The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Georgian Foods. If you manage to be in an Georgian restaurant or you are visiting Georgia, I recommend the following:
1. Khachapuri
It is a pizza-like dish made from a saltier local mozzarella-like cheese called Sulguni. But unlike pizza, the cheese is not on top, it is put inside the dough; so when it is baked, the cheese melts inside the two layers of dough. There are different types of khachapuri depending on the region. They all look similar, only with small differences.
2. Mtsvadi
Mtsvadi is the tasty way of cooking marinated meat on the grill so that it retains all its aromas. It is a skewer of meat, whether beef, lamb or pork. This Georgian dish is a symbol of a real Supra. Once grilled, the pieces of meat are removed from the skewers and presented with thinly sliced onions and pomegranate juice.
3. Lobiani
Lobiani is a very similar dish to khachapuri; the only difference is the filling. While khachapuri requires cheese, lobiani is made with boiled and mashed black beans.
4. Mashed Potatoes and Lots of Cheese
It is one of the variations of khachapuri, a baked potato and cheese pastry, very tasty when eaten hot, with the cheese melted, and also delicious when eaten cold, when the potatoes have become firm and the flavor of the cheese has intensified.
5. Lobio
In Georgian, the word ‘lobio’ means ‘beans’ and ‘lobio’ food is made from various beans. Like khachapuri, there are different varieties of lobio, hot or cold. It is made from beans, flavored with herbs and garlic and cooked in a clay pot, a simple and tasty dish usually eaten with mchadi bread.
6. Badrijani Nigvzit
Delicious and delicate badrijanis are grilled aubergine slices, coated with a walnut and garlic paste, seasoned with ajika and coriander. They are usually rolled up and garnished with pomegranate seeds. It is a tasty and succulent appetizer that is usually present on every Georgian menu and table.
7. Khinkali
They are a kind of ravioli stuffed with meat, potatoes, mushrooms or cheese. They can be eaten in practically every region of Georgia, but if you ask around, everyone says that the best ones are made in their place of origin, in the valleys along the Georgian military road. A good khinkali should be juicy, in fact sometimes they put a bit of broth inside, so be careful when you eat them because you can end up all wet.
8. Satsivi
The word satsivi encompasses all dishes made with walnut sauce. The most common is chicken, but it can also be made with fish or vegetables. Another variant is satsivi made with turkey, which is a traditional Christmas meal.
9. Chakapuli
The most anticipated traditional dishes in Georgia are prepared only in spring. One of these is the famous chakapuli lamb dish – young lamb seasoned with tarragon and leek. It is cooked in a pot over an open fire and all the ingredients are layered and soaked in white Georgian wine.
10. Dolmas
In each country, dolma is prepared according to special customs and recipes. Depending on the method of preparation, it resembles cabbage rolls, but the filling is wrapped in young, soft grape leaves, not cabbage leaves. The traditional filling of dolma consists of rice, cereals and meat (any meat is used: beef, lamb or pork). This dish is perfect for serving at the festive table.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional Asian Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.