Author: Michael Denner

Satsivi (საცივი) is a classic Georgian dish. The name refers specifically to a thick, aromatic sauce made of ground walnuts blended with garlic, onions, wine vinegar, and spices such as coriander, fenugreek, marigold, and cinnamon and/or cloves. The name is also applied to the dish created by simmering pieces of chicken or turkey in that […]

Mchadi (მჭადი) is a traditional Georgian cornbread. At its simplest, it is pan-fried cornmeal and water. Dense, slightly crisp on the outside, and crumbly inside, mchadi is best served as an accompaniment to richly flavored dishes, especially those with sauces to sop up. The etymology of mchadi comes from the Georgian verb chadna (ჩადნა), meaning […]

The Talking Phrasebook Series presents useful phrases and words in side-by-side translation and with audio files specifically geared to help students work on listening skills and pronunciation. Below, you will find several useful phrases and words. To the left is the English and to the above right is an English transliteration of the Kyrgyz translation. […]

The following is an excerpt from “Лобио, сациви, хачапури, или Грузия со вкусом“ (Lobio, Satsivi, Khatchapuri, or Georgia with Taste) by Tinatin Mzhavanadze, a best-selling cookbook author in Georgia. It has been translated and adapted by Dr. Michael Denner of Stetson University in Florida. History and Preparation of Lobio Dr. Michael Denner: Lobio (ლობიო, лобио) means […]

What makes Georgian food Georgian? How does the development of Georgian cuisine reflect historical events, geography, and politics? Where do you find the best food in Georgia? In this podcast, Dr. Michael Denner, professor of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at Stetson University, discusses traditional Georgian foodways, answering these questions and more. Dr. Denner […]

Dr. Michael Denner: You can tell a lot about a cuisine and culture by the way they eat their milk… That’s the point I tried to make in our latest Georgian Cooking Club meeting, waving about a gallon of milk, sheathed in its translucent plastic carapace. My students were confused at first… Georgian Milk Milk. […]

Dr. Michael Denner (notes from the American Test Kitchen): Georgians jokingly refer to tkemali (more accurately written t’q’emali) as “Georgian ketchup.” It gets poured on practically everything. I don’t know of another sauce like it: sour, fruity, salty, with a serious herbal punch and a bit of lingering heat. Maybe it looks like Mexican salsa […]