Famous georgian food – 10 local dishes you have to eat

Traveling means not just to see and explore new cities it also means to discover new food and local specialties. Georgia is a great country for food lovers! Located between Russia and Turkey you will find influences of these cuisines in georgian food as well as the own georgian style. With eating a lot of bread, cheese and meat the georgian cuisine is not the most light cuisine, but simply delicious! Postpone your diet and eat as much local food as you can when you visit Georgia. Here are 10 amazing local dishes you should definitely try.

• Kachapuri
• Khinkali
• Lobio
• Lobiani
• Kebabi
• Georgian Soup
• Ispanakhins Phkali
• Local georgian pizza
• Shawarma
• Chakapuli

Kachapuri is the most known and probably the most eaten food in Georgia. Best served smoking hot. It’s a white, round or oval bread often stuffed with cheese. On the menu you will find different kinds of Kachapuris:

Generally, Kachapuri is a favorite food for most of the locals. Especially the plain Kachapuris. You can buy the different kinds  on the roadside, stores and restaurants. There are even some special restaurants that just serve Kachapuri. Prices starts from 1,50 Lari – 3 Lari. 

Khinkali is one of the most famous georgian food. This is dough finely twisted into knobs, stuffed with meat and other spices, and has a bit of juice inside of it after it has been boiled. Asides from the meat stuffed in, there is another option of stuffed vegetables, like potatoes and mushrooms for the vegetarians. Khinkali is fun to eat with your hands, as your goal asides from enjoying the dish is to avoid spilling the broth while eating it. It could be a bit difficult trying for the first time, but with constant practice, you get better at it. It is well spiced up, and 5-7 pieces are enough for a serving.

Lobio are kidney beans, cooked with various spices, and served in a clay pot with some soup in it. It has a nice and spicy taste, with a tick consistency. Ask a local to recommend a good restaurant to get nice Lobios from. Lobio is usually served with Mchadi, the Georgian corn bread. The price ranges from 5.00 Lari-8.00 Lari, this also depends on the restaurant. One pot is usually enough for one person, as Lobio is a bit heavy.

Lobiani is the sister of Kachapuri and often ordered together. It’s similar to Kachapuri, the only difference is that it is stuffed with beans rather than cheese.  It is very tasty with a nice crust. It is usually eaten with hands or fork, depending on your preference. Lobiani is a roadside snack eaten by many of the Georgian locals and can be bought from both roadside shops, stores and restaurants. It’s a perfect vegetarian georgian food.

This is made of beef, a Georgian meal mixed with some Turkish vibes. The beef is grilled and stuffed up with so many spices that gives its unique taste and usually served with a tomato sauce and onions. Optionally it’s wrapped up in lavash. Can be found in cafeterias and restaurants.

There are different Georgian soups, but one of the most recommended is Chikhirtma. It is made with eggs, flour, vinegar, white wine and bits of chicken and spiced up with different spices including herbs. The consistency is a bit thick. It can be eaten with bread(puri). 

Ispanakhins Phkali is a very yummy and popular appetizer. It’s made of spinach, together with walnuts, Cilantro and Pomegranate seeds which is put on top of the spinach for garnishing. This can be eaten with bread(puri).

It has a round shape like the regular pizza but a smaller in size. It is made with flour and topped with sausages. It is a common snack, mostly found on the roadsides and stores. The price is between 2 – 4 Lari.

I have to say that Georgian’s shawarma is the tastiest compared with a lot of others. This is made of meat filling of choice, chilly pepper, ketchup and mayonnaise, all wrapped in lavash bread. The fillings are either made of chicken or pork. The wrap is filled with a lot of chicken, very tasty and has a lot of sauce in it. One wrap is well enough for one person. Shawarmas can be gotten from the roadside and is a fast food dish. One of the best recommended shawarma spots are: Mac Shawarma and Shawarma Club. I have tried a couple of other shawarma spots, and not all of them really had great taste, so make sure to get recommendations from locals, to avoid getting horrible ones. Price for one Shawarma is about 8-15 Lari depending on the size and restaurant.

This meal originates from Kakheti in Georgia. Just the way different regions have their different meals on holidays, the locals eat Chakapuli during the holidays. Chakapuli is a lamb meal, with different spices including onion and different herbs added to it.