Kupati – Georgian Pork Sausages with Garlic and Spices

Ingredients:

Preparation mode:

👉 Kupati are Georgia’s homemade sausages: coarse pork mixed with lots of onion, garlic and warm spices like khmeli suneli, coriander, cinnamon and a hint of cloves, stuffed into natural casings, briefly boiled and then fried or grilled until crisp. They come from the western regions of Imereti and Samegrelo, where every family has its own spice mix, and they are a favourite at the supra and at barbecues next to mtsvadi. Served with sliced red onion, pomegranate and sour tkemali sauce, kupati are smoky, juicy and full of flavour.

How to Make Kupati

1. Mince the meat. Cut the pork (and liver or heart, if using) into pieces and pass through a meat grinder with a coarse plate. Kupati should be coarse, not smooth.
2. Season. Add the onions, garlic, khmeli suneli, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and barberries. Mix with your hands for 3–4 minutes until the mixture becomes sticky.
3. Test the seasoning. Fry a small spoonful of the mixture, taste and adjust the salt and spices.
4. Stuff the casings. Fit the soaked casing on a sausage funnel or the grinder’s sausage attachment and fill it loosely without air pockets. Twist into 15 cm links, or coil into one long spiral.
5. Prick and rest. Prick each sausage a few times with a needle and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight) so the flavours develop.
6. Boil briefly. Lower the kupati into simmering (not boiling) salted water and poach for 8–10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
7. Fry or grill. Fry in oil or butter over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, turning, until browned and crisp – or grill them over hot coals.
8. Serve. Serve hot with thinly sliced red onion, pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs, bread and tkemali sauce.

Tips for the Best Kupati

• Use pork with 20–30% fat – lean meat makes dry kupati.
• Don’t overfill the casings or they burst when boiling; poach gently below the boil.
• Toast and grind your own coriander seeds for the most aromatic sausages.

FAQ

What is kupati?
Kupati is a traditional Georgian sausage made from coarsely minced pork (sometimes with offal) seasoned with onion, garlic and spices such as khmeli suneli, coriander and cinnamon.

How do you cook kupati?
Kupati are usually poached briefly in simmering water, then fried in a pan or grilled over coals until browned and crisp.

What do you eat with kupati?
Georgians serve kupati with red onion, pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs, bread such as shoti, and sour plum tkemali sauce.

👉 More Georgian dishes for the table: mtsvadi (shashlik), ojakhuri, tkemali sauce and mchadi. Learn about the spice blend in our guide to khmeli suneli and the whole Georgian supra.

Footnotes:

No sausage casings? Shape the mixture into small finger-shaped patties and pan-fry them 4–5 minutes per side – the flavour is the same.
Raw kupati keep 2 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Fry or grill them from thawed.