Chirbuliย (Georgian: แฉแแ แแฃแแ, Russian: ะงะธัะฑัะปะธ) is a staple of the Georgian breakfast table, a dish that perfectly encapsulates the local traditions and international influences that have shaped Georgian cuisine. Chirbuliย 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 spread widely throughout the former Soviet Union. As a dish that is best eaten fresh and one that relies on ingredients that were not always easily attainable in more northerly locations (fresh vegetables, walnuts, and many of its signature spices), this is not so surprising. It is, however, well known throughout the Caucasus, the Middle East, and North Africa, where its roots lie. However, this savory breakfast meal is worth a try and will take you on a journey that words would fail to express!
How It Got Itโs Name
(ะะพัะตะผั ะพะฝะธ ะฝะพััั ัะฐะบะพะต ะฝะฐะทะฒะฐะฝะธะต?)
Georgia has an incredibly diverse geography and each area of the country is famous for having its own unique meals and specialties. Chirbuliย is generally credited in Georgia as having originated from Adjara, a republic located on the western coast known for its port cities. Adjaraโs culinary traditions were influenced from contact made with Middle Eastern and North African countries that were in regular contact with Adjaraโs traders. The regionโs culinary traditions are known for a particularly exotic use of spices and of richer, fattier ingredients than much of the rest of Georgia. This includes added eggs โ for example, and perhaps most notably, in khatchapuri po adjarskii.
The word โchirbuliโ most likely comes from its inspiration, shakshuka, a word that is used across several countries to describe eggs cooked in sauce. The word โshakshukaโ comes from Arabic and means โmixture.โ The word has been directly borrowed into many languages, including Hebrew, as a name for the food. In Adjara, however, the word was not directly borrowed, but instead first translated before its adoption โ in modern Georgian, the word for โmixed,โ for example, is โshereuli.โ
Some might also notice the similarity of the dish to the Mexican huevos rancheros โ which also, in fact, came from Middle Eastern immigrants who arrived in Mexico in the late 1800s. What sets chirbuliย apart, however, and makes it truly unique is not just its name, but the presences of walnuts โ which are generally unheard of in shakshuka recipes, but are considered a core part of any chirbuliย recipe.
When and How to Eat Chirbuli
(ะะฐะบ ะฟัะฐะฒะธะปัะฝะพย ะตัััย ัะธัะฑัะปะธ?)
Chirbuli is most often eaten for breakfast. It is also often eaten straight from the frying pan it is cooked in, with a fork and slices of fresh bread all used as utensils to scoop up the spiced vegetable ragout and poached egg. The bright, runny yolks are the prime targets for bread dipping with the goal being to get as wide variety of the elements of the dish on the bread before it reaches the mouth.
Chirbuli is generally not used for any special occasions. Special occasions are generally celebrated with โsupra,โ which are festive suppers and which chirbuli, which is almost exclusively a breakfast food, would be excluded from.
How to Prepare Chirbuli
(ะะฐะบ ะฟัะฐะฒะธะปัะฝะพ ะณะพัะพะฒะธัั ัะธัะฑัะปะธ?)
While most commonly known as an Adjarian dish, chirbuliย also exists in different versions in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region and Lazeti (which is now part of Turkey). Even within Adjaria, a multitude of recipes can be found utilizing different spices and techniques. As in many dishes, chirbuliย exists as a sort of template can be easily customized โ so long as core ingredients such as tomato sauce, walnuts, and eggs are present.
The walnuts should be coarsely ground or crushed. The unique texture they give to the meal is important. They are also usually ground or crushed together with any spices or herbs used, allowing these ingredients to release oils and flavors to mix at an early stage.
Chirbuli has been most traditionally cooked by poaching the eggs in salty water and preparing the sauce separately. The eggs are then served covered by the sauce on top. However, it is now more common to place the eggs on top of the sauce and slowly cook them together. The trick is to keep stirring using low heat to keep the eggs whole. Serve hot right from the skillet with crusty bread!
Letโs Cook!
(ะะฐะฒะฐะน ะฟัะธะณะพัะพะฒะธะผ!)
See below for a free recipe for chirbuli. See also the free videos online. If you are interested in cooking from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and other places in Eurasia, make sure to see our full, free Eurasian Cookbook online! You might also be interested in the following specialized cookbooks weโve enjoyed:
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| ะงะธัะฑัะปะธ | Chirbuli |
ะะฝะณัะตะดะธะตะฝัั:
ย ะัะธะณะพัะพะฒะปะตะฝะธะต: 1. ะะฐัะตะทะฐัั ัะตะฟัะฐััะน ะปัะบ ะธ ะพะฑะถะฐัะธัั ะฝะฐ ะฝะธะทะบะพะน ัะตะผะฟะตัะฐัััะต, ัะฐััะพ ะฟะพะผะตัะธะฒะฐั, ะฒ ัะตัะตะฝะธะต 4-5 ะผะธะฝัั, ั ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะปะตะฝะธะตะผ 70 ะณัะฐะผะผ ัะปะธะฒะพัะฝะพะณะพ ะผะฐัะปะฐ. 2. ะะพ ะฒัะตะผั ะถะฐัะบะธ ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั 1 ัะฐะนะฝัั ะปะพะถะบั ะบัะบัััะทะฝะพะน ะผัะบะธ, ะฟะตัะตะผะตัะฐัั. 3. ะะฐัะตะทะฐัั ะฟะพะผะธะดะพัั ะธ ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั ะฒ ัะบะพะฒะพัะพะดั ั ะถะฐัะตะฝัะผ ะปัะบะพะผ.ะ ะฐะทะผะตัะฐัั ะธ ะฟัะพะดะพะปะถะฐัั ัััะธัั, ัะฐััะพ ะฟะพะผะตัะธะฒะฐั, ะฝะฐ ะพัะตะฝั ัะปะฐะฑะพะผ ะพะณะฝะต ะฒ ัะตัะตะฝะธะต 4-ั ะผะธะฝัั. 4. ะะตัะตะผะพะปะพัั ะพัะตั ะธ. ะ ะฐะทะดะฐะฒะธัั ัะตัะฝะพะบ. 5. ะ ัะบะพะฒะพัะพะดั ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั 200 ะผะป ะฒะพะดั ะธ ะดะพะฒะตััะธ ะดะพ ะบะธะฟะตะฝะธั. ะฃะผะตะฝััะธัั ัะตะผะฟะตัะฐัััั, ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั ะณัะตัะบะธะต ะพัะตั ะธ ะธ ัะตัะฝะพะบ. 6. ะะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั 1/2 ัะฐะนะฝะพะน ะปะพะถะบะธ ัััะตะฝะพะณะพ ะบะพัะธะฐะฝะดัะฐ, 1 ัะฐะนะฝัั ะปะพะถะบั ะบัะฐัะฝะพะณะพ ะฟะตััะฐ ะธ ะฟะพัะพะปะธัั ะฟะพ ะฒะบััั. ะขัะฐัะตะปัะฝะพ ะฟะตัะตะผะตัะฐัั. ะัะพะดะพะปะถะฐัั ัััะธัั ะฝะฐ ะผะตะดะปะตะฝะฝะพะผ ะพะณะฝะต ะฒ ัะตัะตะฝะธะต 2-3 ะผะธะฝัั. 7. ะะฐัะตะทะฐัั ัะฒะตะถัั ะทะตะปะตะฝั ะบะธะฝะทั, ัะบัะพะฟะฐ ะธ ะฑะฐะทะธะปะธะบะฐ. ะะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั ะทะตะปะตะฝั ะฒ ัะบะพะฒะพัะพะดั, ะฟะตัะตะผะตัะฐัั ะธ ัะผะตะฝััะธัั ะพะณะพะฝั. 8. ะะบะบััะฐัะฝะพ ัะฐะทะฑะธัั ัะนัะฐ ะธ ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะธัั ะฒ ัะธัะฑัะปะธ. 9. ะัะพะดะพะปะถะฐัั ัััะธัั ะฒ ัะตัะตะฝะธะต 2-3 ะผะธะฝัั. ะฏะธัะฝัะต ะถะตะปัะบะธ ะดะพะปะถะฝั ะฑััั ะฒัะผััะบั, ะฝะต ะบััััะผะธ! ะกะฝััั ั ะพะณะฝั ะธ ััะฐะทั ะฟะพะดะฐะฒะฐัั ะบ ััะพะปั. ะะฐะฟะธัะบะฐ: ะะพะดะฐะฒะฐัั ัะธัะฑัะปะธ ะฒ ะณะพัััะตะผ ะฒะธะดะต. |
Ingredients:
ย Preparation: 1. ย Chop the onions, then fry them in a pan of 70 grams / 2.5 ounces of butter at a low temperature, stir frequently. 2. ย While frying, add 1 teaspoon of corn flour and mix. 3. ย Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan of fried onions. Stir and continue simmering at very low heat for about 4 minutes, stirring often. 4. ย Crush the walnuts and the garlic. 5. ย Add 200 milliliters / 6ยพ fluid ounces of water to the pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the temperature and add the walnuts and garlic. 6. ย Add ยฝ teaspoon of dry cilantro, 1 teaspoon of ground red pepper, and salt (to taste). Stir thoroughly. Continue simmering on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. 7. ย Chop the fresh cilantro, dill, and basil. Add them to the pan, then continue stirring and reduce the temperature. 8. ย Carefully crack the eggs on top of the ัะธัะฑัะปะธ. 9. Continue simmering for about 2-3 minutes. The egg yolks must be soft, not hard! Remove from heat and serve immediately. Note: Serve the ัะธัะฑัะปะธ while it is still hot. |
Ourย Favorite Chirbuliย Videos
SENYA MAKES is a Russian Youtuber with a relatively large viewing audience, and this video about chirbuliย has nearly 1 million views! In a very stereotypical Russian fashion, Senya braves the cold winter weather outside of a dacha in Kazan to prepare a traditional Georgian recipe for chirbuli. Not only is it somewhat humorous and interesting to watch him cook outside in the snow, he uses traditional ingredients and Georgian-sized portion of butter for the dish and offers good commentary and step-by-step instructions for preparing the dish!
ย
For those of us less willing to brave the cold winter to cook over an open fire like Senya above, here is a video cooking chirbuli with a similar recipe. It uses the traditional Georgian ingredients such as walnuts, and gives bit more detail on cooking.
If you feel confident in your own cooking skills and donโt want to watch a long video, try out this video from Georgian Journal! Itโs less than a minute long and gives just the basic instructions!
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