A great article recently appeared in New Yorker Magazine, “The Culinary Muse of the Caucasus” (April 29, 2019), which triggered a lot of interest for Georgian cooking and food.
The article tells the story of the Princess Barbare Jorjadze who wrote a book titled Georgian Cuisine and Tried Housekeeping Notes, an instructive yet fun culinary manual of the 19th century. Her helpful tips include pictures of more primitive kitchen utensils and a description of how a butcher would break down a cow two centuries ago. Many dishes were made of game, freshly killed, perhaps by an entourage of princely hunters. The Princess starts her recipes with artala soup, made with beef shin. Khashi, which is a tripe soup usually consumed early in the morning to cure a hangover, follows. Next, she describes stews, which she calls souzi—a word derived from Russian. Since Georgia was part of the Russian empire, the names of some dishes in the Princess’s cookbook reflect this foreign influence. The stews were a regular part of the Georgian diet, and ground meat was routinely used in many dishes such as tolma cabbage rolls, which the Princess calls golubtsi, and kebabis, which are skewers of grilled ground meat. High born, Barbare Jorjadze, née Eristavi, was a distinguished poet and writer. She is also highly regarded as one of Georgia’s first women’s rights advocate and educator. She gained respect as an intellectual equal with her male counterparts in Georgian literary circles. Barbare was born in 1833 and married at the age of twelve to a Georgian prince, largely remembered for his military presence and fondness for drinking. A daughter of Prince David Eristavi, she later recalled, "I was so young at my wedding that I thought it was some sort of game,". Today early marriages are one of the central issues for international advocacy groups. Later in life Barbare realized the inherent unfairness of these arrangements as well as inequities in education and opportunities for women. She wrote in her groundbreaking essay “J'Accuse”: “From a very young age, we are told, 'since god made you a woman, you must sit silently, look at nobody, go nowhere, shut your ears and your eyes, and just sit there. Education and learning of languages is none of your concern.'... Now you tell me, if this creature, kept uneducated and confined, ends up being less than perfect, who is to blame?" The Princess was educated by her nanny as the educational opportunities even for women born in an aristocratic society were severely limited. Barbare’s intellectual curiosity drew her to a lifelong love of reading, writing and activist role in Georgian society. Her self-confidence and determination led her to an encounter about modernizing Georgian language with Ilia Chavchavadze, an iconic public figure. Her identification with the national value of the Georgian culture came into conflict when Ilia Chavchavadze pushed for a more vernacular linguistic character. A charismatic leader, she was not intimidated even by the Father of the Nation as Chavchavadze was often called. Despite her intellectual prowess, the Princess, who was not wealthy, realized the importance of domestic knowledge with a prescient appreciation of home economics, from which her cookbook was born. "Women had been the custodians of knowledge and champions of literacy when men held to their weapons to defend the homeland." She authored the precursor to modern cookbooks and domestic economics entitled Georgian Cuisine and Tried Housekeeping Notes. Why would a privileged Princess be interested in writing a cookbook? The simple answer is she was interested in food and Georgian culinary traditions. Yet, I think there is much more to it. Writing about food is fun, but it is also intellectually stimulating. On a practical level, the kitchen was a domain for women who could exercise their culinary independence as the expression of feminine rule. As we scan through the roots of modern cookbooks, Barbare and America’s Fannie Farmer appear on the same wavelength in their respective times. They shared commitments to education and the cultural traditions of food preparation. They liberated cooking from mere nutritional sustenance to a creative activity. As forward-thinking women and leaders, they pushed the envelope beyond the pedestrian conception of the kitchen as the province of female servitude. As culinary pioneers, they built the bricks for contemporary interest in ethnic cuisines. Both the Princess and Fanny Farmer recognized the value of their respective national cuisines. In so doing, they awakened interest in food across the world. Barbare wrote down the recipes that were passed orally from generation to generation, for which food historians are very grateful. Fanny Farmer advanced even farther to a scientific, intellectually stimulating practice of recipes. As a food advocate and cookbook author, I am very glad that the Princess has been recognized for her instrumental role promoting a more disciplined approach to cooking. My many American friends contacted me in short order with enthusiasm once the New Yorker article was published. This excellent article brings Barbare Jorjadze and her works back to life. Barbare Jorjadze is as relevant today as hundred and twenty years ago. Gender equality and women’s rights remain in the vanguard of today’s social issues. Cooking is inspirational, and intellectual curiosity about food has exploded. The burgeoning interest in Georgian cooking owes a great debt to this modest Princess who helped capture the majesty of Georgian cuisine. I want also to thank the Princes for her leadership on so many fronts crucial for women of today and challenging men to "abandon pride and envy, and let your sisters have an equal access to education and tutoring ... and the new generation of women will spare no labor and energy to contribute their share to progress."
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If you are in Georgia but have no time to visit Samegrelo province, stop by Mapshalia, family style eatery in Tbilisi. The café, which is in the dark basement of former ticket box (137 Aghmashenebeli avenue) was opened by the mother and her daughters from Samegrelo. There Georgians go to enjoy one of the tastiest and hottest provincial cuisines. You may sweat from chili, but it is well worth doing. Samegrelo (or Megrelia) is famous for its fiery cuisine breathing with spices, chili and fresh herbs. Megrelians are virtuosos in making ajika chili paste, cheese dishes flavored with mint like gebjalia, gomi and elarji (cornmeal), khachapuri breads which have double cheese inside and outside, and famous Megrelian kharcho stew, dark with spices. If you are a chili lover (and I am) this is the food for you. The rustic style Mapshalia café has only 8 tables but it is always packed with customers who come to enjoy simple home meals. Presentation here is not priority, but taste is. The smells permeate the air. We ordered kharcho chicken stew, elarji cornmeal with thick slices of sulguni cheese, large khachapuri topped and filled with cheese, delicious gebjalia and kupati made from pig’s innards. Kupati are typically made from ground pork or beef flavored with barberries and spices, but truly Megrelian kupati are made from pig organs, served sizzling in a skillet. They are so spicy and hot that you will have to wash them down with beer or good wine. We cannot stop sighing “vakh, vakh” - that’s how Georgians express their appreciation of something truly good. Next time I went to Megrelian Cuisine, the restaurant located right across Outdoor Art Market where Georgian artists and artisans sell their art and crafts. The interior was very sophisticated and the service excellent. We ordered all the same dishes as at Mapshalia plus eggplant rolls and fancy tomato and cucumber salad with walnuts.
Here clearly the presentation prevailed although the food was excellent too. Elarji was almost perfect, gebjalia tasted right and khachapuri overflowed with cheese. These were the chef’s masterpieces, and beautiful presentation was like a painting and made my mouth water. The refinement, polish and sophistication set this establishment apart from Mapshalia place. If good food but fastidious service and fancy presentation is important, you come here. But if you want to sample what Megrelians eat every day, go to Mapshalia place for wild, untamed, divine taste of food prepared by generations of Megrelian cooks. Martin Luther: “Beer is made by men, wine by God.” During my recent travels to Georgia, I visited Kakheti, the heartland of winemaking in Georgia. I was invited by friends to their ancestral home in a small village, about forty minutes’ drive from Tbilisi. The two storey farmhouse is surrounded by a pastoral landscape with walnut trees providing shade and vineyards stretching as far as I could see. Rich in history, Kakheti is peppered with ancient churches, fortresses and monumental ruins on the mountainsides. My friends’ farmhouse has been passed down through several generations of wine growers. Our hosts remain committed to viticulture although they are each practicing physicians. Surveying the extent of their vineyards, I wondered how they ever found the time to tend to the grapes. Tita, Mtsvane, Saperavi, Rkatsiteli are the indigenous grape varieties producing red and white wines. Georgia’s unique amber wine is made from Rkatsiteli grapes, pressed and fermented without separating the seeds and husk from the grape juice. The skins lend a brilliant topaz color and slightly bitter taste to this coveted Georgian wine; yet, the flavor remains balanced. The vineyards stretch along lines in neat, even rows and must be tended to throughout the growing season. Harvesting the grapes demands a whole family effort as the grapes are hand picked and placed in the baskets woven from the vines. Later at supra I sampled two great homemade wines, a red and amber one. The amber wine was remarkably smooth with a defined aftertaste due to the high tannin from the skins. The Saperavi red wine was full blooded and pungent with a strong fruity aroma. It was hard to make a choice, but I selected the amber wine because the weather was hot; this wine is also quite rare outside of Georgia . If you are a wine connoisseur or keen on wine tasting, take a chance with the amber wine if you are travelling in Georgia. Bread, wine and meat are the main events at a Kakhetian supra. Appetizers served included eggplant and beets with walnuts, variety of cheese, including a famous smelly gouda sheep cheese, mchadi corn cakes, walnut sauce bazhe with golden drops of walnut oil on top, roasted chicken, beans, home pickles, tkemali sauce, khachapuri cheese bread all heaped over the supra. A large plate with fresh tarragon and other herbs decorated the table. The second coarse dishes included lamb, pork and beef mtsvadi (shishkebab) made in front of us on a spit and mildly flavored with smoke from the fire. Chakapuli lamb stewed with tarragon was my favorite, and I forgot all waistline worries. Our tamada entertained us with stories about Kakheti and how beans saved Georgians. The story goes: when Edward Shevarnadze (the Head of Georgian State and later the Foreign Minister during Gorbachev’s time) was once visiting Kakheti, a tamada proposed a toast to “ chveni marchenali” – our breadwinner, provider. Shevarnadze thought the toast was to him and thanked the tamada. But the tamada apologized and explained he was toasting beans instead, as the savior of Kakhetians for centuries in times of food scarcity. Everyone laughed as Georgians appreciate good jokes. Nekresi Monastery While in Georgia, I visited the Nekresi monastery in Kakheti. Built in the 6th century, the monastery is located high up on the hill. The road is so steep that you drive only to a certain point, leave your car, then small buses with trained drivers take you up to the top. The monastery was closed during the Soviet times, and very few tourists know about Nekresi. But a lot of Georgians visit this gorgeous, holy place. From the monastery there is a spectacular view of the Alazani valley with farmlands and vineyards where grapes have been grown for centuries. Wines from the left bank differ from the right bank. As they say, grapes reflect the character of the place where they grow. The monastery is a low monumental building typical for that period. A vast winery in the monastery still features buried in the ground qvevri clay vessels and a huge wine press used to make wine. One story goes that during one of the invasions pigs saved the monastery. When Muslim troops attempted to capture Nekresi, the monks let the herd of pigs down the hill. The Muslim army retreated, thus Nekresi pigs became highly regarded animals and are sacrificed in the monastery, the only Christian place where it is allowed. Gremi was the capital of the Kakheti for two (16th and 17th) centuries until destroyed by Persians troops led by fierce Shah Abbas I in 1615. Only the Church of the Archangels and the royal citadel located up on the hill survived, but it is an attraction worth visiting. I especially like the turquoise dome of the church, which elegantly blends with the blue sky of Kakheti. The capital was later moved to Telavi, but Gremi remains one of the wonderful examples of the medieval architecture and a testimony to the resourcefulness of the stone masons’ craft back then. Greetings friends! I had the pleasure of hosting a very good friend of Mine, Nell E., along with a few of her friends at my home to celebrate her birthday via a wonderfully pleasant evening of Georgian dining and wine. The following is a description of the evening by Nell. Thanks Nell! "I was recently lucky enough to be invited to an incredible Georgian feast at the home of my friend Tatiana. While I always eat delicious home cooked food at Tatiana's house, to have the opportunity to eat Georgian food in New York City made this meal even more interesting and special. Tatiana began by serving us three vegetable pkhali dishes- eggplant rolls (Nigvziani Badrijani), carrots (Stapilos Pkhali) and spinach (Ispanakhis Pkhali) with walnuts, along with chvishtari, a sophisticated corn cake, originating in Svaneti, an area high in the mountains of northwestern Georgia. For six months of the year, Svaneti is inaccessible and covered with ice and snow so access to grain is limited. Tatiana explained that pkhali are vegetable dishes which use walnuts in combination with herbs, garlic, chili pepper, and spices, and they are a signature of Georgian cuisine. She also introduced us to an amber wine that comes from Georgia. It is an interesting cross between white and red. Toake Georgian Amber wine, the white grape juice is not only left in contact with the skins, but also the seeds, and the ripest stems as well. This adds tanins and makes the wine more stable. When I researched this later I came across this interesting description of the process: http://wakawakawinereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/georgianorangewine.jpg The main course came next. Tatiana made Beef Stew Kharcho. Tatiana told us that Kharcho is part of every Georgian homemaker’s repertoire. The word kharcho or kharsho derives from Georgian verb kharshva, which means “to boil.” What makes Kharcho stand out to me is the use of walnuts to thicken the broth, and Khmeli Suneli, a spice mix of blue fenugreek, coriander, and marigold (along with some other more common spices). Along with the Beef Stew Karcho, Tatiana fed us Soko Ketsze, a decadent mushroom dish. The mushroom caps are filled with grated sulguni cheese which is then melted and browned within the cavity of the mushrooms. So delicious! Georgian cooking doesn't really include a lot bake desserts. We had some fruit and some chocolate, but really we were so satisfied with all the savory courses, who needs dessert?!" -Nell E. May you all take the steps to finding time to enjoy both food, wine and hospitality that is Georgian From one of the wealthiest provinces of Catalonia Spain, I flew to one of the poorest countries in the world to attend the Women Transforming the World conference to meet women leaders from 21 African countries. Indeed, women have power to influence and make the world a better place. They are resourceful, smart and hardworking. With rapidly changing gender roles in today’s world, it reminds me of Georgian cooking arrangements when men still work as chefs in fancy restaurants, yet women do day-to-day cooking.
After a long flight, I finally arrive in the "Country of the Good People" as the Portuguese used to call the area (Terra da Boa Gente) when it was colonized. From the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean to the beautiful coast of Indian Ocean is quite a journey. With its miles of white sandy beaches, pristine islands and emerald waters, Mozambique can be another paradise on earth or perhaps the future African Riviera. Business development is there, but it hasn’t yet transformed the natural beauty into money making machinery. Very few luxury hotels in the capital Maputo host entrepreneurial businessmen from various countries. It is indeed the country of good people who face life hardships with a smile. Despite some development and rich natural resources, Mozambique continues to be one of the poorest countries in Africa, ranking 185 out of 187 according to the 2013 UNDP Human Development Report as of 2013. Local resilience is amazing. As I learned from the local people, one is lucky to earn $150 per month, and the people are left mainly to their own devices to create jobs for themselves. They work as taxi drivers, in hotels, as shopkeepers and in other small businesses to help them earn daily income to feed their families. Seventy percent of Mozambique’s population live in rural areas where poverty is even worse. In the 15th century the treaty of Tordesillas divided the globe into Portuguese and Spanish spheres of control. Vasco de Gama, Portuguese navigator, en route to India, was the first European who set foot in Mozambique in 1498. The Portuguese colonized the country for 500 years. Only in 1975 the Carnation revolution brought Mozambique independence; yet, the country soon plummeted into a 16-year civil war. After the war ended in 1992, Mozambique embarked on major reconstruction. Today Mozambique enjoys relative stability and peace; yet, peace not always means justice and equality. With so many ethnic groups speaking their own languages, Portuguese remains the official language of the land. Farming is the main occupation for many, especially women. Corn, rice and cassava are staple foods in Mozambique depending on the region. A traditional crop, cassava feeds millions of small farmers and their families in Africa. Local virtuosi cooks make a variety of dishes from it, including porridge from cassava flour. Cassava is also used to produce local beer. With irrigation systems in place since colonial times, rice grows mainly in the south, and corn/maize is cultivated in the central and northern parts of the country. Mozambique also grows cotton, tea, cashew nuts, sugarcane, and tropical fruit. Meat is expensive with chicken preferred by the locals. Delicious stews from locally grown vegetables, poultry, fish and seafood flavor the cassava porridge or ncima, thick porridge made of corn. Many countries have similar corn dishes under different names: gomi in Georgia, polenta in Italy, mamaliga in Romania, among others. This year prices for cassava are up; hence, locals eat more bread and rice today. Peri peri chili sauce made of crushed red chili pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic is common , similar to Georgian chili paste ajika. Grilled Peri Peri chicken is all time local favorite. Try delicious seafood stew matata typically made with clams in peanut sauce. If you like seafood, Mozambique is your country. Stretched along the coast of Indian Ocean, it offers amazing variety of fresh seafood, including giant tiger prawns. Beach restaurants in Maputo serve grilled seafood which is an absolute delight to fish lovers. The first time I ordered a mixed seafood grill and, while waiting for my order, enjoyed the view of the beach through the window. It was low tide, and women and children used the opportunity to collect mussels from the ocean bottom. When my order arrived, my eyes couldn’t grasp the size of the giant crustaceans; they were at least seven inches long. Grilled in garlic and peri peri sauce their succulent taste was overwhelming, and each prawn felt like a meal in itself. My plate was the size of a small wheel, filled with sword fish, lobsters, mussels, calamari and clams plus a lot of rice and French fries. Barcelona was indeed a seafood paradise, and Mozambique another magical place. However, the views outside the hotel and tourist mecca were dramatically distinct. Abject poverty is abundant throughout the country side and fringes of the inner-city. Street peddlers sell coconuts, wood carvers create intricate designs and brilliant colored fabrics are sold for a pittance. The good people of Mozambique living under harsh economic conditions still beamed with optimism and smiles coming from their hearts. I left with hope for humanity and that one day justice would arrive in Mozambique. I am in a tapas bar in Barcelona looking at culinary delight around me. What a hard choice to make from all the tapas available: seafood, pastries, salads, olives, cheese, Chorizo sausages, Iberian jamón and so much more. Tapas are small size appetizers or snacks to enjoy with a drink, and they are big part of Spanish food culture. They can be simple or sophisticated, cold or hot, but they are all delicious. I decided to start with the classic Spanish tortilla, a potato and egg omelet style appetizer, spicy chorizo sausages, a plate of Iberian jamón (ham)- a staple of Spanish cuisine, plus clams in tomato and garlic sauce. Certainly, a glass of Sangria to complement the spiciness of chorizo sausages made with a good dash of paprika. Interestingly, a word tapa means a cover or a lid in the Spanish language. In Georgian tapa means a skillet. The beginnings of tapas go back as far as the 13th century when the Spanish king Alfonso the Wise, for health reasons, was advised by the doctors to change his eating and drinking habits, shifting from huge to small portions, more frequent food intake and never drink without a snack. Good advice! What was a wise doctor’s advice in the thirteen century developed into a culinary tradition. The king introduced small portions of food instead of gargantuan portions which his subjects and the medieval people at large were accustomed to. The tapas evolved a food culture that reminds me of Georgia because Georgians do not drink without food either. Although tapas imply no drink without a snack, they also call for socializing, conversation and fun. Eaten in between meals, tapas also function to sustain people during the period before late Mediterranean dinners. Cocktails or aperitifs before dinner are not a custom in Georgia. Georgians prefer seated dinners rather than buffets as they do not really feel comfortable, circulating, oozing intelligence with a plate and a drink in their hands. They prefer to sit down to enjoy their food, wine and company. Plenty of appetizers typically start Georgian supra, and toasts trigger interesting dialogue. Enjoying fine food and drink along with socializing is the principal of supra and idea behind tapas. The Catalonian region’s patron saint is St. George (Jordi), and the images of the saint killing the dragon appear everywhere. The brave soldier-saint is also the patron saint of Georgia. Coincidently, my arrival in Barcelona for a professional course on negotiating peace and justice occurred in the midst of the current Catalonian struggle for independence. The separatist movement preoccupies a large majority of the Catalonian population, sizzling and feeding the fire of independence from Madrid. Today is a general strike, everything is closed and I witnessed the peaceful demonstration. Later people walked in white in a show of unity for their country. The Spanish and the red-and-gold striped Catalonian independence flag were omnipresent throughout the streets. As a large Mediterranean seaport, fresh fish and seafood are common staples in Barcelona. With colleagues from my seminar I went out for dinner to an elegant beach restaurant, just a few minutes’ walk from the city center. As we were a party of thirty, we were seated at a long table with plates of fresh salmon garnished with salad leaves, hearts of palm and corn. The table also sported plates of large shrimp, fried calamari, mussels and octopus salad. Small servings of cold cuts, including jamón, the house specialty, followed as additional appetizers. Large jamóns dangling from the ceiling were within sight of our table. When I got up to further tour the restaurant, one of the chefs fished out a giant octopus out of a huge boiling vet. With its multiple, fat juicy tentacles spread out the octopus was easily three feet in diameter. Our main dish consisted of seafood paella served out of a hot skillet consisting of lobster, shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops mixed with rice seasoned with a savory seafood sauce. This exquisite spread of a seafood paradise from both Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea was supplemented by homemade red and white wines. The red wines boasted a heavy bouquet, while the natural white wines were light and arid. After such a feast our desert was perfect-a light sorbet served in a tall glasses. Slightly sour yet refreshing, it was ideal denouement at this Spanish paradise. One observation of note during my stay in Barcelona that despite the civil unrest the high point of meals remained uninterrupted. With the crowds in the streets and flags waving, Catalonians and tourists alike still enjoyed the wonderful foods the city offers. As I look back at my brief stay in Barcelona, I realize the unbreakable tradition of all cultures lies in culinary delight. La Boqueria market, Barcelona
It is August here in New York City, and I have invited a couple of friends over for dinner. My friends love when I cook them a Georgian meal and relish any opportunity to try new dishes. I had pondered what to cook in this hot and humid weather; then decided to prepare vegetables with walnuts (pkhali) and chicken in blackberry sauce---light and summery and goes well with dry chilled white or rose wine. I love rose wines in this weather! They go well with almost everything.
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In the PressThe New Yorker:
The Culinary Muse of the Caucasus The New York Times: Putting a Fresh Spin on Traditional Georgian Cooking at Pirosmani Saveur: The Lost Cheeses of GeorgiaOF GEORGIA AuthorArchives
September 2019
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