spring has sprung and so have i!
or at least, spring is tentatively reaching out its feelers for a tender butterfly kiss on the tip of one’s nose. which is pretty dang nice for mid-march. my mum and i shared our first sunny terrace lunch today, so the change of the seasons is in full force (watch me somehow going through a 20 degree dip for being so cocky).
without further adobido, georgia. neither the u.s. american state, nor the woman’s name, no, the beautiful country, cosily nestled between the east of europe and the west of asia. this country full of unesco world heritage sites and no fewer than twelve(!) climate zones is steeped in history. so much so, that the first europeans are said to have lived in georgia, partially based on the two oldest human skulls in the caucasus having been found there.
due to its location on a crossing point between many different cultures, georgian cuisine is incredibly varied. there are about as many iterations of georgian foods as there are regions. meaning, a great many. in general, though, food, and just as importantly, feeding people, is an integral part of georgian culture. a guest is seen as a gift from god and treated accordingly, ideally with a supra, an elaborate celebratory meal, which gets its name from the georgian word for tablecloth. at the core of many georgian dishes are different meats, fresh herbs and spices. my choice this time fell not on a meaty dish but instead a vegetarian one with plenty of cheese. cheese plays an integral role in many georgian meals but is usually served hot.
because i am a lover of cheese, specifically in combination with carbs, i made khachapuri, a delightful type of pastry filled with cheese and an egg. khachapuri is typically eaten for breakfast or lunch and may contain a variety of other fillings/toppings, but good ol’ cheese’n’eggs are a classic for a reason. the cheeses traditionally used are sadly not available here, so after some sleuthing i compromised on a combination of feta, cottage cheese and cream cheese. after making a bread dough and the filling (which also contains some fresh herbs, and an egg and some flour for binding), these beautiful breads are shaped and par-baked. when some time is left of the baking time, an egg is added onto each of the fillings and baked for around 8 (runny) to 12 (firm) additional minutes. the result, garnished with some extra parsley and devoured whilst still warm was utterly scrumptious, hearty and a perfect size for a small meal. the bread was soft and slightly sweet, the creamy and savoury and the yolk perfectly runny and unctuous. delish. marco was equally enthused and gave my khachapuri 85 peshpoints.
in my youthful exuberance also attempted to make a georgian sweet called churchkhela. for this, walnuts (or other nuts) are strung up on string and over the course of many days dipped into grape must, much like how candles are made. my version somehow didn’t seem to dry properly, even after multiple days of no dipping. maybe it’s because i went the untraditional route and decided to tie them in a ring rather than straight line, but such is life. the walnuts came out rather tasty, but i think my version was rather far off the platonic ideal of churchkhela, and i thus must visit georgia imminently to sample some.
next journey: angola.
geoculinary. 