Georgian cuisine
The mild climate of the Black Sea coast, excellent wine and Georgian hospitality with plentiful feasts - this is what comes to our mind when we talk about Georgia. Indeed, in Georgia there is a real cult of food, so the guest will simply not be allowed out of the house without feeding. Alas, in restaurants you will not try dishes of real Georgian cuisine, the warmth of the hearth is simply a necessary component in its recipes. So let's try to arrange a Georgian feast at home.
Although the cuisines of western and eastern Georgia are somewhat different from each other (for example, in the west the dishes are spicier, tortillas are often made from cornmeal), but in general Georgian cuisine has its own characteristics, you can not confuse it with any other.
Eyes run up at the sight of the Georgian table. If you start leaning on snacks, then the hot simply does not have enough strength. Satsivi, lobio, phali - there are dozens of cooking options for these dishes, and each cook brings his own flavor. On the table will definitely be present cheese and a lot of greens. In Western Georgia, the production of mild, freshish cheeses with a sour-milk taste - suluguni and Imereti is concentrated. Sharp and salty cheeses are made in the high mountain northern regions of Eastern Georgia - Kobi, Tushino, Georgian, Guda, Vat, Ossetian.
Vegetables are an essential component of appetizers and salads, as well as main dishes. A favorite assortment of vegetables is eggplant, tomatoes, beans, spinach, and in many recipes they are used interchangeably. Probably, almost every dish contains nuts - hazelnuts, almonds, but most often walnuts.
You can compose a whole ballad about Georgian sauces. Only fresh products are used as the basis for sauces, so it is unlikely that the industrial production of genuine Georgian sauces will ever be established. Most often, these are acidic berry and fruit juices or mashed tkemali, thorns, pomegranates, blackberries, barberries, sometimes from tomatoes. Walnut sauces (for example, base and satsivi) are also very popular, where crushed nuts, diluted with either broth or plain water or wine vinegar, serve as the basis. Along with the base, Georgian sauces also include a large set of spices, mainly spicy herbs (cilantro, basil, tarragon, savory, parsley, dill, mint), to which a small amount of dry spices is added.
The same sauce can be applied to a completely different basis (meat, vegetable and even fish) and depending on this, give different dishes. Such, for example, is the use of Satsivi sauce. On the other hand, different sauces can be applied to the same base. This technique also gives dishes with different names. For example, for exactly the same fried chicken, you can serve sacebeli, satsivi, garo, tkemali, walnut, barberry, etc. sauces. Sauces can be used as a separate dish - just with bread.
But it's time to go to the main dish. Georgians are very democratic in their choice of products - unlike in neighboring countries, they like beef, lamb, pork, and poultry alike. Perhaps only fish dishes are less common. That’s just one old recipe “bull on a spit”: a calf is placed inside the whole carcass of a bull, a lamb is placed in a calf, a turkey is placed in a lamb, a goose is placed in a turkey, a duck is placed in a goose, and chicken is placed in a duck. Between these animals and inside them, spicy herbs are stuffed into all corners - cilantro, basil, tarragon, leek, mint, seasoned and sprinkled with red pepper, garlic, saffron, cinnamon and nuts. All this giant roast is roasted on a spit, right on the street, over a coal pile for several hours. Outside, a rather thick layer of it is charred, so that part of the meat disappears. But inside there is such an abundance of juice, such a unique aroma that no other meat dish in the world can compare with the juiciness and subtlety of the taste of meat. Although, of course, for such a dish, an occasion is needed. Well, for everyday use - everyone’s favorite kebabs (mtsvadi), chakhokhbili, borani and much more.
And when the table is set, do not forget the most important thing: a meal for Georgians is not just food, but a whole ritual, the main purpose of which is communication. Therefore, appoint a host, pour the wine and enjoy the holiday that Georgian cuisine will give you.
The mild climate of the Black Sea coast, excellent wine and Georgian hospitality with plentiful feasts - this is what comes to our mind when we talk about Georgia. Indeed, in Georgia there is a real cult of food, so the guest will simply not be allowed out of the house without feeding. Alas, in restaurants you will not try dishes of real Georgian cuisine, the warmth of the hearth is simply a necessary component in its recipes. So let's try to arrange a Georgian feast at home.
Although the cuisines of western and eastern Georgia are somewhat different from each other (for example, in the west the dishes are spicier, tortillas are often made from cornmeal), but in general Georgian cuisine has its own characteristics, you can not confuse it with any other.
Eyes run up at the sight of the Georgian table. If you start leaning on snacks, then the hot simply does not have enough strength. Satsivi, lobio, phali - there are dozens of cooking options for these dishes, and each cook brings his own flavor. On the table will definitely be present cheese and a lot of greens. In Western Georgia, the production of mild, freshish cheeses with a sour-milk taste - suluguni and Imereti is concentrated. Sharp and salty cheeses are made in the high mountain northern regions of Eastern Georgia - Kobi, Tushino, Georgian, Guda, Vat, Ossetian.
Vegetables are an essential component of appetizers and salads, as well as main dishes. A favorite assortment of vegetables is eggplant, tomatoes, beans, spinach, and in many recipes they are used interchangeably. Probably, almost every dish contains nuts - hazelnuts, almonds, but most often walnuts.
You can compose a whole ballad about Georgian sauces. Only fresh products are used as the basis for sauces, so it is unlikely that the industrial production of genuine Georgian sauces will ever be established. Most often, these are acidic berry and fruit juices or mashed tkemali, thorns, pomegranates, blackberries, barberries, sometimes from tomatoes. Walnut sauces (for example, base and satsivi) are also very popular, where crushed nuts, diluted with either broth or plain water or wine vinegar, serve as the basis. Along with the base, Georgian sauces also include a large set of spices, mainly spicy herbs (cilantro, basil, tarragon, savory, parsley, dill, mint), to which a small amount of dry spices is added.
The same sauce can be applied to a completely different basis (meat, vegetable and even fish) and depending on this, give different dishes. Such, for example, is the use of Satsivi sauce. On the other hand, different sauces can be applied to the same base. This technique also gives dishes with different names. For example, for exactly the same fried chicken, you can serve sacebeli, satsivi, garo, tkemali, walnut, barberry, etc. sauces. Sauces can be used as a separate dish - just with bread.
But it's time to go to the main dish. Georgians are very democratic in their choice of products - unlike in neighboring countries, they like beef, lamb, pork, and poultry alike. Perhaps only fish dishes are less common. That’s just one old recipe “bull on a spit”: a calf is placed inside the whole carcass of a bull, a lamb is placed in a calf, a turkey is placed in a lamb, a goose is placed in a turkey, a duck is placed in a goose, and chicken is placed in a duck. Between these animals and inside them, spicy herbs are stuffed into all corners - cilantro, basil, tarragon, leek, mint, seasoned and sprinkled with red pepper, garlic, saffron, cinnamon and nuts. All this giant roast is roasted on a spit, right on the street, over a coal pile for several hours. Outside, a rather thick layer of it is charred, so that part of the meat disappears. But inside there is such an abundance of juice, such a unique aroma that no other meat dish in the world can compare with the juiciness and subtlety of the taste of meat. Although, of course, for such a dish, an occasion is needed. Well, for everyday use - everyone’s favorite kebabs (mtsvadi), chakhokhbili, borani and much more.
And when the table is set, do not forget the most important thing: a meal for Georgians is not just food, but a whole ritual, the main purpose of which is communication. Therefore, appoint a host, pour the wine and enjoy the holiday that Georgian cuisine will give you.
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