In my two and a half years here, I have noticed that not once did I do a blog about Georgian cuisine. Here I present some of my Georgian foods. Yum Yum.
Georgian food is different from Russian and Turkish, two of its neighbors. When I went to Russia for the FIFA World Cup, I realized how popular Georgian cuisine is in the region.
It would almost be criminal if I write a blog post about food without discussing a Supra. What is interesting is that Supra technically means tablecloth. However, now, it really symbolizes a “Georgian feast.” For any special occasion, Georgians will put together a Supra, whether it is for Easter, for Christmas, Birthdays, or anything. Above, you will find a picture of one of my first supras with my coworkers at a “supra-ish” restaurant. There is chicken liver, mushrooms, chicken, wine (the jug on the left), bread, and much more. Below, I will talk about some of the foods that you will see at a Supra or just in daily life.
One of my favorites is definitely the tomato and cucumber salad with walnut “sauce.” I put the sauce in quotation marks because it is not really a dressing, a sauce, or a paste. Georgians mix walnuts with a bit of vinegar, salt, and I’m assuming water. It comes to this thick mixture and it is blended with tomatoes, cucumbers, white onions, and parsley. In contrast, I am so fatigued by its plain cousin- the tomato and cucumber salad. At home, a salad is honestly just cucumbers and tomatoes. Half the time, it is not even cut up in pieces and there is so such thing as a dressing. The most that the “salad” gets dressed with is a pinch of salt. Thus, the salad pictured above is not only welcoming but also delicious. I will miss this salad for sure. You can also find this salad frequently at Supras.
This is arguably one of the proudest dishes that Georgians serve. Khinkali is the Georgian dumpling. Typically, it is served with minced meat, parsley, and onions rolled up into a soft, thin dough and then boiled to serve. Other popular options include cheese khinkali, mushroom khinkali, or potato khinkali. My favorite is probably just the meat and the second is probably the potato. It actually took me a while to like this dish, but now I even crave it. There is a very unique and proper way to eat this dish, here is a video of a Georgian woman explaining it. Watch it here.
Although this is not technically Georgian, you will find it on the common Georgian supra table. This dish is called, “Mexican Potatoes,” which is ironic because it is not Mexican. Regardless, it is one of my favorites. Georgians cut the potatoes in wedges and season it with paprika and other spices. It is served with a mayonnaise-based dip with paprika, as shown on the left of the plate in the picture above. Georgians do eat a lot of fried potatoes though.
Mtsvadi is probably one of the manliest dishes in Georgia. Just as the average man in the United States loves to barbeque, so does the Georgian man. Mtsvadi is the Georgian word for basically barbeque. Typically, it is is pork, but sometimes you have it chicken (the second most popular) and then beef. Featured above is beef (top) and then pork (bottom). The featured picture of this blog is the chicken Mtsvadi.
Georgian cakes are amazing. There is not a single prepackaged mix in Georgia (that I know of). Cakes here are made from scratch. They are moist and fluffy. A lot of cakes have fruit fillings as well. On birthdays, they will put these firework type of candles on the cake as well. It makes it extra festive. I never liked birthday cakes in America, I found them to be too sweet, especially if it is bought at a grocery store. Meanwhile, I look forward to eating cake in Georgia.
Technically, these are not Georgian, they are Russian. Above is pictured the Russian pancake, called Blinis or Bleeneys (same word, but not sure how to spell it with Latin letters). Instead of maple syrup, I eat this with apple or peach jam. They are thicker than American pancakes and they are also smaller in size. They are also not necessarily served for breakfast. I’ve eaten these for dinner or lunch. Thus, ironically, it took me a while to figure out these were pancakes when I first came to Georgia since I ate them at all hours of the day and night. Do note that you will not find these blinis at a supra.
Time to talk about drinks! I have come to love Georgian wine. I find that bottled Georgian wine has more flavor and it is stronger. House wine is inconsistent so I won’t talk about that in this post. Ironically, white wine is not necessarily chilled. In the above picture, you can tell from the glass that this white wine was served cold. However, most white wines are not. In fact, sometimes, I have even had cold red wine. Rules and guidelines about wine are very different than our typical western European or American standards.
Since I’m talking about food, I have to mention the obsession of tarragon soda. Now, I do not have the obsession of this flavor, but Georgians do. When my friend Sarah visited me, I made her try it because it is a staple on Georgian supras. If you are curious, it does in fact taste exactly like tarragon, it is uncanny.
However, I will miss Georgian soda, particularly the lemon flavor. I am not a fan of American sodas, I find them to be too sweet. Georgian sodas are as well; however, their flavors tend to be more realistic to the real thing. Lemon soda actually tastes like it has lemon in it. If you have never had 7-Up or Sprite, you will have no idea it was trying to mimic lemon-lime. Another favorite flavor of mine is pear soda. Georgians have unique soda flavors that are not typically found in American stores. Secondly, they are not called sodas in Georgia. They are called “Lemonadi.” Yes, like “lemonade” but with a “y” sound at the end.
That is it for now. There are Georgian restaurants in America, most are found in New York or D.C. If you see one, check it out and see if they have any of the above on the menu!