Georgian Food and Drink: A Traveler's Guide to Dishes, Street Food, and Wine

Why Georgian food is special

Georgian cuisine is one of the great surprises of travel. It is bold, herb-heavy, and built around the supra (feast), where a toastmaster called the *tamada* leads endless toasts. Meals are generous, social, and rarely rushed.

Signature dishes you must try

• Khachapuri — cheese-filled bread. The most famous is *Adjaruli*, a boat of dough filled with molten cheese, butter, and a runny egg, eaten by tearing the crust and dipping.
• Khinkali — twisted soup dumplings filled with spiced meat. Hold the topknot, bite a small hole, sip the broth, then eat the rest. Never use a fork, and leave the knotted stems on your plate.
• Mtsvadi — Georgian shashlik, skewered pork or veal grilled over grapevine cuttings.
• Lobio — slow-cooked beans with herbs, often served in a clay pot with cornbread (*mchadi*).
• Pkhali — vegetable and walnut pates (spinach, beetroot, eggplant) topped with pomegranate.
• Badrijani — fried eggplant rolls stuffed with garlicky walnut paste.

Street food and snacks

In Tbilisi, grab *churchkhela* (walnuts dipped in grape-juice gel) from market stalls, or warm *lobiani* (bean-filled bread). Bakeries selling fresh bread from a *tone* clay oven are everywhere and cheap.

Drinks: wine, chacha, and more

Georgia claims 8,000 years of winemaking, the oldest in the world, using clay *qvevri* vessels buried underground. Try amber (orange) wines made from *Rkatsiteli*, or reds from *Saperavi*. Local brands like Khareba and Pheasant's Tears are easy to find.

• Chacha — a fiery grape spirit (think Georgian grappa), often homemade.
• Tarkhuna — a bright green tarragon soda.
• Borjomi — famous salty mineral water from the spa town of the same name.

Practical dining tips and etiquette

• A casual meal costs around 15 to 30 GEL; a sit-down dinner with wine is rarely expensive.
• Tipping 10% is appreciated; check if service is already added.
• If invited to a *supra*, pace yourself and follow the tamada; never start drinking before the toast.
• Vegetarians eat well here, especially during the Orthodox fasting periods when many dishes are vegan by default.
• Cash is handy at markets, though cards work in cities.

Stay connected in Georgia

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