🍽️ Top 10 Georgian dishes you need to try
Georgian cuisine has long been familiar to many. However, local establishments offer many more dishes than restaurants outside Georgia offer. I will omit wine and chacha, as well as churchkhela and nuts, which I have already talked about in this material. Now I will present a selection of dishes that are worth paying attention to in Georgia.
Khinkali
Probably only lazy people don’t know about khinkali. They are meat in dough, resembling large dumplings. They should only be eaten with your hands – never with a fork and knife. They also bite off the tails; if you eat them, nothing terrible will happen, but it will not be tasty, since they are damp.
The traditional filling is minced meat made from three types of meat: beef, pork and lamb. You won’t find Khinkali with only pork or chicken. True, now there are entire khinkali bars where you can try the most incredible combinations. For example, fruit or berry. There are also establishments that offer toasted khinkali.
Khachapuri
This pastry is no less famous than khinkali. It can even be found in many local establishments. There are different types: Imeretian, Megrelian, Adjarian and even on a skewer. All of them are beautiful in their own way, but personally I was very surprised by the last option, I have never seen anything like this before. I recommend trying all types and finding the right khachapuri.
Chikhirtma
The next item on the list is chikhirtma soup. The ingredients include chicken, herbs, egg, flour and vinegar. The taste is barely sour. I mainly saw options where the soup is served with a whole piece of white meat. It is rumored that locals use chikhirtma as a hangover dish. I haven’t checked whether this is true, if you have had such experience, share it in the comments.
Lobio
Lobio is, at its core, a very thick bean stew. Very filling! The portions are quite large, we once took one for two and did not regret it. The dish is definitely worth trying! In establishments it is most often served in clay pots. Lobio is an ideal option for vegetarians.
Kharcho
Another soup in our selection. It's a kind of meat stew. And only beef is used. Also required components are tkemali plums and grated walnuts. The kharcho is spicy in taste and thick in appearance. Here the rule “soup is 50% liquid” does not work.
Puri
This is not a particularly well-known pastry outside Georgia. It is a white, unsweetened, boat-shaped bread with the ends tucked into a tube. Prepared in a traditional clay oven – tone. Essentially, the finished product is simply molded onto the wall of the oven and waited for it to rise.
Traditionally in Georgia, baking puri is a woman’s job. These baked goods are often packed for travel because they last for a very long time. The taste is reminiscent of salty white bread. As part of many excursions, tourists can prepare their own puri. Such a master class cost us 5 lari – that’s about $2.
Chakhokhbili
This is a stew of poultry and vegetables. Initially, pheasants were used for cooking, but now their fate befalls mainly chicken. There are options with other types of meat, but here you’ll be lucky if you come across it.
Shkmeruli/chkmeruli
This dish tops my personal list. It consists of fried chicken in a delicate milk sauce. There is a legend that the dish appeared thanks to a cook from the village of Shkmeri, who wanted to please the nobility. And he prepared it from what was at hand. I definitely recommend trying it. If suddenly they don’t serve it, then take a flatbread with the dish. It needs to be dipped in the sauce.
Ojakhuri
This is another version of stew: meat with potatoes, peppers and onions. It is cooked and served on ketsi – a small flat cast iron frying pan. Be careful, the dish is served as soon as it is prepared, and you can get burned on the ketsi. The dish itself is hearty; in some establishments you can find a vegetarian option.
Pelamushi
This is the only dessert on my must-try list. You've already tried Churchkhela, right? Pelamushi is considered a holiday dish, but now you can try it in many establishments. The dessert is made from flour and grape juice. The ingredients are mixed and cooked for a long time. Then pour into glasses and allow to cool. Tastes a bit like jam. And in establishments it is served in portions with tea, often as part of a set of sweets, which also includes churchkhela and kozinaki.
