centerpiece…
👉 Ajika (adjika) is a fiery red pepper paste from Samegrelo and Abkhazia, made with hot chilies, garlic, coriander and blue fenugreek. A small spoonful adds heat and deep flavor to meat, vegetables and soups. 🇬🇪 What Is Ajika? Ajika (აჯიკა) was traditionally ground by hand between two stones. Megrelian…
👉 Tkemali is Georgia’s famous sour plum sauce – tangy, garlicky and herby. It is served with grilled meat, potatoes and chicken, much like ketchup elsewhere, and is made in every Georgian home in summer. 🇬🇪 What Is Tkemali? Tkemali (ტყემალი) is named after the sour cherry-plum it is made…
👉 Mchadi are simple Georgian cornbread cakes made from just cornmeal, water and salt. Crispy on the outside and soft inside, they are the traditional partner for lobio, pkhali and cheese in western Georgia. 🇬🇪 What Is Mchadi? Mchadi (მჭადი) is the everyday bread of western Georgia, especially Imereti and…
