Tbilisi Travel Guide
Tips on Georgian Cuisine
If you were to examine Georgian cuisine you would see that vast majority of it is comfort with influences from various cultures. Most foods are pretty easy to dig into since it's peasant food you can eat with your hands. That being said, some foods may seem a little more bizarre, and other foods that may seem simple have their own method to them. Read through this list to find out how to properly enjoy all the food Georgia has to offer.
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1. Adjaruli Khachapuri
Adjaruli is the Adjara region's variation of khachapuri, and it's definitely the most different version. The trick to enjoying this odd looking bread bowl is to first mix up the insides of the adjaruli. Then, simply break the edges of the bread bowl and dip into it. You pretty much keep up this cycle until you literally can't eat anymore. Adjaruli is the ultimate comfort food, so it gets filling pretty quickly and if you actually finish it all the way, that's super impressive.
2. Lobiani
Lobiani is the vegan version of khachapuri (lots of khachapuri varieties in Georgia lol) that is eaten most often during fasting periods (for Orthodox Christians you essentially have to turn vegan and Georgia is majority Orthodox). It's exactly like khachapuri except the filling is seasoned beans, but you have to make sure to eat it with two hands or else the beans will spill out. This may seem like a silly thing to keep in mind, but no joke lobiani can go horribly wrong if you don't hold it delicately.
3. Khinkali
Khinkali is essentially Georgian dumplings. The best way to enjoy these bad boys is to sprinkle some pepper on them. The dumplings have seasoned meat inside, but it's still best to add a bit of additional flavor. When you get to eating them, the best technique to ensure you get the most flavor is to take a baby bite first with the dumpling tilted to ensure no juices spill out. Slurp up the juices and dig into the rest. You can eat these with your hand by holding it sideways with the nub. You don't have to eat the dough nub and honestly, I wouldn't recommend it because it isn't super flavorful anyway.
4. Mchadi
5. Gomi
Mchadi is a simple combination of corn flour milled specifically for mchadi and water. Despite the short ingredient list, lots of little factors can make or break your mchadi, and they often vary in flavor. One thing that remains constant however is the mchadi and cheese combo. If you order mchadi, make sure to order some cheese, preferably sulguni or imeruli. If you want a vegan option that's just as delicious, you can simply eat it with baje, a walnut and garlic sauce. You can also eat mchadi with lobio (beans prepared in a Georgian fashion). Pretty much mchadi is like a variation of bread so you eat with your hands and you can eat with almost everything, but most often people eat it with cheese or baje.
Gomi simply put is Georgian grits. It's not super popular, but if you end up going to the region of Samegrelo or get invited to a dinner hosted by Megrelis (the name for people from Samegrelo), then you'll most likely be served Gomi at some point. There isn't much to Gomi, and even though I'm a Megreli, it's not amazing. It's not bad either, I just low-key don't understand why that whole region is obsessed with it. One thing you have to make sure to do is stick some sulguni in it. That's the most common cheese to eat with it, and the slight saltiness adds to the flavor. If you're not a huge fan but your host serves it to you, you can take a couple courtesy bites and leave the rest.
These are the main foods I can think of that are common and have their own "rules". While most Georgian foods are definitely different than your typical diet (just based on when I'm in America), most of it is considered "peasant food", so you can eat with your hands for many dishes. No matter what you eat, feel free to eat it however you feel you'll enjoy it most, and if you do get a bit confused as to how to eat some foods, don't be too shy to ask a local. Hopefully this helps, and have fun eating your way through Tbilisi!