Georgian cuisine is something you are certainly going to love! What makes Georgian food so delicious? Well, fresh ingredients, elaborate recipes, a great variety of fruit and vegetables and, of course, great cooks! Each part of Georgia has its specialities, but certain traditional dishes are prepared all over the country. Georgians like their meals hot and spicy. Most dishes are cooked with walnut, garlic and lots of herbs. Jams and sauces are made from almost every fruit. What shouldn’t you miss while you are here? It would make a long list, so we will name just a few of the typical traditional dishes:
Khachapuri - cheese baked in pastry. Depending on the cheese and the region, there are three different types of Khachapuri - Imeruli, Acharuli and Achma.
Pkhali - a spinach or beetroot paste with garlic and walnuts.
Lobio - green or red beans with herbs and spices and sometimes with walnuts.
Khinkali - dumplings with minced beef or pork.
Satsivi - turkey or chicken served in a walnut and garlic sauce.
Mchadi - corn bread and Gomi - corn porridge; both are eaten with cheese.
Tkemali - wild plum sauce.
Churchkhela - a Georgian sweet made of nuts threaded together and coated in grape juice and flour.
And how do Georgians cook beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey and fish? They are served boiled, roasted, barbequed, with or without sauces, walnuts, herbs and spices. In short, the variety is endless. During the tour you will be able to try traditional Georgian dishes from different regions. You will see how they are prepared, get the recipes and even try cooking for yourself
Day 1: Departure for Tbilisi
Day 2: Tbilisi – Mtiuleti Region – Tbilisi
We visit the town of Mtskheta and then drive along the Georgian Military Highway to Mtiuleti – a beautiful region in the Grand Caucasus mountains. The first dishes we sample from Georgian cuisine would be the ones peculiar to the mountainous r
egions. Stock-breeding is widespread in Mtiuleti, so our menu includes some meat products (kebab, khinkali) and dairy products. We will also be served local home- made beer – a traditional drink in the mountains. After lunch we head back to Tbilisi en route visiting Ananuri Complex. Dinner and overnight in
Tbilisi.
Days 3-4: Tbilisi – Kakheti Region – Tbilisi
We go on a two-day trip to the wine-making region of Kakheti. We visit a three-century old wine-cellar and a modern wine factory. In Telavi we visit a food market where stalls are loaded with fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, spices and drinks. At breakfast in Kakheti Georgian vodka – “chacha” is served instead of tea. We also visit a village, walk through vineyards and gardens and get to know the lifestyle of locals. Here we get a chance to see how bread is baked, how different Georgian dishes are prepared and even cook them ourselves. At lunch alongside with other dishes we will have a Georgian delicacy “mtsvadi” – meat barbequed on fire of vine branches, and of course a lot of red and white wines and “chacha”.
Day 5: Tbilisi – Imereti Region – Kutaisi
We travel to Imereti region in West Georgia and visit a little mountain village where old traditions and lifestyle are still well preserved. We visit a farmer’s house, very different from the one in Kakheti. People in Imereti cook most dishes in clay pans and you can always tell the delicious flavour of “mchadi” and “khachapuri” baked in “ketsi” (ceramic plates), or a chicken fried there, or a suckling pig roasted in “tone” - a clay bakery. Overnight in Kutaisi.
Day 6: Kutaisi – Samegrelo Region – Tbilisi
Today we visit Samegrelo region famous for its hot and spicy dishes. A variety of home-made meals, most of them with walnut, will be served at lunch. In the evening we return to Tbilisi.
Day 7: Tbilisi
Tbilisi sightseeing tour. In the evening a farewell banquet with traditional Georgian dishes followed by a folk show.
Day 8: Departure
Transfer to the airport.
