Ajarian Cuisine

Ajarian Cuisine

Food and wine production are deeply rooted in the history and identity of Ajara, making them an essential part of the region's promotion, branding, and preservation of local traditions and authenticity for tourists.

Ajarian cuisine is renowned for its unique dishes, preparation techniques, and table-setting rituals. Locals primarily use vegetables, grains, milk, and meat products in their dishes. However, since ancient times, they have also relied heavily on fruits, viticulture, beekeeping, and fish as their main sources of sustenance.

While preserving and protecting traditional Georgian cuisine, Ajara has also absorbed foreign elements due to historical changes.
Ajarian cuisine is famous for its diversity and peculiarities, with about 150 different dishes. Dairy products are particularly important and diverse, and the people of the mountain zone of Ajara have rich knowledge in the production and storage of milk and milk products. The locals use milk to make a variety of products, including Iaghi (butter), sour cream, Kuruti(dried balls of curd cottage cheese mixed with butter and flour), and various types of cheese(string cheese, Gorjolo, Lavashi, Pushkuro, Moshushvili, Gadazelili and etc.) . The excessive use of butter, or erbo(Aghi), in Ajarian cuisine, especially in mountainous areas especially in Ajaristskali, Merisi, Machakhela valley villages, is due to the region's geographical and climatic environment and agricultural activities.

Corn flour is used to make various dishes such as mchadi(cornflour bread), honey mchadi, creamed mchadi, khalva, khavits, and chimuri. Wheat and wheat flour have multiple uses and are used to make dishes such as porridge, pasta, cakes, and pies: Baklava (layered cake mixed with walnut and honey or sugar), Burme (spiralling layers of bread with walnut and sugar), Boregi (layered pie with meat or cottage cheese), Achma, Erishta (noodles), Sinori (soft cottage cheese mixed with butter and garlic)
Meat dishes are also an essential part of the Ajarian diet, with a high culture of preparation and a wide assortment. Beef and chicken are the preferred meat choices, cooked in various ways such as fried, boiled, or in soups and stews. Popular beef dishes include kverevi, Kaurma, Iakhni, and mtsvadi, while chicken dishes include chicken chorba(chicken soup), Zirabaji (Laba), Satsivi, Dedluri, Apokhti and etc.

Fish is used fried, smoked, salted or boiled.

Fish is prepared in various ways in Ajarian cuisine such as frying, smoking, salting, and boiling. Egg dishes hold a special place in Ajarian cuisine including dishes like chirbuli, boregi, zantaka, egg with cheese, boiled egg, etc. Later, dishes with potatoes, cabbage, and tomatoes were also added to the cuisine. Vegetables and forest vegetables remain an important part of the cuisine, and there is a wide variety of bean dishes (such as malakhto, moregvil, butter beans, meaty beans, coated beans, bean soup, park beans, kerchkhi beans, pkhali-beans, lobios mchadi) and mkhali (such as stocky, khapian, ricey, chklintani, meaty mkhali, sarma, mkhli) like Tsurvili, Motreuli, Ajenjula, etc. Honey is an important ingredient in Adjarian cuisine and is used not only for direct consumption but also in sweet drinks (sharbat), various dishes (honey porridge), and desserts (halva, baklava, honey mchadi). 
Grape juice is used to make various products such as wine, Bakmazi, Lecher, and Felamushi. Plum, on the other hand, is used to make sauces, plum juice, and dried plum fruit leather.

The real gems of Ajarian cuisine are:

Sinori, a nutritious dish made from a skillful mixture of specially baked dough sheets, dough, and erbo. Don't miss out on trying this delicious and unique dish!
Achma is a unique twist on the classic Georgian Khachapuri. Thin layers of dough are filled with melted cheese and butter to create a delicious and airy texture. It's a must-try for anyone visiting Ajara.

Iakhni is a popular beef dish found throughout Ajara, but especially in the town of Kobuleti. The meat is cooked with a variety of spices to give it a distinctive flavor, and it's considered an essential part of the local cuisine.
If you're a fan of beans, be sure to try Malakhto. This dish features green beans mixed with walnuts, spices, and sour grape juice for a unique and flavorful taste.

Borano is a calorie-rich dish made with Erbo(aghi) and Ajarian cheese. There are several variations of this dish, but they all share the same delicious taste. The most popKaimaghi is a traditional Ajarian dish that is extremely popular with locals. Made from milk, it is highly nutritious and best consumed with cheese and bread. Once you've tried this dish, you'll never want to pass up the opportunity to enjoy it again.

And of course, no visit to Ajara is complete without indulging in some Baklava for dessert. This delectable sweet treat is one of the most challenging to prepare, but it is also one of the most delicious. The dough is created from eggs, fat, and flour and divided into multiple parts before being thinned with a special stick. The layers are then coated with fat and sprinkled with ground caramelized walnuts and hazelnuts every fifth layer. Finally, the baklava is cut into diamond shapes and baked before being doused in hot sharbat, resulting in a delectable dessert that is sure to please.

Wine-making using kvevri, a traditional Georgian method, has been in practice for over 8,000 years and remains a significant part of Georgian culture today. This method of winemaking was recognized as a UNESCO monument of intangible cultural heritage in 2013. Kvevri wine involves fermenting grape juice with chacha, followed by winemaking and fermenting.

One of the essential rules for making kvevri wine is to let it ferment with its own chacha during and after the alcoholic fermentation process. The temperature in the buried kvevri remains constant at 13-15 degrees Celsius, allowing for natural chemical processes to occur without the need for special equipment or additives. Stirring is required frequently, around 4-5 times a day, before fermentation begins. By the end of the fermentation process, grape seeds, chacha, and husks settle at the bottom of the pitcher. The marc is sinking down further into the kvevri, resulting in the separation of the seeds and wine. Chkhaveri and Kedi Tsolikauri wines are famous among Georgian and foreign consumers, and tourists visiting Ajara often try them.