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Georgia is one of my favorite countries for food in the world. The food is diverse, ranging from dumplings to fresh salads, flavorful soups, and barbecue. Georgia has 12 different subregions or cultures, all emphasizing different flavors and dishes. The country’s location along the Silk Road, connecting the east and west, also led to a varied cuisine. The food in Georgia can be heavy, but the cuisine utilizes lots of vegetables, too. A visit to the country of Georgia is a must for every foodie traveler!
19 Must Eat Foods in Georgia
Here are 19 must-try Georgian dishes that you need to eat when you visit!
Khinkali
The most famous Georgian food is khinkali. Large, flavorful dumplings, khinkali, are typically filled with meat, potatoes, cheese, or mushrooms, but there are other variations. The classic khinkali is made with pork, beef, and cilantro (called coriander in Georgia), but many restaurants offer it “without greens”. Pasanuri, or mountain khinkali, are made without cilantro.
After the meat-filled khinkali, my favorite is the mushroom, which is incredibly flavorful. The potato, cheese, or combination is heavy and rich, but still delicious. Sometimes restaurants offer other variations to add flair, and those are always fun to try, but I don’t think the classic khinkali needs any improvement.
Khinkali are priced per dumpling, usually between 1 and 3 GEL. At most restaurants, you order them by type in sets of 3 or 5, but some places, like Cafe Daphna, allow you to order as few as one of a type. They are large and filling, so be careful how many you order!
Georgian culture forbids eating khinkali with a knife and fork. The proper way to eat khinkali is to wait until it is cool enough to eat (they always come out steaming hot!), hold the khinkali by the handle, take a bite of the dumpling, sip out the flavorful soup inside, and then eat around the handle. The handle is not meant to be eaten. I recommend sprinkling a hefty dose of pepper on your khinkali before consuming them, too!
Khachapuri
Khachapuri, which literally translates to “cheese bread”, is probably the second most famous Georgian dish, made popular by the “boat” style khachapuri that has cheese and an egg yolk in the middle. This type of khachapuri, which originated in the Adjarian region of Georgia, near the Black Sea, is called Adjarian Khachapuri. It deserves the fame because it is truly delicious (although not all are equal in quality!).
To eat the Adjarian khachapuri, tear off one of the pointy bread ends and use it to stir the butter and egg into the cheese until well mixed. Then you can continue tearing the bread off the side to soak up the heavenly middle.
This is not the only kind of khachapuri, however. Most regions in Georgia have their own style. Another popular type of kachapuri comes from the Imereti region. Referred to as both Imeritian and Imeruli kachapuri, this type is round and cut into slices like pizza. The soft bread is filled with a mild and fresh Imeruli cheese, sometimes accompanied by a salty sulguni cheese. This is my favorite type of khachapuri because it is the least rich, but still satisfies that delicious bread and cheese craving.
Imeritian khachapuri serves as the base for the next type of khachapuri: Megruli, or Megrelian, khachapuri. This version adds another layer of cheese outside on top! Sometimes you can find another type, called Royal or Lazuri khachapuri, where a triangular slice of sulguni cheese is added on top of the Megrelian khachapuri. These last two are too rich for me, but if you are a cheese fiend, give them a try!
Khachapuri is a popular Georgian street food as well as a common component of any meal!
Shotis Puri
Does all Georgian bread have cheese in it? No. Shotis puri translates to “sword bread” because of its unusual canoe shape, with elongated ends that look like a sword. It is also referred to as mother’s bread because it represents family and home, and most Georgian families eat shotis puri at home regularly. It is excellent bread; soft but chewy and perfect for soaking up the last bit of sauce in whatever dish you are enjoying alongside it.
Similar to France, where you frequently see locals carrying baguettes around, you will often see people walking around Georgian cities, the unusual-shaped bread poking out of their bags. Usually, when it is brought to the table, it will already be sliced for you to enjoy.
Lobio
Lobio is the Georgian word for beans. There are different variations of lobio, but the most traditional way to eat it is as a stew with kidney beans, walnuts, and herbs served in a clay pot. Sometimes it is served with a side of Georgian cornbread, called mchadi.
This is a vegetarian dish. Personally, it is not my favorite as I don’t love bean stew, but it is worth trying!
Lobiani
Similar to kachapuri, lobiani is a light, soft bread filled with mashed kidney beans instead of cheese. The name comes from the use of beans.
You can find this at most restaurants, although I don’t think it is as popular as khachapuri, and I agree. It is a bit dry, and the beans sometimes crumble out of the loose bread. However, it is still a unique food to try in Georgia!
Cucumber and Tomato Salad
When you are in Georgia, you must try the classic cucumber and tomato salad. Traditionally, this is made with walnuts, but you can usually order it without walnuts, too. It is heavily seasoned with cilantro, so if you aren’t a fan of the herb, this might not be your favorite. The highlight for me is when the tomatoes are in season, and they are beautiful, bright red, and incredibly tasty to eat on their own. We had some homegrown tomatoes at a family’s home in Kakheti, and they were absolutely amazing. You can’t buy tomatoes like that at my grocery store!
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Eggplants with Walnuts
Eggplant with walnuts, nigvziani badrijani, is a classic Georgian food. Sauteed eggplants are cut into long strips, wrapped around walnut paste, and then topped with a single pomegranate seed to make a lovely bite-sized dish. These are typically served cold. Luke and I were not very excited to try this because we don’t love eggplant, but we enjoy these!
Pkhali
A pkhali platter is a Georgian dish that you will see on many menus. Its components vary, but generally it is a selection of three to four vegetable and walnut spreads like pumpkin, spinach, carrot, beet, or bean served with mchadi (corn bread) or shotis puri for dipping. Sometimes these are served with the eggplant with walnuts.
Adjapsandali
Adjapsandali is an eggplant salad with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and spices. It is usually served cold, but everything has been cooked down to optimal softness. Eggplant hasn’t been my favorite, but after trying this flavorful dish, I think I am starting to come around to the eggplant dishes! This dish is a love letter to Georgian agriculture.
Gebjalia
Another dish that we had with our Georgian friend was gebjalia. This is a dairy-heavy dish with Imeritian cheese soaking in a creamy, herb sauce that originated in the Samegrelo region of Georgia. The Imeritian cheese is boiled in water to combine and soften it, and then the herb and cottage cheese or matsoni (fermented yogurt) mix is poured over the top. Mint and green ajika add a fresh, herb flavor to the richness. It is typically served cold. I enjoyed it, but I found the cheese a bit chewy.
Chikhirtma
Georgian food is not all cheese, meat, and potatoes; they also make excellent soups and salads. Chikhirtma is the most common soup that you will see everywhere. It is a simple soup with a chicken broth base, shredded chicken, and cilantro. The broth is thickened with egg, giving it a rich flavor.
This soup is known as a hangover cure in Georgia, and I could easily see why. It is comforting and homey. Don’t forget to dip your shotis puri in it!
Kharcho
If you are looking for a heartier soup, look no further than kharcho. This is a beef soup with rice, sour plum (tkemali) sauce, and a special blend of spices called khmeli suneli. Kharcho is perfect for a chilly day, but very filling. If you want to try an excellent kharcho, head to Sofia Melnikova’s Fantastic Douqan.
Chicken Shkmeruli
Chicken shkmeruli has a great origin legend. Whether it is true or not, we may never know. The story goes that a woman was told by her husband at the last minute that someone important (a politician, maybe) was coming to dinner, and she didn’t have anything in the house to cook except an old chicken. She decided to serve the chicken with a strong, garlic cream sauce to overpower any hint of bad chicken. The visitor came, and everyone enjoyed the dinner. Now, it is a popular Georgian dish (although they make it with fresh chicken).
This is one of my favorite Georgian dishes and definitely something you must try when you visit. The bone-in chicken is covered in a delicious garlic cream sauce, perfect to mop up with shotis puri. According to our Georgian friend, this dish is meant to be eaten with your hands, so don’t be afraid of getting a bit messy!
Pork Mtsvadi
Pork mtsvadi is a must-eat dish in Georgia! It is simple and delicious. Salted pork is skewered and cooked over a grill and then served with onions and sometimes pomegranate seeds. Traditionally, in the Kakheti region, the pork was cooked over grapevine kindling. It is common to eat it with tkemali, a sour plum sauce.
We tried this on our visit to Vakiri for Rtevli (wine harvesting), and it was amazing. It was some of the best pork I have ever had. Cooked perfectly, with the fat nicely caramelized and the flesh tender. We ate it with our hands in the vineyard as a part of supra, the feast that occurs during wine harvesting.
Ojkahuri with Mushrooms or Pork
Ojkahuri literally means “family meal”. It is a Georgian dish of either roasted mushrooms or pork served over potatoes. The pork is similar to mstavadi, and all of it sits in a pool of oil. Mushroom is a delightful vegetarian option.
It is typically served in a clay pan. Try it with a side of tkemali to eat this dish like a local!
Kuchmachi
This dish was a little out of my comfort zone, but our Georgian friend recommended it when we went to dinner one night. He said this is one of his favorite dishes and that whenever he takes a guest to try it, they always love it. So we tried kuchmachi, which is made with internals like intestines, liver, and heart. It is a heavily spiced dish and in this case it was served with fried sulguni (a pungent cheese) balls.
It was delicious. Everyone had multiple helpings, including the three Americans. We all agreed it was our favorite dish from that meal, and chicken shkmeruli was on the table!
If you are uncomfortable eating internals, I don’t blame you. It is still a little weird to me too, but so many countries eat these things, I don’t know why the US doesn’t more. I recommend you try it, and maybe you will expand your tastes a little!
Chebureki
Chebureki are savory, fried turnovers usually stuffed with minced meat and onions or cheese. These delicious pastries, similar to empanadas, originated as a part of the Crimean Tatar culture. They can now be found in many countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including Georgia. The minced meat version is great, but it can become a little soggy, so make sure to eat it right away! I love the version that contains a tangy Georgian cheese.
Churchkhela
Moving on to sweet dishes! I have to be honest, Georgia is the country where I eat the least dessert because the rest of the food is so good and filling that I am always too full. However, a classic Georgian sweet dish that you must try is churchkhela. Traditionally, it is made in autumn with walnuts or hazelnuts and juice from the grape harvest, but now it is prepared year-round.
We made churchkhela on our visit to Keti’s House in Shilda. First, you mix concentrated grape juice, flour, and sugar, and thicken it by boiling to create the mixture called tatara. Then, you thread nuts onto a string until you have a length of about 6 to 8 inches. You dip the nuts into the pot of tatara until they are covered, and then you pull them out. Hang them to dry and then enjoy!
Pelamushi
Pelamushi and tatara are essentially the same, but pelamushi sometimes contains corn flour as well as regular flour. Both are made from grape juice concentrate. Pelamushi is served as a cold, inverted jelly, usually topped with walnuts. We also tried this at Keti’s House. It wasn’t my favorite texture, but I loved that no part of the grape harvesting is wasted!
Things to Drink in Georgia
You will need some liquids to wash down all these delicious Georgian delicacies! Luckily, there are plenty of beverages to try alongside these dishes, whether you are looking for alcohol or not.
Georgian Lemonade
Georgians love their lemonade, but it is not what Americans think of as lemonade. It is more like soda with natural flavors sourced from around the country. Lagidze water is a particular brand of lemonade that is popular in Georgia, so sometimes these names are used interchangeably. Lemonade comes in all kinds of flavors like chocolate (actually one of my favorites), tarragon (a bright green), feijoa (a South American fruit popular in Georgia), and more!
You can find bottled versions of these, but I recommend trying them directly from the soda fountains around Tbilisi! Acharulebi Laghidzeze on Rustaveli Avenue is a great place for classic Soviet era vibes, or head to Bazari Orbeliani for a fun, modern food hall. You can taste Lagidze Water at both locations.
Saperavi
Georgia is the oldest wine-making country in the world, and saperavi is its most famous grape and wine. Like Champagne in France, saperavi can only be named as such if it is made in Georgia. Unlike Champagne, saperavi is also the name of the grape.
Saperavi means “to give color”. It is the only wine grape that has red skin and flesh, causing the wine to be so dark that Georgians call it black wine.
Wine lovers need to visit Georgia. Wine is hugely important to their culture. They use the qvevri method of wine making in Georgia, where wine is made in a big clay cask, called a qvevri, that is buried in the ground. It tastes different than European-style wine, but it is excellent.
The grapes are cut from the vine with some stems remaining, pressed as is, flesh, skin, and stem, into the qvevri, and then left to ferment. There are no additives in Georgian wine; only the natural yeast on the grape is used to ferment the wine. The solids, stems, and skins sink to the bottom, and the wine is siphoned from the top. The remaining solids are used to make chacha.
Amber Wine
Another type of Georgian wine you should try is amber wine. It is made from the same process as saperavi, but instead of red grapes, white grapes are used. Since the skins and stems stay in the qvevri, the wine is amber in color. Some of our favorite amber wines are rkatsiteli and kisi.
Chacha
Chacha is a distilled spirit made from the grape pomace, the remaining grape skins and stems left in the qvevri after the wine is removed. No part of the wine-making process goes to waste! It is similar to an Italian grappa.
After distillation, chacha can be aged like any other spirit. I recommend you try both aged and unaged chacha. Chacha is usually taken as a shot. Georgian people, especially winemakers, like to joke that they drink this in the morning instead of coffee (I actually don’t know if it is a joke or not!). Chacha, just like wine, is another important part of the supra feast during harvest season. To cheers in Georgian, you can say “gaumarjos!” which means “to victory!” because Georgians are a very proud people who have fought tooth and nail for their nation, and are still fighting today.
Reflections
Those are some of the must-eat foods in Georgia! Of course, many others could be added to this list. I hope you found a dish that sounds delicious and will open your heart (and stomach) to the beautiful people and country of Georgia! What Georgian food are you most interested in trying?
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