A Taste of Georgia

You may ignore the chashushuli,
Or skip the ojhakhuri,
But when in Georgia,
Don’t be a bourgeois—
Eat with your hands khinkali and khachapuri!

Georgian food invites poetry. Each dish carries a story, and as you eat, you gather memories to take home.

Let’s start by quite literally getting a handle on our food. Khinkali, believed to have arrived with the Mongols in the 13th century, originated in Georgia’s mountains. These taste like meat dumplings or momos and the filling is held together with a topknot. Eaten by hand, gripping the twisted topknot to sip the hot, savoury broth inside before finishing the dumpling. The handle is always discarded.

Khinkalis - The dumpling with a handle

The Adjaruli Khachapuri tells another tale. This boat-shaped cheese bread arrives piping hot, crowned with a raw egg and butter. You tear off the crust and swiftly mix it all together. Its form is said to mirror a boat on the Black Sea, with the filling symbolising the sea, sun, and the coastal region of Adjara—lovingly served by mothers and wives to bring luck to fishermen heading out to sea.

Adjaruli Khachapuri - bringing luck to fishermen at sea

Pork Mtsvadi (kebabs)

Our driver lights up the BBQ

In Georgia, eating is far more than sustenance; it lies at the heart of hospitality and social life. If you hesitate over a menu or enjoy a dish too visibly, expect help from a smiling stranger. They genuinely look happy to see you enjoy their cuisine. After exploring the Uplistsikhe caves, we found a nearby eatery closed, yet the owners lit a barbeque and, with help from our cab driver, treated us to fresh pork mtsvadi (kebabs).

The joy of travel continues at home. We recreated Badrijani Nigvzit—eggplant with walnut paste—an effortless cocktail snack. Roast or fry eggplant slices, spread with garlicky walnut paste, garnish with pomegranate seeds, and serve. Simple, and deeply Georgian.

  

A twist to the Eggplant