In Georgia: the food
One of the highlights of September’s Georgian trip, along with the wine and the qvevri of course, was the food. We ate very well. So I thought I’d catalogue some of the Georgian food highlights here.
Khinkali. This was one of the star dishes. These are big dumplings stuffed with spiced meat, which can be minced beef, pork or lamb. They have quite a bit of liquid in them, so the key is not to spill this broth-like goodness, but rather savour it. You can read more about khinkali here.
Khachapuri. Another favourite. This is cheese bread and it’s utterly delicious. It’s Georgia’s equivalent to pizza. And probably tastier most of the time.
Mtsvadi. This is a feature at most meals: its a skewer of meat cooked over hot coals. The meat is usually port or lamb. Cooked well, not overdone, it’s really nice.
Tonis puri. This is the typical Georgian bread (puri is bread; the tone is the oven used to cook it in). The bread is cooked on the inside walls of the large, circular, vertical wood fired oven. It’s a bit like a tandoor, and the dough is stuck on the inside in a distinctive shape, and then cooks quickly.
Guda. This is a mountain sheep’s cheese, and it’s dry and very strong in flavour.
Badrijai Nigrzit. These are eggplant rolls with walnut paste.
And (above) this is a variation on the theme.
Phkali. Small appetisers that are a sort of chopped vegetable pate with walnut paste.
And finally, Jonjoli, which are pickles.
