Food in Georgia is like a delicious adventure waiting for you! This small country between Europe and Asia has some of the most amazing and unique dishes in the world. Georgian food is famous for mixing different flavours - sweet, sour, and spicy- all in one meal.
What makes food in Georgia so special? It's the way they use fresh ingredients, ancient cooking methods, and recipes passed down through generations for hundreds of years. Every dish tells a story and brings people together around the table.
From the famous khachapuri (cheese-filled bread) to hearty khinkali dumplings, Georgian food will surprise and delight you. Whether you're a meat lover, a vegetarian, or have a sweet tooth, Georgia has amazing food that will make you want to come back for more!
Many Georgia Tour Packages now include food experiences, letting you taste authentic dishes while exploring this beautiful country's culture and history.
Imagine a bread shaped like a boat filled with melted cheese, butter, and a raw egg on top. That's Adjaruli Khachapuri! It's one of the most famous Georgian dishes and a special version of Georgia's national food called khachapuri.
Key Ingredients:
- Mozzarella and feta
- Butter
- Fresh egg (cracked on top while hot)
- Simple bread dough made with flour, yeast, and milk
Ajapsandali is a tasty Georgian vegetable stew that tastes amazing hot or cold. It's one of the top 10 best food in Georgia, perfect for vegetarians!
Key Ingredients:
- Eggplant
- Bell Peppers
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, parsley, and dill
- Khmeli-Suneli
Ajika is a hot and spicy paste that's popular in Georgian cooking. If you love spicy food, you'll love this! It's made from red chili peppers, garlic, and special herbs all mixed together.
Georgian families keep it in their kitchen because it makes everything taste better. You can make it mild or really hot, depending on how much chili you use.
Key Ingredients:
- Hot chili peppers
- Garlic
- Various herbs
Badrijani Nigvzit is a tasty Georgian appetizer made from fried eggplant slices rolled around a creamy walnut filling. It's one of the best Georgian dishes and perfect for starting any meal!
Key Ingredients:
- Eggplants
- Walnuts
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Coriander
- Fenugreek
Chakhokhbili is a tasty Georgian chicken stew that's perfect for cold days. It's one of the famous Georgian dishes that families love to make when they want something warm and filling.
First, the chicken is cooked until golden brown. Then it's mixed with tomatoes, onions, and herbs to make a thick, rich sauce. Everything cooks together slowly, so the flavors mix perfectly.
Key Ingredients:
- Chicken pieces (usually thighs because they're juicy)
- Fresh tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
- Onions and garlic
- Fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley
- Georgian spices
When people ask "what to eat in Georgia," Chakapuli should be at the top of the list! This special Georgian stew feels like a warm hug in a bowl.
Georgian families make this amazing stew for holidays like Easter and important celebrations. It's not everyday food - it's for special moments when you want something delicious.
Key Ingredients:
- Lamb
- Green Plums/Tkemali
- Georgian herbs
Chashushuli is a delicious and spicy Georgian stew that will warm you up! It's made with tender pieces of beef or lamb that taste amazing.
First, the meat is fried until golden brown. Then it's cooked slowly in a rich tomato sauce with chili peppers and herbs. This makes the meat super tender and full of flavour.
Key Ingredients:
- Meat
- Tomatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Spices and herbs
Chicken Tabaka is one of Georgia's most loved chicken dishes that everyone should try! It's a whole chicken cooked in a special way that makes it super crispy and delicious.
The garlic and herbs make it smell amazing while it's cooking. It's simple to make but always turns out delicious.
Key Ingredients:
- Chicken (typically a whole young chicken or Cornish hen)
- Garlic
- Hot peppers
- Coriander
- Vegetable oil
Chikhirtma is a creamy, smooth Georgian soup that's considered the best food in Georgia when you're sick. It tastes amazing and makes you feel better. The secret is mixing hot chicken broth with eggs very slowly so they don't scramble.
This creates a silky, smooth texture that feels amazing in your mouth. The lemon juice and vinegar make it a little tangy, while garlic and coriander add great flavour.
Key Ingredients:
- Chicken
- Onions
- Wine vinegar
- Bread flour
- Coriander
- Eggs
Churchkhela is a famous food in Georgia that people call "Georgian Snickers" because it's sweet, chewy, and gives you energy! It's a healthy candy that tastes amazing.
First, nuts are put on a string like a necklace.
Then they dip the whole string into a thick mixture made from grape juice and flour (called tatara). After that, it's hung up to dry in the sun until it becomes chewy and sweet.
Key Ingredients:
- Grape juice
- Nuts (like walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds)
- Flour
Fun Fact:
While on the Georgia Tour, you can find these colourful, sausage-shaped treats hanging in Georgian markets. They last a long time and are perfect for taking on trips!
Chvishtari is a tasty Georgian cornbread that's one of the best Georgian dishes for comfort food lovers. It's cheesy, warm, and perfect for any meal!
This special bread has a crispy, golden crust on the outside, but when you bite into it, the inside is soft and filled with melted cheese. The cornmeal gives it a slightly sweet taste that goes perfectly with the salty cheese.
Key Ingredients:
- Corn flour
- Sulguni cheese
- Milk or water
Gebzhalia is a light and tasty Georgian salad that's perfect for hot summer days. It's made with just a few simple ingredients that taste amazing together! The soft, creamy cheese mixes perfectly with the cool, refreshing mint. The walnuts add a nice crunch that makes every bite interesting. It's simple but incredibly delicious.
Key Ingredients:
- Sulguni cheese
- Cottage cheese (or ricotta)
- Mint
- Hot green pepper
- Garlic
- Salt
In Georgia, wine is much more than just a drink - it's a big part of their culture and history. It is part of every celebration, family dinner, and special moment in Georgia. They make toasts, tell stories, and bring people together with wine.
Anyone who wants to try something completely different from regular wine. Georgian wines have bold, unique flavours you won't find anywhere else in the world!
Key Ingredients(Graope Varieties):
- Rkatsiteli
- Saperavi
- Mtsvane
- Tsolikouri
- Tsitska
Gozinaki is a special Georgian candy that's one of the best Georgian dishes for celebrating holidays! Georgian families make this sweet treat every New Year's Eve and Christmas.
The nuts are mixed with warm honey until they stick together. Then it's shaped into small bars or squares and left to cool until it becomes crunchy and sweet.
Key Ingredients:
- Honey
- Nuts(typically walnuts)
Fun Fact: Making gozinaki is often a family activity where everyone helps mix the nuts and honey together.
Khabizgina is a special round pie. This food Georgia is famous for its gentle and soothing flavours! It's also called Ossetian Khachapuri and comes from the Ossetia region of Georgia. The combination of cheese, potatoes, and dough is simple but incredibly satisfying.
Key Ingredients:
- Dough
- Potatoes
- Cheese
- Milk/water
Khachapuri is the most famous food in Georgia and the country's national dish! It's like Georgia's crown jewel - everyone who visits Georgia must try it. It is basically bread filled with delicious cheese, and sometimes eggs, herbs, or meat. It's cheesy, warm, and filling.
Key Ingredients:
- Fresh bread dough
- Lots of Georgian cheese (usually sulguni or imeruli)
- Sometimes eggs on top
- Fresh herbs
Fun Fact: Georgians take pride in khachapuri and highlight it in every celebration.
Kharcho is a thick, flavourful Georgian soup that's perfect for cold days. It's packed with meat, spices, and has a rich, satisfying taste that will warm you up. This soup is thick and rich because of the rice and ground walnuts.
The tomatoes give it a nice red colour, while the spices make it taste amazing. It is perfect for eating with Georgian bread.
Key Ingredients:
- Beef
- Rice
- Walnuts
- Tkemali
- Khmeli Suneli
- Fresh herbs
Khashi is a unique food Georgia. It is a soup that might seem unusual to some people, but it's very popular in Georgia! It's famous for helping people feel better when they have a hangover.
This soup uses parts of the animal that many people don't usually eat, like the stomach lining (tripe) and intestines. This might sound strange, but it's actually very nutritious and has been eaten in Georgia for hundreds of years.
Key Ingredients:
- Livestock Parts
- Flavour Enhancers
- Old bread
Khashlama is one of the best Georgian dishes that comes from the mountain areas of Georgia. It's a hearty, filling stew that's perfect for cold days and special celebrations. The meat becomes super tender from slow cooking, and all the flavours from the vegetables and herbs mix perfectly.
Georgians love to make khashlama during their traditional feast called "supra", a big celebration with lots of food, wine, and toasting.
Key Ingredients:
- Meat
- onions, tomatoes, or even summer vegetables like bell peppers and eggplants
- Water
- Garlic
- Salt
- Spices
Khinkali is probably the most famous food in Georgia, and once you try it, you'll understand why! These are special dumplings that look like little twisted bags filled with deliciousness. Inside, there's juicy meat and hot broth that bursts in your mouth when you bite into it.
Key Ingredients:
- Dough
- Meat Filling
- Herbs & spices
Kubdari is a delicious stuffed bread that comes from Svaneti, the mountainous region of Georgia. This pastry is baked until the outside is golden and crispy, while the inside stays soft and juicy. The meat filling is seasoned with special mountain spices that give it a unique, rich flavour.
Key Ingredients:
- Meat (beef, pork, or lamb)
- Onions
- Spices
Kuchmachi is a special food Georgia is known for that uses organ meats, the parts of animals that aren't regular meat. It might sound unusual, but it's actually very tasty. This is often served at special occasions and traditional Georgian feasts. It's usually eaten as an appetizer or side dish.
Key Ingredients:
- Offal
- Onions
- Garlic
- Butter
- Spices
Kupati is a spicy Georgian sausage. This food Georgia is famous for its juicy, flavourful taste, perfect for anyone who loves a little heat in their food. The meat is mixed with all the spices and stuffed into sausage casings.
Then it's grilled or fried until it's crispy on the outside and juicy inside. The smoky smell while cooking is amazing.
Key Ingredients:
Lobiani is a delicious stuffed bread from the Imereti region that's considered the best food in Georgia for people who love vegetarian dishes!
The mashed beans are seasoned perfectly with spices and wrapped in soft, fluffy bread. When it's baked, the outside becomes golden and crispy while the inside stays creamy and flavourful.
Key Ingredients:
- Kidney Beans
- Flour
- Oil
- Water
- Salt
- Spices
Lobio is a classic, famous food in Georgia that proves simple ingredients can make amazing dishes! The word "lobio" actually means "beans" in Georgian, and this hearty stew is loved by everyone.
The beans become creamy and soft, while the spices give it a rich, deep flavour that warms you up from the inside.
Key Ingredients:
- Red Kidney Beans
- Walnuts
- Onions and Garlic
- Cilantro (Coriander)
Matsoni is a special kind of yogurt from Georgia that's also called Caspian Sea yogurt. It's creamy, tangy, and super easy to make at home! The milk is mixed with the natural bacteria and left to sit at room temperature for 1-2 days. And the Matsoni is ready to be served.
Key Ingredients:
- Milk
- Matsoni Starter - A portion of previously made Matsoni
Fun fact: The natural bacteria used to make matsoni have been passed down through Georgian families for generations.
Mchadi is a rustic Georgian cornbread that's one of the best Georgian dishes for its amazing taste. It's made with just three basic ingredients but tastes incredible.
The cornmeal is mixed with water and salt to make a simple dough. Then it's grilled or cooked in a pan until the outside becomes golden brown and crispy while the inside stays soft.
Key Ingredients:
Mtsvadi is Georgian grilled meat on sticks that's definitely the best food in Georgia. It's also called Georgian shashlik and is perfect for anyone who loves BBQ. It's grilled over grapevine prunings (grape wood) instead of regular charcoal.
This gives the meat a unique, smoky flavor that you can't get anywhere else. Mtsvadi is usually served with tkemali - a tangy sour plum sauce that goes perfectly with the smoky meat.
Key Ingredients:
- Meat
- Onions
- Pomegranate Juice
- Khmeli Suneli
- Salt and pepper
Nazuki is a delicious sweet bread from Georgia that smells amazing and tastes even better! It's soft, slightly chewy, and has just the right amount of sweetness. This special bread is famous in Surami, a small town in Georgia's Shida Kartli region.
You can often find people selling fresh nazuki along the roadsides there - the smell draws you in from far away!
Key Ingredients:
- Flour
- Yeast
- Milk
- Butter
- Sugar
- Raisins
- Vanilla Pods
Ojakhuri is a hearty Georgian dish that's cooked all in one pan, making it super easy and delicious! It's rustic comfort food that fills you up and tastes amazing. The meat gets crispy, the potatoes become golden and soft, and the onions add sweetness.
Key Ingredients:
- Meat
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Garlic
- Spices
Ostri is a traditional food Georgia. It is a spicy beef stew made with tomatoes, onions, beef, hot peppers, and spices. This Georgian dish is cooked slowly in one pot and tastes best when eaten with Georgian bread called shoti and red wine called Saperavi.
Key Ingredients:
Pkhali is a famous food in Georgia made from finely chopped vegetables like spinach, eggplant, cabbage, beets, and beans. These vegetables are mixed with crushed walnuts, garlic, and spices, then shaped into small balls that look colourful and pretty.
This dish is served cold and makes a healthy vegetarian meal. There's also a chicken version called chicken pkhali that uses shredded chicken as one of the main ingredients.
Key Ingredients:
- Vegetables
- Walnuts
- Garlic
- Vineger
- Pomegranate seeds
Pakhlava is a famous food Georgia that satisfies your sweet cravings. This delicious pastry has many thin, crispy layers filled with chopped nuts, usually walnuts. It's topped with sweet syrup or honey, making it a popular dessert that perfectly ends any Georgian meal.
Key Ingredients:
- Phyllo Dough
- Nuts
- Butter
- Sugar
- Spices
Puri (also called Shotis Puri) is a traditional Georgian bread that's eaten with many Georgian dishes. This bread has a unique boat-like shape, is chewy on the inside, and has a slightly crispy outside crust. It's a basic food that Georgians eat regularly with their meals.
Key Ingredients:
- Wheat Flour
- Salt
- Water
- Yeast
Qababi (or kebabi) is one of the famous Georgian dishes made from grilled meat on skewers. It uses seasoned ground meat, usually mixed pork and beef, that's cooked over fire. The meat is wrapped in soft lavash bread and served with a spicy tomato sauce called satsebeli.
Key Ingredients:
- Meat
- Spices
- Onions
- Sumac
- Pomegranate juice and seeds
Satsivi is a popular food Georgia - a cold sauce made from walnuts that adds a rich, nutty flavour to meals. This creamy sauce is usually served with chicken or turkey for dipping. The smooth texture and earthy taste of satsivi make it a unique and delicious addition to Georgian dishes.
Key Ingredients:
- Walnuts
- Garlic
- Onions
- Spices (like saffron, fenugreek, coriander, and cinnamon)
- Vinegar or lemon juice
If you're wondering what to eat in Georgia, try Shkmeruli (or chkmeruli), a simple dish from the mountainous Racha region.
This rustic meal features tender chicken pieces cooked in a creamy sauce made with garlic, milk, and butter. It's traditionally prepared in a special clay pot called a ketsi, which helps keep the dish flavorful and moist.
Key Ingredients:
- Chicken
- Garlic
- Milk or cream
- Butter
- Parsley
Sulguni, a popular food Georgia is a semi-soft cheese that's stored in salty water. This cheese has a tangy flavour and a stretchy texture. Georgians use sulguni in many dishes, including salads and khachapuri, which is the famous Georgian cheese-filled bread.
Key Ingredients:
- Milk
- Rennet(used to curdle the milk)
- Bacterial Culture(a starter culture helps develop the cheese's flavor and texture)
- Salt
Tarkhuna (or tarragon soda) is a refreshing fizzy drink created by a Georgian pharmacist named Mitrofan Lagidze in 1887. This green, bubbly beverage has a unique herbal taste from tarragon herb, making it a special Georgian drink that's different from regular sodas.
It's a popular non-alcoholic choice that offers a distinctive flavor experience.
Key Ingredients:
- Tarragon
- Sugar
- Water
- Lemon Juice
If you're wondering what to eat in Georgia for dessert, try Tatara (or Pelamushi). This sweet treat is made from thick grape juice called badagi mixed with flour or cornmeal. It has a thick, pudding-like texture that makes it a perfect way to end a Georgian meal.
Key Ingredients:
Food in Georgia offers an incredible journey of flavours that you won't find anywhere else in the world. From the iconic khachapuri and khinkali to unique dishes like churchkhela and chakapuli, every meal in Georgia is a celebration of taste and tradition.
The famous Georgian dishes we've explored above show how this country's cuisine brings people together. Whether you're sharing a supra feast with locals or trying street food in Tbilisi, food in Georgia creates memories that last forever.
So when you visit Georgia, come hungry and ready to discover some of the most delicious and authentic food experiences on Earth!
