Forbes Praises Georgian ‘Cheese Pizza” – Khachapuri

An American business magazine has dedicated an article to the Georgian national dish – Khachapuri. The author of the article, Chris Dwyer compares Khachapuri to “the best cheese pizza you've ever tasted.”

“The country lying between Turkey and Russia doesn't fail to win over visitors thanks to its incredible dish, Khachapuri,” he said.

The article reads that Khachapuri is “mix of local cheeses which fill - both outside and inside - the soft dough that is baked to perfection.”

The author explains that the enormous pies are not even the main dish at a meal, but actually an accompaniment, the “mother” of all side dishes.

“A Georgian feast, called a supra, will feature at least 20 plates of food on the table when you sit down, even before the Khachapuri arrives - always hot, always straight from the clay oven. Then it's on to the entrees, usually skewered lamb, pork or chicken, grilled slowly over charcoal and marinated in heady local herbs and spices,” the article reads.

The article also says that there are countless cheeses made across the fertile Georgian countryside, all of which can be used in Khachapuri either solo or, more often, in combination.

“Like apple pie in the US, every home has their own recipe and special take on it,” the author says.

He explains that one of the most common type features Imeruli, a curd-like cheese mixed with beaten egg, all in a flatbread, while Adjarian Khachapuri is an odd, canoe-shaped bread filled with cheese and topped with butter and a raw egg before being bought to you.

“But the most decadent, outrageous and sinful is Mingrelian, a veritable dairy tsunami flooding the bread, inside and out… And while everyone loves pizza – 88 percent of Georgians say they prefer Khachapuri. I'm with them,” the author says.

The article reads that Georgia is one of the most exciting new food frontiers as it melds the very best of its own recipes and ingredients along with Persian, Arab, Turkish, Russian and Asian influences. 

“It's also, remarkably, the original home of wine, where it was first made more than 8,000 years ago and stored in underground earthenware jars called kvevri,” the article reads.

By Thea Morrison

Photo source: Forbes