Georgia is a small country with rich cultural and culinary influences from Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Middle East, and it is located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia.
Georgian dishes can be made in many different ways because the food styles vary from region to region.
The many Kingdoms and eras that have transitioned into what makes modern day Georgia can be explored through the food of these regions.
If you want to try a dish for everyone in Georgian cuisine, you will want to try them all.
1- Khachapuri
Georgia has a national dish of cheese-filled bread, and you won’t be able to get enough.
The shape, style, and ingredients of khachapuri vary depending on the region, but it’s most commonly seen as a yeasted bread stuffed with Imeretian cheese, salt, and sometimes egg yolk.
There are also versions with tons of butter, potato, and cheese.
2- Ostri
A hot and spicy beef stew is made with tomato sauce, mushrooms, garlic, herbs, red pepper, and spices.
This dish is similar to chashuli, in which is similar only the meat is cooked separately and then the tomatoes and mushroom sauce is added later.
The ostri adds a lot of meat to the dish.
If you want to keep your wallet and your belly full, try ostrich at Racha Tavern.
3- Kubdari
The national dish of the Svans is the pastry of leavened bread stuffed with meat like lamb or pork and seasoned with onion, garlic, and spices.
It is fried in a pan and baked in the oven to serve hot.
For a nice outdoor meal, try the dish at Restaurant Lushnu Qor.
4- Elarji
Representing the Samegrelo region of Georgia, Elarji is made from cornmeal and cornflour with sulguni cheese that is cooked for about an hour and served with a walnut sauce.
The consistency is thick and stretchy, like when you are stretching out pizza dough.
Mahalia is a hidden gem that is decorated with super cool carvings on the wall.
5- Pkhali
Pkhali means “chopped salads,” and is usually composed of whatever veggies are around, and then mixed in with walnuts, onion, garlic, and vinaigrette.
It can be a side dish, served over bread, or as a combo with other types of Khali.
6- Churchkhela
The Georgian candy is made from grape juice-coated nuts and is shaped like a candle or a large carrot.
The process for making these sweet treats involves threading walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts along a string and then dipping the formation into grape juice, sugar, and flour so it gets super soaked and coated with flour.
It takes several days for the nuts to air dry.
It can be tried at any of the local markets or their unique take on churchkhela.
7- Khinkali
Georgian meat dumplings are just as delicious as any other and are typically stuffed with veal or pork and fresh herbs.
Pshavi, Mtiuleti, and Khevsureti are the mountains of Georgia, where Khinkali started.
The meat is very juicy, so don’t try eating it with a fork! The khinkali is available at Maspindzelo.
8- Ajapsandali
The vegetarian stew can be served cold or hot.
It can be served with bread and has veggies like eggplant, red pepper, tomatoes, potatoes, onion, and garlic.
It’s an excellent summer dish, light, healthy, and still satisfying.
Cafe Tiflis is a romantic place that serves great Georgian national dishes.
9- Lobio
lobio is a wide variety of ways to make it.
A common version of it is served cold and made with dark red, cooked kidney beans mixed with mashed garlic, walnuts, chili pepper, onions, coriander, and vinaigrette.
It can be prepared with meat and can have levels of spiciness. Vegetables and Georgian cornbread are what lobio comes with.
10- Tilapia
A rolled fruit snack made with fruit like figs, plums, cherries, or apricot, and sometimes used to add flavor to the stew, is like a Georgian take on fruit leather.
It’s easy to find them along the side of the road, so just stop at any number of the stands and get one as an afternoon pick-me-up.
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