Thoughts on Georgia part 3: Food

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Ok, so it’s been a while since I added to my thoughts on Georgia series.  Here is my analysis and my personal experience with Georgian cuisine.  It seems that in my host families household it is either feast or famine.  The majority of our meals consist of bread, cheese, pickled cabbage, and honey/jam (all home made of course).  For a time we were having tomatoes as well, but they have gone out of seasons, thus our tomato source dried up.  During the long stretches of eating just those items I have often resorted to picking a lot of local fruits off their trees and bushes.  For a while it was apples, then they went out of season leading me to pick the now ripening mandarin oranges.  Yes, It does seem to be a contradiction to be eating mandarin oranges in the mountain, but they seem to flourish in our backyard. 

There are many dishes that Georgia is renowned for, and on rare occasions (supras) I have had the chance to indulge in.  The most famous dish is kinkahli, a type of meat dumpling.  It consists of ground meat that is wrapped in a doughy outer layer.  They then boil it and eat them by hand.  It is said to be bad luck to eat the top, so you only eat the meaty part and the dough around it.  My family has only made this dish once during my stay here, but I have had it at other households and it is quite tasty.

Kinkahli, or the meat dumplings

The other dish that Georgia is know for is katchapuri.  It is a cheese bread that is as varied as each region of Georgia.  Every place believes that their personal recipe is the best recipe in the country.  My family makes megrulian katchapuri, that looks like regular bread but is filled with cheese.  In my slightly biased opinion it is the best.  Since I have shown my like for this bread my family has started making it more often. 

Katchapuri, the Georgian cheese bread. (pic borrowed from my friend zach's blog)

The third most common dish that we make at supras is ostri.  Ostri is boiled meat (usually lamb or beef) that has a spiced sauce added to the broth.  It is almost like a meat stew.  My family tends to make this dish if there is a large crowd (read Mancho’s wedding), as it is easy to make in bulk.  You are supposed to eat the meat, and then soak up the rest of the broth with your bread.  It is one of my favorite dishes in Georgia, but we only have it during big events.

Like I said before it is either feast or famine in my household.  We will go many days eating just bread and cheese, and then have a supra with lots of varied dishes.  I personally would like a more balanced diet, but that does not seem to be the Georgian way.  After spending time in this country I now understand why the men gorge themselves at supras like it is the last meal that they will ever eat.