Cooking Georgia

 Gastronomy

Food is one of the most important elements of Georgian culture. Meals are like a ceremony. The table is directed by the ?tamada', who offers traditional toasts during the entire meal. You cannot drink a toast to somebody, before the master of the house has done it for all his guests. You cannot change the dedication of the toast either. Hazelnuts are used in all of the sauces! Any name of a dish placed next to the word ?satsivi' is served with a sauce flavoured with herbs, garlic and hazelnuts. You can also find some in soups and desserts.
Meals generally start with an assortment of hot and cold dishes: grilled and spiced giblets, beans and nuts (lobios) salad, marinated eggplant, spiced spinach (pkhaliis), without forgetting the pickles and smoked meats (basturmas). For the meat, Georgians serve suckling pork and beef. Chicken is roasted or cooked in a stew. One of the most common dishes is the chakhokhbili, a stew flavoured with herbs, tomatoes and paprika. Georgian wine is renowned; Kindzmareuli is a fruity red wine and Tsinandali and Gurdzhaani are two dry white wines. Finally, the bravest will try the traditional Georgian breakfast, served wuth khachi, a soup with tripes, beef-foot and a lot of garlic!