The cuisine of Georgia is one of the important landmarks of the country: the gastronomic traditions of Western Georgia were influenced by Turkish cuisine, and Eastern Georgia - by Iranian.
National cuisine of Georgia
The basis of Georgian cuisine is made up of vegetable and dairy products, vegetables, cereals, herbs, spices and original sauces (tkemali, adjika, baja nut sauce). Among meat dishes, khinkali, smoked or fried sausages “kupaty”, and fried fillet of beef “basturma” are widely used.
Cheese is of great importance in the country - it is fried here, added to soups, pies, and pastries. It should be noted that in the west of the country, they most often enjoy cornmeal cakes, poultry dishes (turkey, chicken) and mild unleavened cheeses, and in the east - wheat bread, spicy and salty cheeses, beef and lamb dishes. As for the areas located near the rivers, fish dishes are widespread there.
Popular dishes of Georgian cuisine:
- "Kharcho" (Georgian sour-based soup made from dried plums with rice, beef, garlic and walnuts);
- “Chakhokhbili” (poultry stew with garlic, tomato sauce and spices);
- Ajapsandali (a stew based on eggplant, onion, tomato, green pepper and other vegetables);
- “Lobio” (a dish of red or green beans with hot spices and herbs);
- “Mtsvadi” (Georgian shish kebab is made from mutton, after marinating the meat in pomegranate juice or wine vinegar);
- “Khinkali” (a dish like dumplings stuffed with minced meat with spices and seasonings).
Where to taste the national cuisine?
It is worth noting that in Georgian restaurants, guests are greeted cordially and with special attention, they will definitely take an interest in your preferences and restrictions in food (here they are attentive to the taste preferences of different people).
In Tbilisi, you can look into “Khinklis Samkaro” (in the institution you will find phali, khachapuri, barbecue, dozens of types of khinkali), and in Batumi - in “Kiramila” (in this restaurant, which recreates the effect of an inverted building, you can taste both Georgian dishes and and European cuisines) or "Heart of Batumi" (in this art cafe, guests are treated to homemade wine and Georgian dishes recreated in the European style, i.e. guests are served less spicy and fatty dishes than the original). Advice: when ordering shish kebab or khinkali, do not try to eat them with cutlery, since it is customary to eat these dishes with your hands.
Cooking courses in Georgia
On a gastronomic tour of Tbilisi, you will walk through the local market and learn to understand Georgian spices and seasonings. And after purchasing food, you will be offered to cook khinkali and khachapuri with your own hands, and then taste it along with Georgian wine (the duration of the culinary course is 5-6 hours).
Those interested can come to Georgia for the Young Wine Festival (Tbilisi, May) or the Cheese Festival (Tbilisi, October).
