Experience South Caucasus Food

The national cuisine of the South Caucasus region is very rich, diverse, and spicy. There is something common about all the Caucasian dishes. But still, each of them are spiced with unique traditions in a unique way. Today we are going to tell you about the must-try dishes of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Have a tasty and memorable South Caucasus food trip!

The best national dishes of Armenia

When having a South Caucasus food trip, don’t miss Armenia. How can we describe the Armenian national cuisine? Nutritious and nourishing with a prevalence of meat dishes. Yet you’d better taste it once than read about it for hundred times.

Lavash

First we’d like to tell you about the national Armenian bread lavash – an indispensable attribute of the table. Lavash is a large thin bread baked in a tandir deep oven. The process of lavash baking looks pretty extreme and exciting. It is a very tasty, crispy bread that is a perfect combo with khorovats (Armenian barbeque).

Dolma

Armenian dolma is the most popular meat dish in the traditional menu. It is served all year round. Traditional dolma is made from minced meat wrapped in grape leaves. In summer you can taste a summer dolma, when meat is stuffed in seasonal vegetables.

As a matter of fact, the dish is very tasty and is considered the visiting card of Armenia. The other nations of the South Caucasus also prepare very tasty dolma which differs a little from Armenian variant.

Fish Dishes

Despite the fact that there is no sea and seafood in Armenia, there are fantastic fish dishes in Armenian cuisine. The best one to try is trout or a whitefish barbeque. The ideal scenario is to taste the dish served at Lake Sevan.

Khash

Very soon will begin the season of khash. The season that from September and lasts until the end of April. Khash is a very special dish. It looks unattractive, yet it is very tasty. Traditionally, khash is served early in the morning. Khash is made from beef legs that are cooked whole night.

Broth is changed several times to make an unpleasant smell disappear. Khash is a thick soup with pieces of meat. The dish is always accompanied with garlic, radish, dried lavash and vodka. I think this is similar to Bacolod cansi. It just has different flavors.

The best national dishes of Georgia

Next stop of our South Caucasus food tour is Georgia. The phrase “Georgian cuisine” immediately brings in mind all the flavors and spices of unique national dishes.

Khinkali

Probably, the most popular dish is khinkali. It should be eaten not once, but every day during the whole trip, because in every district it is made in different ways and the taste turns out to be simply unforgettable. Khinkali is like dumpling but bigger by size and with hot broth inside.

Satsivi

From all the tastiest Georgian dishes it is definitely worth trying satsivi, chicken with a delicate creamy sauce with nuts. Uniquely, the sauce is flavored with saffron, cinnamon and cloves are added to the sauce. Satsivi is a traditional dish on the festive table.

Badrijani

Georgians use a lot of vegetables in dishes and thат is wonderful news for vegetarians. From vegetable dishes you should try badrijani – eggplant rolls with nuts and garlic, pкhali – spinach or beet balls, lobio soup and ajapsandal – vegetable stew. The must attribute of the Georgian table is suluguni cheese and puri bread.

Khachapuri

You should definitely taste all kinds of Georgian khachapuri – a cake with local cheese. Keep in mind that any Georgian dish will be much tastier if combined with a glass of Georgian wine.

The best national dishes of Azerbaijan

And finally, our South Caucasus food tour ends with the dishes of Azerbaijan. The national cuisine with oriental accents in many ways resembles the cuisine of other countries of the South Caucasus.

On the traditional table you can find assorted pickled vegetables, olives, fresh green, fresh vegetables and warm flat bread. Furthermore, lamb and beef dishes are dominating. Like the rest of the cuisine of the South Caucasus, the Azerbaijani cuisine is very nutritious and high-calorie.

Rice Pilaf

The main dish of the table is a rice pilaf with saffron, meat and flavors. There is a great variety of recipes of pilaf with nuts, eggs, pilaf baked in dough, etc. One of the most popular and interesting national dishes is piti – lamb soup. It is served in clay pots with bread that is crumbled into soup and then tasted.

If only I have the ingredients, I would not hesitate to cook these at home. I love lamb and flavored rice.

Dogva

Dogva is cold dish that may satisfy hunger and thirst and it is ideal for a hot climate. The dish is made of kefir or matsoni, rice, greens, chicken egg and flour.

Sweets and Tea

Meanwhile, traditional sweets like baklava, patuba bread, halva, and of course tea have very special place in national cuisine.

Wow! Doesn’t your mouth water? This deserves another family trip!

Before you go, check these other family travel related stories:

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