Fruit leather is simple, ancient food. Like bread and roasted meat, it likely independently evolved in several places. At its most basic, it is simply mashed fruit smeared to a sheet and left to dry in the sun. The result is a flavor-intensive food that travels well and can keep for months. The oldest known […]

Georgia is home to one of the world’s most diverse selections of native grape varieties. Evidence suggests it’s the oldest winemaking region in the world and it retains unique and ancient winemaking technologies to this day. Over millennia, winemaking has become deeply integrated into Georgian cuisine, tradition, and identity. It is present at elaborate feasts […]

Strolling through a marketplace in Georgia, you might be surprised to see the array of multicolored sausage-shaped candies hanging from the stalls. These are churchkhela, a traditional snack made by dipping strings of nuts into thickened fruit juice to create a chewy exterior. In Armenia, you’ll see “sausages” known locally as sharan that are very […]

Khachapuri (Хачапури) is one of the most beloved of the Georgian foods adopted into the Russian tradition. That is a major achievement, as Georgian cuisine is itself one of the most beloved of all those among the former Soviet peoples. It is enjoyed in Russia, throughout the former Soviet space, and around the world. The […]

Tarkhun (тархун) is a carbonated soft drink made from tarragon leaves. The drink is known for its typically distinctive green color and is especially popular in Russia and the Caucasus. Tarkhun was first concocted, like most western sodas, by a pharmacist. Mitrofan Lagidze, a Georgian, first mixed carbonated water with his original tarragon syrup in […]

Pkhali (пхали in Russian; ფხალიin in Georgian), made from finely chopped and cooked vegetables mixed with spicy walnut sauce, is one of the most popular traditional Georgian dishes. It is usually garnished with pomegranate seeds and sometimes served alongside eggplant rolls that also feature spicy walnut filling. Almost any vegetable can be used to make […]

Chirbuli (Georgian: ჩირბული, Russian: Чирбули) is a staple of the Georgian breakfast table, a dish that perfectly encapsulates the local traditions and international influences that have shaped Georgian cuisine. Chirbuli features fried eggs served on top of a rich sauce filled with spices, caramelized vegetables, and walnuts. Chirbuli is not one of the Georgian dishes whose popularity […]

For those of us who have had the singular pleasure of being seated behind a hefty bowl of kharcho (харчо), it is hard to describe exactly how delicious this Georgian delicacy really is. It is also, interestingly enough, hard to describe what it actually is, as there is rather heated disagreement about several of the […]

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 […]