Caucasian cuisine has an extraordinary taste and aroma. Caucasian cuisine is a broad concept that includes not only Georgian, Azerbaijani and Armenian dishes, but also the culinary delights of the peoples of the North Caucasus (Abkhazians, Ossetians, Nogays, Karachais, Dagestanis and others).
Food in the Caucasus
Each people living in the Caucasus has their own favorite dishes, for example, vegetarian dishes are very popular in Abkhaz cuisine, since the diet of the local population consists of fruits, vegetables, melons, honey, walnuts, dairy products, spices (fresh herbs of wild garlic, cilantro, basil, mint and other herbs).
Residents of the mountainous regions of the North Caucasus eat goat, lamb, less often poultry and beef: they usually cook their dishes for 1 day. Their diet is not only meat, but also dairy products, cereals, vegetables and fruits.
While vacationing in the Caucasus, you should try shish kebab, chakhokhbili, kharcho, lobio, lyulya-kebab, khachapuri, cheese platter (smoked chechil cheese, feta cheese, suluguni, chechil “noodles”), tkemali sauce and adjika, fish and seafood dishes (fried flounder, pike perch, mullet, trout, rapan pilaf, mussel salad, fried shrimp).
Caucasian cuisine will especially be liked by gourmets who prefer spicy dishes - in the Caucasus they like to season food with such spices as suneli hops, turmeric, cloves, coriander, and also sprinkle it with table or wine vinegar (this gives meat dishes a special aroma).
As for those with a sweet tooth, they should try baklava, kozinaki, Turkish delight, sorbet, candied nuts.
Where to eat in the Caucasus? At your service:
- cafes and restaurants;
- pizzerias and trattorias;
- bistros and eateries.
Drinks in the Caucasus
Popular drinks in the Caucasus are tea infused with mountain herbs, ayran, tan, chacha (an alcoholic drink made from grapes), wine, and cognac.
Caucasian wines are famous for their high quality, and for local residents, wine is an important part of the meal, a source of health and longevity.
Gastronomic tour to the Caucasus
Gourmets can go on a tour that involves tasting meat delicacies in the mountains of North Ossetia. Upon arrival, you will be accommodated in one of the mountain villages (Akhsau, Dzhinaga, Dargavs, Odola), and for several days you will be happy to drink fresh milk with a bite of aromatic and fresh homemade bread, walk in the meadows, ride yaks and horses, visit houses in ethnographic villages, the owners of which will treat you to Ossetian pies and other national dishes (if you wish, you can learn how to cook butter and kefir).
You can get acquainted with mountain cuisine, famous for its meat dishes, by going to Kabardino-Balkaria - the travel organizers will take you to cafes and restaurants, where you will be fed the most delicious national dishes (shurpa, shashlik, khychiny).
Going on a gastronomic tour to the Caucasus is a great opportunity to taste delicious and varied dishes of Caucasian cuisine.
