Food & Drink

Georgian cuisine is the great unknown of world gastronomy — and for many travelers, the biggest surprise of the entire trip. It is rich, aromatic, walnut-heavy, and utterly unique: not European, not Oriental, not Asian, but something of its own. Three ingredients are ubiquitous: walnuts (in sauces, pastes, salads), coriander (fresh, in large quantities), and pomegranate.

The Classics — A Must-Try

★★★ Khinkali (ხინკალი)

The unofficial national dish and a litmus test for every traveler to Georgia. Large dumplings (bigger than Chinese dumplings), filled with seasoned meat (beef/pork mix with coriander, cumin, pepper) and broth that forms inside during cooking. The art of eating:

1. Hold by the top (Kuds)
2. Carefully bite in and slurp the hot broth
3. Eat the rest
4. Leave the top on the plate (it serves as a counter)

If you eat fewer than 10 pieces, you weren't hungry. There are also vegetarian versions (with cheese, mushrooms, or potatoes). 1 piece: 0.80–1 GEL — absurdly cheap for so much enjoyment.

★★★ Khachapuri (ხაჭაპური)

Georgia's cheese bread — and every region has its own version:

• Imeretian Khachapuri: Flat, round bread filled with Sulguni cheese. The classic.
• Adjarian Khachapuri (Adjaruli): Boat-shaped, with melted cheese, a raw egg, and a piece of butter in the middle. Stir the egg and butter into the cheese and dip bread pieces in. THE iconic dish of Georgia.
• Megruli: Like Imeretian, but additionally topped with cheese. Double cheese!
• Penovani: Puff pastry version. Light and crispy.

★★★ Mtsvadi (მწვადი)

Georgia's grilled skewers — usually pork, grilled in large pieces on skewers over vine wood. Served with Tkemali sauce (plum sauce), raw onions, and pomegranate seeds. Best enjoyed outdoors, by a river, with a glass of wine. This is how Georgia grills.

★★ Lobio (ლობიო)

Bean stew — sounds boring, but it's magnificent. Red beans, slowly cooked with onions, coriander, fenugreek, and spices. Traditionally served in a clay pot, with Mchadi (cornbread). Hearty, filling, perfect for winter.

★★ Churchkhela (ჩურჩხელა)

The "Georgian Snickers": Walnuts or hazelnuts strung on a thread and repeatedly dipped in thickened grape juice (Tatara) until a thick, sticky layer forms. Once dried, they become hard-chewy and taste intensely fruity-nutty. They hang like colorful candles on every street corner. Perfect as hiking provisions.

★★★ Georgian Wine — 8,000 Years of Tradition

Georgia is the oldest wine country in the world. Archaeological findings prove winemaking from 8,000 years ago — thousands of years before the first grape was pressed in France or Italy. The country has over 525 native grape varieties (for comparison: France has about 200).

The Qvevri Method

What makes Georgian wine unique is the Qvevri method (UNESCO World Heritage): Grapes are placed with skins, seeds, and stems in egg-shaped clay vessels (Qvevri, 500–3,000 liters), buried up to the neck in the earth. There, the wine ferments for 5–6 months at a constant earth temperature. The result: the characteristic amber wine — amber-colored, tannin-rich, and complex.

Grape Varieties

• Saperavi: THE red grape variety of Georgia. Strong, deep red, tannin-rich. The "Cabernet of the Caucasus".
• Rkatsiteli: The most important white grape variety. As amber wine (with skin contact) complex and tannin-rich, as European style fresh and fruity.
• Kindzmarauli: Semi-sweet red wine from Saperavi — the favorite wine of many Georgians. Fruity and accessible.
• Tsinandali: Dry white wine — Georgia's "classic" in the European style.
• Mukuzani: Dry, oak-aged Saperavi. Georgia's "great red".

★★ Chacha (ჭაჭა)

Georgia's grape brandy — comparable to Grappa, but stronger (40–65%). Every family distills their own Chacha (technically illegal, practically tolerated). It is drunk ice-cold as a digestif, often at a Supra. Caution: It often tastes milder than it is.

Try it at markets and in restaurants. Professional brands: Askaneli, Teliani Valley, Chateau Mukhrani.

Beer & Lemonade

• Kazbegi / Natakhtari: The most popular Georgian beer brands. Decent lager beer.
• Craft Beer: The craft beer scene is booming in Tbilisi: Black Lion, Argo, Shavi Lomi Brewing.
• Lemonade: Georgian lemonade (Tarkhun = tarragon, green; Saperavi = grape, red; Lagidze = traditional syrup lemonade) is an experience — sweet, fizzy, kitschy-colorful, and wonderfully refreshing.