Exploring new flavours is one of the best ways to travel, and few cuisines make it as easy as Georgian food. Although it's not yet as well-known as Italian or Japanese, Georgian gastronomy wins over more and more travellers every year with its combination of intense flavours, ancestral recipes and top-quality ingredients.
In this article we present 12 essential Georgian dishes that you should try at least once in your life. A journey through the traditional recipes of the Caucasus, with dishes ranging from cheese-laden breads to comforting stews, vegetable salads with walnut paste and surprising sweets. Open your appetite and join us!
1. Khachapuri: Georgia's Delicious Cheese Bread
We start with the great ambassador of Georgian cuisine: khachapuri. This cheese-filled bread is the country's most famous dish and comes in several regional versions. The most spectacular is the adjaruli, boat-shaped, with melted cheese, a raw egg and butter; others like the imeruli (filled inside) and the megruli (with cheese on top as well) are equally delicious.
Khachapuri is perfect for sharing and is served as a starter or a main course. Once you try it, you understand why travellers fall for it at the very first bite.
2. Khinkali: the Juicy Dumplings of the Caucasus
Khinkali are large dumplings filled with meat (lamb or beef), herbs and, above all, an irresistible broth inside. They are often compared to Asian dumplings, but they have a character all their own.
They are eaten by hand: hold the "knob" of dough at the top, bite carefully, slurp the broth and then take a bite of the filling. There are also versions with mushrooms, potato or cheese for those who prefer vegetarian options.
3. Mtsvadi: Georgian Charcoal Barbecue
Mtsvadi is the Georgian version of the barbecue: skewers of pork, beef or lamb marinated with spices and grilled over vine-wood charcoal. It is served with a sweet-and-sour green plum sauce called tkemali and Georgian flatbread.
More than a dish, mtsvadi is a ritual: it symbolises hospitality, outdoor meals and family celebrations. Trying a freshly made mtsvadi at a winery in Kakheti or in a garden in Svaneti is one of those experiences you never forget.
4. Satsivi: Chicken in Walnut Sauce
Satsivi is one of the most emblematic dishes of Georgian winter and especially typical at Christmas and New Year celebrations. It consists of chicken (or turkey) covered in a creamy sauce of ground walnuts, garlic, Georgian saffron, cinnamon and other spices.
It is served at room temperature or even cold, which makes it a very different dish from what the palate might usually expect. Its deep, balanced flavour makes it an essential of Georgian gastronomy.
5. Lobio: Red Bean Stew
Lobio is one of the most comforting dishes in Georgian cuisine. A stew of red beans cooked with onion, garlic, coriander and spices, usually served in a clay pot and accompanied by the characteristic cornbread mchadi and sulguni cheese.
It is an ideal option for vegetarians and for cold days. Every region of Georgia has its own version, but they all share the same homely, comforting spirit.
6. Badrijani Nigvzit: Aubergine with Walnut Paste
Badrijani nigvzit is one of Georgia's most elegant starters: thin slices of fried or roasted aubergine, filled with a paste of walnuts, garlic and coriander, and topped with pomegranate seeds. A fresh, surprising and wonderfully photogenic bite.
If you could only try one Georgian starter, make it this one. It is the best ambassador of pkhali and Caucasian walnut-based cuisine.
7. Chakhokhbili: Chicken and Tomato Stew
Chakhokhbili is a stew of chicken slowly cooked with tomato, onion, garlic, coriander and spices. Its original name refers to pheasant, though today it is made with chicken. It is a simple but flavourful dish, ideal for discovering the balance that characterises Georgian cuisine.
It is usually served with traditional bread or rice, perfect for mopping up the sauce.
8. Pkhali: Vegetable and Walnut Paste
Pkhali are small "balls" or cold pastes made from cooked vegetables (spinach, beetroot, green beans, cauliflower…) mixed with ground walnuts, garlic, vinegar and coriander. They are served as starters, usually garnished with pomegranate seeds.
A fresh, light, colourful and surprisingly tasty dish: a genuine revelation for those not used to walnuts in savoury cooking.
9. Kharcho: Beef and Walnut Soup
Kharcho is a traditional soup of beef (or lamb) with rice, walnuts, tomato, coriander and fenugreek. Rich in flavour, comforting, slightly spicy and very aromatic, it is the perfect antidote for cold days in the Caucasus mountains.
It is especially popular in the Samegrelo region, where it is often accompanied by ghomi, a cornmeal porridge similar to polenta.
10. Churchkhela: the "Georgian Snickers"
Churchkhela is Georgia's most popular traditional sweet. It is made by threading walnuts or hazelnuts onto a string and dipping them several times into a thick syrup of concentrated grape must (tatara) with flour. The result is a kind of sweet, chewy, highly nutritious "sausage".
Churchkhela is perfect as an energy snack on hikes and trips. You'll find multicoloured versions (depending on the grape) in every market and tourist street in the country.
11. Ajapsandali: Georgian-Style Ratatouille
Ajapsandali is a kind of Georgian ratatouille with aubergines, peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and coriander. It is slowly cooked until it becomes a thick, aromatic stew, perfect as a side dish or as a vegetarian main course.
It is ideal in summer, when the vegetables are at their best, and is usually served hot or at room temperature.
12. Shkmeruli: Chicken in Garlic and Milk Sauce
Shkmeruli comes from the Racha region and has become one of Georgian cuisine's most viral dishes on the international stage. It is roasted or fried chicken, served in a hot clay pot, bathed in a generous creamy sauce of garlic and milk.
A comforting, satisfying and absolutely addictive dish, which pairs perfectly with bread to mop up every last drop of sauce.
And to Accompany Them… Georgian Wine
Georgian gastronomy cannot be understood without its wine. With over 8,000 years of history, Georgian wine made in qvevri (buried clay amphorae) is UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Try a red Saperavi, an amber Rkatsiteli or a crisp Kisi and you'll have the perfect pairing for all these dishes.
Ready to Live the Authentic Georgian Gastronomic Experience?
If after reading this you're eager to try these Georgian dishes in their homeland, Iberogeorgia makes it easy. We organise gastronomic trips, wine tastings in Kakheti, cooking classes in Tbilisi and visits to local markets with Spanish-speaking guides and all the expertise of a local team.
Request your gastronomic trip to Georgia and get ready for the culinary adventure of a lifetime in the heart of the Caucasus.