Georgian food is amazing. This is a fact. But while Georgian restaurants are pretty much everywhere in the former Soviet Union and wider Eastern Europe, Georgian food hasn’t quite caught on in the West yet – something I am convinced is going to change sooner rather than later. In this post I want to introduce you to some of the best traditional Georgian dishes, compiled by my on-going research (including my trip to Georgia) and tireless quest to eat as much of it as possible.
But first of all, I need to lie my cards on the table: I am absolutely no foodie (despite the somewhat misleading name of this blog). While I’m happy to try local foods and check out great restaurants, I am just as happy wolfing down some KFC. So be warned – what followers are the words of an amateur Georgian food enthusiast and not a wizened foodie. I am also not the world’s best food instagrammer, so please forgive the photos.
Most images in this article were taken at Pepella, in Dusseldorf, which I can fully recommend.
A quintessential Georgian dish – complete with wine
Typical Georgian food: the essentials
Khachapuri
This is khachapuri and it will change your goddamn life.
What is Khachapuri? Essentially khachapuri is a cheese and bread dish native to Georgia. There are several different versions, originating from the ancient Georgian kingdoms, but the two types we came across the most often were Imeruli and Adjaruli.
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Imeruli (above) and Adjaruli (below) | Top image courtesy of Sara Burghoff.
Imeruli is not too dissimilar from a very cheesy pizza that has been baked over on top – it is flat, large and circular and normally served in triangular slices – like a pizza. The cheese literally oozes out from the middle and it is generally cheese heaven.
But Adjaruli is even better. The bread is made into a boat shape and the middle is filled with melted cheese, with a slab of butter and an egg cracked on top. When still hot, you take a knife and swirl all the contents together to make a gooey, glorious yellow mixture. Then you start breaking off the sides of the boat, dunking it into the golden centre and eating until you see God. Amazing.
Here’s a demo:
Top tip: Khachapuri can easily be a main dish by itself, but if you are eating in a group (say four or more), it’s nice to get one to share as a side.
Khinkali
Easily my second favourite Georgian food and something you will find in every single Georgian restaurant is khinkali. In fact, many Georgian restaurants call themselves Khinkalnya, which is what a Pizzeria is to pizza.
Khinkali in foreground, khachapuri in background
What are khinkali? Khinkali are a bit like beefed-up ravioli. They are pieces of meat served in a pasta parcel, tied in a knot at the top. They are boiled and so the parcels themselves contain the juicy flavour (which will invariably squirt out at you).
How do I eat khinkali? Half the fun of khinkali is in the eating. Stab your fork into the top of the parcel, somewhere below the knot. Then, turn it upside down so that the flat bottom is now at the top. Take a small bite and suck out the juice, before eating the pasta and the meat inside. Do not eat the knot – Georgians do, but our guide promised us that our sensitive Western stomachs would not like it. It seems messy (and a lot of the time it is) but Georgians are very particular about how to eat khinkali as our guide in Tbilisi demonstrated.
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The correct way to eat Khinkali is to reach over colleagues to get to it. Let no-one come between you and your khinkali.
Georgian wine
Wine is an indivisible part of Georgian culture. The production of wine originated in Georgian at least 8,000 years ago and many historians believe it was then taken to southern Europe much later. Even today there are two ways to produce wine: the European way and the Georgian way. The Georgian method involves burying the fermenting grapes in huge clay jars underground, with the clay vat commonly referred to as the mother and the ground as the father. Georgians therefore like to joke that European wines are orphans.
An hours’ wine tasting is included in the Tbilisi free walking tour where we tried lots of different wines (Georgian wine is mostly red), including the favourite of Stalin (Kindzmarauli). But my favourite was Khvanchkara.
Other tasty Georgian dishes & appetizers
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Pkhali
(Pictured left)
Pkhali are several different tasty pastes made out of chopped vegetables and garlic. In the photo you can see pkhali made from spinach, beetroot and carrot. Pkhali is normally served as a starter.
Nigzviani Badrijani
(Pictured right)
Another common appetiser, this is fried eggplants or peppers stuffed with walnut paste. Very tasty.
Mchadi
(Seen in both photos)
A dense corn bread, typically served with cheese or pkhali – again as an appetiser.
Mchadi, pkhali and nigzviani badrijani are all foods typical of the Guria region in Georgia. Handily, you can order the starter platter at Pepella to sample all together.
Pomegranates
While not technically a dish, one thing you might notice eating Georgian food is that pomegranate seeds are used liberally as a dressing or as decoration. The pomegranate is very significant in Caucasus culture, symbolising fertility (because of its many seeds). The fruit is also seen as a national symbol of both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Georgian restaurants near me
If you are based in or near Dusseldorf, I can whole-heartedly recommend Pepella on Augustastrasse in Dusseldorf-Zoo. I’ve been there a few times and the staff are passionate about the food and the wine is really good. They are great at accommodating big parties, too. Most images in this article were taken at Pepella. For more restaurants in Dusseldorf, check this out.
For more Georgian restaurants in Germany, check out this great directory.
I can’t say I’ve ever eaten in a Georgian restaurant in Manchester, but I went several times to the Armenian Taverna on Albert Square, which I can fully recommend. And if you have a hankering for khachapuri, they do serve it according to their very swish website. Armenian cuisine is also very very tasty I can testify.