Hello everyone, my dears! You know, despite the fact that we were in Abkhazia for only a few days, we managed to taste so many delicious things ... We are still salivating. We decided to bring some of the food as a gift to our relatives, and they were delighted. Therefore, today I decided to briefly tell you what to try in Abkhazia from sweets and what food you can bring to loved ones as a gift.
In this article:
1. Wine
In general, I don’t like wine and haven’t been drinking it for the last 3 years, because in our Ural stores they sell the full “G”: tasteless, sour, bitter, coloring lips red.
But Abkhazian wine is really very tasty.
At first, in one cafe, we tried homemade wine, it is not on the menu, but if you ask, they will pour it from under the floor, so to speak. Very sweet and pleasant like compote.
Then we decided to try the local wine (white) from the store - also very tasty. As a result, they took several bottles of Psou to their relatives and friends as a gift. They were delighted. Prices for wine, by the way, are very reasonable: from 200 rubles per bottle.
2. Soda
I am a big fan of carbonated drinks, although I know perfectly well that this is harmful. But this is my weakness, once a week or 2 weeks I definitely allow myself such yummy.
In Abkhazia there is a plant for the production of carbonated drinks. The tastes are so unusual and varied, very beautiful bottles, I really want to try everything, everything. I honestly tried to do it ;-).
2. Meat
I don’t know, maybe this is a lucky coincidence, but we have never come across a dish with bad meat (undercooked, with streaks, for example). It is always pulp, always crumbly. Mmmm... You'll lick your fingers.
I, unfortunately, did not remember a single exotic name of local dishes. Just take any meat, you can't go wrong.
3. Soups
I am a big fan of savory soups. Since everything is in order with meat in Abkhazia, everything is cool with soups. In addition, I really love a competent combination of spices, and Abkhazians know how to do this, since the taste of soups is simply indescribable.
By the way, be sure to read the article about where I tell you what a real hodgepodge is in Abkhazia. And no, it's not soup.
4. Spices
If you go to the market, be sure to pay attention to the spices. Perhaps today you will not surprise anyone with colored sets of spices.
But with braids made from natural pepper, onion and garlic, you can treat yourself. You can even buy such a pigtail as a gift for friends, it will look very impressive in any kitchen.
5. Churchkhela
If you try the local churchkhela, everything else (in Russia) will seem like poop to you, I beg your pardon, but it is. Everything that I tried before (in Sochi) or after (in the Crimea) is simply be-e-e in comparison with this one.
Sweet, soft, with different nuts... Just delicious. On tourist stalls, it is sold for 100 rubles apiece, and on the market you can find it for 30 rubles. So take more of it right away.
7. Cheese
Local markets sell homemade cheese, be sure to try it, it's a real yummy. We did not manage to bring it with us, since such cheese spoils very quickly outside the refrigerator. Therefore, stock up on road refrigerators, it will come in handy for future road trips. Or try it locally.
9. Flatbread with cheese
I don't remember the exact name of these cakes, maybe it's khachapuri. The bottom line is that between the two layers of thin dough there is a huge amount of cheese.
Such a dish is available in almost any cafe, we ordered it instead of bread. Well, where in Russia will they put so much cheese for you? Nowhere. So be sure to try.
Dear friends, while writing this post, I splattered the entire keyboard with my saliva. I really hope this article was helpful to you. Be sure to read mine, where I tell you what you should really be afraid of in this country. And that's all for today, thank you for your attention, I wish you delicious travels. Bye everyone!
If you are in Abkhazia - do not forget to visit the market. While tasting various sauces and choosing spices, you will feel the indescribable flavor of local cuisine, which not every establishment can convey.
Abkhazian cuisine differs from other Caucasian ones in that it contains much less meat. But there is an incredible amount of greens and vegetables, and you can get completely confused in the names of dishes made from cornmeal and cereals. Locals even joke that they have corn - everything is the head.
We have chosen 5 components of the Abkhaz cuisine, without tasting which it is better not to return from this beautiful country.
Adjika
Abkhaz adjika looks completely different from the one sold in Russia. Ours is a mixture of tomatoes, horseradish and...
ABKHAZ STEW LAMB (AKURMA).
Compound:
Lamb - 1 kg
Fat tail fat or internal fat - 100 gr.
Garlic - 4-5 cloves
A mixture of dry herbs - 1 tbsp. spoons
Red Abkhaz adjika - 1-2 tbsp. spoons
Green cilantro - 0.5 bunch
In many cuisines of the Caucasus, there are many recipes for cooking lamb stew. In this recipe, we will try to learn how to cook stewed lamb with garlic in the Abkhazian way. The dish turns out quite tasty and is perfect for a festive table.
Wonderful fresh and young lamb will be the key to your culinary Caucasian dish
The lamb pulp must be cleaned of films and tendons, washed in running cold water and cut into pieces of 40-60 grams.
Fat tail fat or internal fat ...
ABKHAZ ACHASH
Abkhazian achash or it is often called khachapur differs in filling!
The filling is usually made from fresh homemade cheese, which looks like homemade cottage cheese. And if you salt it, wring it out and put it under pressure, then you get Adyghe cheese! In the form of a filling, you can also use ready-made Adyghe cheese.
To prepare Abkhaz achash you will need:
1 kg wheat flour
130 g butter
500 ml milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon dry yeast
half a teaspoon of sugar
salt
1.5 kg of fresh Adyghe cheese.
Pour into a glass of warm water up to half, add dry yeast, sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, mix and leave for 15 minutes. Melt butter.
Sift the flour with a slide, make ...
Compound:
Wheat flour - 500 gr.
Eggs - 2 pcs.
Honey - 250 gr.
Water - 150 - 200 gr.
Melted butter - 150...
Abkhazian smoked meat shish kebab
In any traditional Abkhaz patskhe (kitchen located in the yard) there is a double hearth in the center. Above one part is a cauldron with water, next to it you can put a pot with abysta-mamalyga. An iron smoked ring with hooks hangs over the second part, pieces of pre-salted meat are hung on them and smoked right over the fire. A person stands next to the hearth and continuously rotates the ring for two or three hours, occasionally a shift comes. There. above, a grate hanging from chains. On it, about two and a half meters from the flames, circles of cheese lie, gradually acquiring a brown-golden crust. Above all, veal abomasum stretched on crossed sticks is smoked; without it, there will be no fresh cheese in the house. FROM...
HONEY COOKIES (ACUACUAR). Abkhaz cuisine.
Among the children of Abkhazia, the ancient national sweet dish - honey balls - is very popular. Grandmothers cook this dish from generation to generation to their beloved grandchildren and pass on the secret of its preparation. This Caucasian delicacy has its analogues in other national cuisines of the peoples of the Caucasus and the East as a whole. I must say that if this dish is on the table, then adults with great pleasure indulge themselves, saying many pleasant words of gratitude to the person who prepared the honey balls. Let's pamper our grandchildren, children and ourselves with this wonderful Abkhazian sweet dish
Compound:
Wheat flour - 500 gr.
Eggs - 2 pcs.
Honey - 250 gr.
Water - 150 - 200 gr.
Ghee -...
CHICKEN UNDER NUT SAUCE (AKUTEITSARSH). Abkhaz dish.
Compound:
Chicken - 1 pc.
Peeled walnuts - 350 gr.
Onions - 2-3 heads
Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Red Abkhaz adjika - 1 tbsp. a spoon
Fat - 50-70 gr.
Green cilantro - 1 bunch
A mixture of dry herbs - 1 teaspoon
Vinegar
Pomegranate juice
Salt
We take a not very large chicken carcass, clean it, rinse it thoroughly under running cold water. Cut the chicken ready for further cooking into portioned pieces
Now we take a medium-sized saucepan, on the bottom of which we put chicken pieces and pour cold water. We put the pan on a slow fire and cook the chicken pieces until they are completely cooked. When cooking, foam will form on top of the pan, which must be ...
ABKHAZ MEAT
Abkhazian meat is served in a small cast-iron frying pan right in the one in which it was cooked ..) This is a very tasty, mouth-watering second course, which is currently being prepared in Abkhazia in any cafe and restaurant.
To cook meat in Abkhazian style, you need to take:
700 g lean beef
1 sweet bell pepper (green or red)
1 bulb
1 carrot
1 large ripe tomato
Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
A little hot red pepper
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 cloves of garlic and some cilantro.
Cut the meat into medium sized cubes. Season with salt, black and red ground pepper, paprika. Mix thoroughly so that the spices are absorbed into the meat.
Clear sweet...
Salted vegetables
Any self-respecting Abkhaz housewife always stocks such vegetables in sufficient quantities. Even if there is no meat, but in the refrigerator or cellar there are salted vegetables, cherry plum sauce and seasoning from acharkhal greens, all that remains is to cook hominy, cut cheese - and a great meal is ready. You need to understand that the Abkhaz kohlrabi and the one that is sold in our stores are very different (the Abkhaz have a very large elongated vegetable, while we have a small and round one), but their taste is very similar, so feel free to take it. Or you can even pickle not kohlrabi, but daikon, too
it will turn out delicious and crispy.
Start cooking 3-4 days before serving
kohlrabi
White cabbage
Jerusalem artichoke
sharp green and red...
Eggplant ragout with fresh herbs / Abkhazian cuisine
SAVE ON YOUR WALL SO YOU DON'T LOSE THE RECIPE!
Recipe:
New potatoes - 500g
Eggplant - 3-4 pieces large
Ripe tomato - 1 pc large
Onion - 1 pc.
Abkhaz adjika
Salt
Fresh greens:
cilantro - parsley and purple basil
+ vegetable oil
Wash the eggplant and cut into small, neat cubes.
We take a young potato, cut it into large pieces. Cut the onion finely.
Remove the skin from the tomato and puree it. (easy and quick to do it on a grater)
Rinse greens, shake and chop.
In a bowl with a thick bottom, heat the oil, fry the onion in it (until transparent), add the potatoes and fry for no more than 5 minutes together with the onion, stirring constantly. Add...
Meatballs "Abkhazian"
Ingredients:
Raisins-200 gr
Parsley - to taste
Walnuts-100 gr
1 x eggs
Beef fillet-500 gr
Salt - to taste
Potato-2 pcs.
Olive oil - to taste
Cooking method
And so let's start: rinse the fresh beef fillet, and then put it on the fire to boil. We rid the potatoes of the peel. Rinse the raisins in hot water to make them a little softer. I choose black raisins, one plain...
MAMALYGA WITH CHEESE COOKED WITH MILK (ACHAMIKUA). Abkhaz cuisine.
In this recipe, we will learn how to cook the famous Caucasian porridge - hominy. We will cook it according to the old Abkhazian recipe, as it was prepared more than 100 years ago and earlier. Caucasian porridge - hominy is distinguished by its energy properties and perfectly restores strength and saturates the body with useful substances. By eating dairy products for breakfast, we mean cereals, you will not experience severe exhaustion and loss of strength throughout the first half of the day, and then lunch is just around the corner. Well, let's go directly to the preparation of porridge - our hominy
Finely ground cornmeal - 3.5 cups
Milk - 3.5 cups
Water - 1 glass
Sour milk cheese - 600 gr.
Salt
Meatballs "Abkhazian"
ADD TO YOUR WALL TO DON'T LOSE THE RECIPE!
Ingredients:
Raisins-200 gr
Breadcrumbs - to taste
Parsley - to taste
Ground black pepper - to taste
Walnuts-100 gr
1 x eggs
Beef fillet-500 gr
Salt - to taste
Potato-2 pcs.
Vegetable oil - to taste
Olive oil - to taste
A very tasty and unusual dish from Abkhazian cuisine is well suited for receiving guests. Especially if you want to surprise them with something new.
Cooking method
And so let's start: rinse the fresh beef fillet, and then put it on the fire to boil. We rid the potatoes of the peel. Rinse the raisins in hot water to make them a little softer. I choose black raisins, one at a time...
Walnut roll (Abkhaz cuisine)
Ingredients:
300 gr. flour
150 gr. sour cream
100 gr. butter
200 gr. ground walnuts
150 gr. powdered sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp honey
cinnamon and salt to taste
Cooking method:
1. Beat the butter until foamy, add sour cream, flour, salt and knead the dough, then put the dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
2. For the filling, mix nuts with sugar, honey and cinnamon.
3. On a floured board, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 5 mm, spread the nut filling in an even layer and roll up the roll. Connect the ends and pinch.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 225C for about 20 minutes, then brush with egg yolk and bake for another 10 minutes.
The roll can be stored for several days.
Enjoy your meal!
Adjika Abkhazian spicy
INGREDIENTS
cilantro seeds - 15 g
garlic - 6-8 cloves
dill seeds - 10 g
basil seeds - 10 g
salt to taste
COOKING METHOD
Adjika
This famous seasoning was born in Abkhazia. In Abkhazian, this word means "salt", although there is not so much salt in it. Abkhazians make their adjika in the fall, rubbing dried pepper pods with garlic and dried herbs on a large flat stone - a dark burning paste is obtained. But we are more accustomed to the bright red and slightly less spicy Georgian adjika. You can coat meat and poultry with it before baking, you can add it to all soups and sauces, and extreme people simply smear adjika on bread.
INGREDIENTS
Start cooking 2-3 days before serving
2.5 kg fresh pods of hot red Georgian pepper
800 g sweet red pepper
8 heads of garlic
450 g coarse salt
a pinch of ground coriander...
Abkhazian beans
INGREDIENTS
1 cup red beans
1 cup white beans
1/2 cup green beans
300–500 g beef bones
1 medium onion
medium bunch of cilantro
red adjika
vegetable oil
1 tsp hops-suneli
salt
COOKING METHOD
Pour all the beans with plenty of cold water and leave for 10-12 hours. Then drain the water, rinse the beans, put in a large saucepan. Add beef bones, pour 2.5 liters of fresh cold water and bring to a boil over low heat.
Remove the foam as carefully as possible (best with a strainer), wipe the walls of the pan from the foam. Cook, partially covered, until the beans are tender, about 1.5 hours.
While the beans are cooking, peel and finely chop the onion. In a frying pan...
Abkhaz adjika
INGREDIENTS
a large handful of salt
a bunch of cilantro - 1 pc.
coriander seeds - 0.5 tsp.
hot green pepper - 1 kg
large head of garlic - 1 pc.
COOKING METHOD
Wash the peppers, cut in half and remove the core. Peel the garlic. Wash cilantro, dry. Cut everything coarsely.
Crush coriander with salt in a mortar.
Pass peppers, garlic and cilantro through a meat grinder. Add a mixture of coriander and salt. Stir, arrange in clean jars, close and refrigerate.
NOTE TO THE HOUSEHOLDER
Work with peppers must be in gloves. Otherwise, pepper juice that has eaten into the skin, accidentally hitting the mucous membrane, will cause a lot of trouble.
Source
"Gastronomy School"
№18/ 2011
Abkhaz meat
INGREDIENTS
egg - 6 pcs.
vegetable oil
mayonnaise - 6 tbsp. l.
red pepper - to taste
potato starch - 6 tbsp. l.
salt - to taste
beef - 1 kg
For garnish
tomato sauce - 30 g
curly parsley - 10 g
For garnish
french fries - 140 g
COOKING METHOD
Cut the beef into thin strips and place in a bowl. Add starch, eggs, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mix well, let it brew for 5-6 hours. Fry the meat in vegetable oil until tender (portion 200 g). Serve warm with french fries, tomato sauce and parsley for garnish.
Timur
Adjika Abkhazian spicy
INGREDIENTS
red chilli pepper - 500 g
cilantro seeds - 15 g
garlic - 6-8 cloves
dill seeds - 10 g
basil seeds - 10 g
salt to taste
COOKING METHOD
Grind cilantro, dill, basil seeds in a mortar, mix with garlic and grind everything together thoroughly (do not use a mixer or a meat grinder, while grinding in a mortar, essential oil is released from the seeds, which gives a strong aroma). Wash the pepper, remove the seeds and stalks, finely chop. Next, you can grind the pepper in a mortar until a mushy mass is obtained (if the volume is large, it is easier to use a blender). After that, squeeze the rubbed mass a little through a sieve to drain excess juice, mix with crushed seeds and garlic. Salt. Transfer the finished adjika to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Keep refrigerated. Tip: When working with pepper, it is better to wear gloves so as not to get a skin burn.
The names of these resorts thundered throughout the Soviet Union. After visiting the amazingly beautiful surroundings of Lake Ritsa or the cave complexes of the Iverskaya Mountain, you will surely want to have a good meal. The logical question is what to try in?
Food in Abkhazia
Abkhazian cuisine surprisingly absorbed the culinary traditions of the peoples of the Black Sea and Transcaucasia. The symbol of Abkhazia, without a doubt, is Adjika. Each housewife has her own unique recipe for this seasoning, passed down from generation to generation. There are a great many types of adjika: red, green, spicy, spicy, nutty and others. The choice is yours!
The main dish that replaces bread for Abkhazians is abysta or iamalyga - corn porridge. Hominy is cooked and seasoned with various types of cheese, beans or nut butter.
The cheese palette ranges from the usual suluguni to pickled, sour-milk and wineskin cheeses of various textures. Various cheese dishes are also interesting, such as cheese bagels or suluguni fried with pepper and garlic.
Flour in the Abkhazian language is separated into a separate concept "aguhu", and all other food is "atsifa", that is, what can be eaten with flour. Be sure to try agashv - Abkhazian khachapuri and the traditional Adjarian khachapuri with cheese and egg, which is especially tasty here. But there are also corn chureks with cheese, with honey and nuts, Chudu - cheesecakes with sour cream and herbs and Abkhazian dumplings.
If you characterize the culinary in general, they like fried dishes here: fried meat of all kinds, various poultry - certainly fried, fish, vegetables, fried cheese - this is the basis of local cuisine.
Top 10 dishes of Abkhazian cuisine
Meat or poultry on a spit
The lamb or kid is cleaned and gutted, then salted and peppered from the inside - and sent to the spit. Rotating the spit, the roasting carcass is constantly greased with oil and lemon juice. Tender and soft meat is chopped into slices and served with cheese, herbs and adjika. Chicken or turkey are prepared in a similar way, but the bird can be pre-boiled until half cooked, and when frying, the carcasses are smeared with adjika and poured with broth. Chopped roast is served with Asyzbal sauce - made from barberry and cherry plum. The result is amazing!
Stuffed meat or poultry on a spit
Another variety of the previous dish, due to its uniqueness, displayed in a separate line. The cleaned and prepared carcass is stuffed with finely chopped offal with sour-milk cheese, crushed nuts, garlic and division - savory and mint. During frying, the meat is smeared with adjika diluted with pomegranate juice or wine. Before presenting the dish to the table, the minced meat is removed from the carcass and served to the table along with the carcass and sauces to taste. Poultry is prepared in a similar way, but it is served uncut with minced meat inside.
Chicken or turkey on a skewer in Abkhazian style
A recipe that deserves special mention. Minced meat is fried separately from onions, raisins and prunes twisted in a meat grinder. Whole pomegranate seeds are added to the finished minced meat. After that, the chicken is stuffed and fried over low heat on a spit. Served with sauces and herbs.
Smoked meat and poultry
In Abkhazia they like not only to fry, but also to smoke. They smoke the meat of wild and domestic birds and animals. The processed and cleaned carcass is rubbed thickly and left for two days for salting. Before smoking, the meat must be dipped in boiling water. Animals are smoked in whole carcasses over the hearth, and poultry is smoked on grates, depending on the initial product, from two to four weeks.
Smoked meat is served both on its own and fried in a pan or on a spit. The table is served with freshly prepared hominy, vegetables, herbs and spicy sauces.
The bone is removed from the leg, salted and peppered from the inside and left to soak. Then suluguni cheese, cut into thin slices, is placed inside, sprinkling it with finely chopped greens. The prepared meat is placed in a heat-resistant form and covered with onions and garlic fried in a dry frying pan. Decorate with olives, black olives and season outside. The leg is baked on fire for at least an hour, constantly pouring over the secreted meat juice. Then the half-finished leg is poured with wine and flavored with cream - and baked again. Served to the table with lavash or chureki and with an indispensable spicy sauce.
Akurma
Lamb stew with spices. Pieces of meat are stewed in a cast-iron cauldron with lamb fat and tail fat, adding boiling water from time to time. The finished meat is seasoned with garlic crushed with salt, basil, coriander and savory, adjika is added. And again simmer on low heat for about half an hour. Served with greens and lavash.
Bean soup. The washed beans are simmered several times over low heat, changing the water. Leek, celery stalks and parsley roots are added - and boiled again. Then the soup is seasoned with onions fried in cornmeal and adjika, garlic crushed with salt, parsley, tarragon and cilantro are added. The table is served with cracklings.
corn soup
To begin with, boil beef broth with whole pieces of meat. Milk-fresh corn grains, diced potatoes are added to it and boiled for up to half an hour. Chopped carrots and onions are fried with fresh tomatoes, seasoned with adjika, garlic and herbs, and then added to the broth not long before the final readiness. Delicious and nutritious first course.
Achapa and Akudchapa
Snacks from green beans and grain beans, respectively. Beans or pods are boiled twice, mixed with adjika and finely crushed nuts, seasoned with onions, chopped herbs and pomegranate juice, after which they are salted. Served on a plate with fresh onion rings, pomegranate seeds and herbs, pre-dried with arashi peanut butter.
Eggplant appetizer. Eggplants are cut and boiled in salted water. Then they are put under pressure for a couple of hours. The filling is prepared separately - nuts, garlic, onions and greens are crushed in a blender, kneaded with adjika and salt and poured with vinegar. The eggplants are then stuffed and served topped with peanut butter. Taste and health in one bowl!
Abkhaz cuisine
Abysta, Akud, Akuats, Achash… these are the names of the main dishes of the Abkhazian cuisine. It would be useful to learn these, in general, accessible words in the Abkhaz language.
Gone are the days when, in order to taste exotic cuisine, you had to go somewhere far away. Today we know more about Chinese or Italian cuisine than even the Chinese and Italians themselves. Abkhazian cuisine is a different story. And this is another reason to come to Abkhazia - except here, there is nowhere to try the dishes of this cuisine.
Abkhazian cuisine is not just a set of dishes, which, by the way, is very limited in terms of quantity. Abkhazian cuisine is an ancient history of a beautiful feast. What matters is not what you eat, but where, when and with whom you sit at the table. Ceremonial is generally the most important thing in the Abkhaz feast. The sequence of serving dishes to the table, the correct sequence of toasts .. all this is of great importance.
Today, you can eat Chinese or Italian cuisine anywhere - in a huge imperial-style restaurant, in a small roadside tavern, and even at a counter near the subway. Abkhazian cuisine is completely different - Abkhazian dishes are served only in an Abkhazian restaurant. It is hard not to find him in Abkhazia. Everywhere you will see groups of small knitted wooden houses, led by one large house, also created by hand, above the roof of which smoke from a fire slowly rises. This is apatsha, a national restaurant. The main dishes here are made on an open fire. In good apaches, the waiter will not come up to you with a menu and ask what you will order. He immediately comes to you with a tray, on which there will already be hominy, cheese, greens, pickles and Akud. Why? Because, with the exception of a few more hot dishes, this is the whole Abkhaz cuisine in its modern version. You say Abkhazian cuisine is poor? No, she is not poor, she is simple and ascetic, this is the cuisine of the mountain people, who had no time for excesses. People lived in apatskhi, here they cooked food on the fire, and if they were in danger, they boldly went to the mountains, not worrying about material wealth acquired in vain and now burnt in enemy fire.
In the Abkhaz cuisine there are three whales - "bread", that is, hominy - unleavened corn porridge, which you still need to learn how to eat. Also meat and beans. Although you will most likely find yourself in Abkhazia in the summer, the best time to visit Apatskha is winter. Once inside, you will not escape the temptation to warm yourself by a large fire. Look up and you will see large chunks of smoked meat. When you sit down at the table, a smaller piece will be cut off from this large piece, roasted right there on the fire and served. It's really tasty, but wait, dip a piece of hominy in hot meat fat - and you will understand that hominy is really tasty.
Abkhazian cuisine is only natural products. In hominy, be sure to put a couple of pieces of cheese. And while you start your meal, this cheese melts in hot hominy. So the cheese must be made at home, otherwise the artificial pseudo-product will not release animal fat, and without this the zest of this dish will be lost. Akud - a dish of grated and crushed beans. It must be served with hominy and eaten just at the time when the cheese is melting.
In fact, in Soviet times, many books were published about the richness of the Abkhazian cuisine. There are all kinds of flour products, a huge assortment of goat meat dishes - the most quoted meat among the Abkhazians, and much more, which today, of course, is, but is present mainly on large ceremonial tables. A true connoisseur of Abkhazian cuisine needs just a few dishes. Hot hominy and akud, followed by smoked fried meat, at the same time, pickles appear at the table, another highlight of the Abkhazian cuisine. But of course, achash - Abkhazian khachapur. The chef should not feel sorry for the cheese, so much so that when achas is served at the table, this cheese practically spills out. In apatskhe, it is customary to serve smoked, fried meat on the table. But no one canceled the chicken, the Abkhazian chicken. Definitely homemade, grated with adjika, and not necessarily fried over a fire, even if there is smoked pork or beef at the table. She will always fit in. Most Abkhaz men cannot imagine even a small feast without a glass, but rather a decanter of wine, or a small glass of chacha. Agree at such a table, even two or three decanters of wine, no one will be allowed to be drunk.
But the morning comes, after the big Abkhazian table is always a hangover. And here Abkhaz cuisine and folk wisdom will come to your aid. It would be best to start the day with asydzbal, a gravy made from still quite green, unripened cherry plums. You will get acquainted with this gravy even at the table, asyzbal, like other types of gravy, is always served at any table. But in the morning we strongly recommend drinking a whole glass of sour sauce. It seems that she is able to immediately restore the balance of vitamins necessary for the body. And finally, one of our little advice. Real Abkhazian cuisine, real Abkhazian hospitality is not something that money can buy. In the traditional Abkhazian culture, money appeared too late, and it is not customary to serve for money in Abkhazia. Therefore, in order to feel real hospitality, go to a place where there are still no crowds of tourists - to small village apatskhis, or just to visit someone. Then you will have a chance to feel the taste of life in Abkhazian style.
The Caucasus is an original region, sometimes obscure, rather “difficult”, if we recall our national history. But be that as it may, hardly anyone will argue with the fact that the Caucasus is also one of the most “delicious” regions of our country.
Actually, the Caucasus is a symbiosis of traditions, including culinary ones. That is why there is the concept of "Caucasian cuisine", which includes recipes for dishes traditional for the peoples inhabiting these lands. But it would be wrong to forget that every people living in the Caucasus, of course, has many of its own culinary traditions. The people of Abkhazia also have them. It is about the Abkhaz cuisine that our story will now go.
Hello Abkhazia!
Abkhazia is located in the northwestern part of Transcaucasia. In the north, it borders on Russia, along the Psou River. In the south - with Georgia, along the Inguri River. The west, southwest of Abkhazia is washed by the waters of the Black Sea. To the east are mountain ranges. The climate in the republic is subtropical on the sea coast and in the mountains, up to an altitude of about 400 m above sea level. Above - altitudinal zonality is clearly expressed. From 2700 m above sea level, eternal snow begins.
The fairly mild climate of Abkhazia, fertile soils - all this has contributed and continues to contribute to the traditional occupations of the local population - gardening, horticulture, viticulture, cattle breeding, and beekeeping. As for classical agriculture, its main product in Abkhazia is corn. Of course, today many people are "torn off" from the earth - they earn a living serving tourists, because Abkhazia is a famous resort region. But this applies more to the youth. However, Abkhaz families, as a rule, are quite large and someone (usually from the middle or older generation) certainly grows vegetables and fruits, keeps one or more cows, pigs, chickens ...
Products obtained from personal farms always made up the majority of the diet of the inhabitants of Abkhazia. Today, a lot of food is imported into the republic (from Russia, Turkey), but still today the tendency to eat "their own" products in Abkhazia is quite strong.
Abkhazian cuisine is, in fact, two types of food: flour (agukhu - Abkh.) and everything else (atsyfa). It must be said that, compared with other peoples of the Caucasus, Abkhazians eat relatively little meat. Their diet is dominated by plant foods rich in minerals and vitamins, as well as dairy products. This was noted at one time by Yevgeny Mikhailovich Schilling (1892-1953) - a well-known Soviet scientist-Caucasian.
Hominy mother
Abkhazian cuisine is impossible without hominy (abysta), this is one of the main dishes of Abkhazian cuisine. Abkhazians consider it their national one, in which they conflict with the Romanians living on the opposite coast of the Black Sea and the Moldavians who joined them: they are sure that the hominy “has gone” from their native places. By the way, William Pokhlebkin agrees with them, as well as the distinguished culinary specialist Boris Burda. But the latter is a native of Odessa, from which Romania and Moldova are within easy reach, so he can be engaged.
One way or another, there is nowhere without hominy in Abkhazia. According to the generally accepted opinion, it replaces bread for Abkhazians. In the past, this may have been the case. But today they also eat ordinary, mostly wheat bread. However, the traditional Abkhazian table is still unthinkable without hominy. It is eaten on weekdays and on holidays, served at wakes. Hominy is, in fact, unleavened corn porridge. It is made from corn flour, sometimes with the addition of corn grits. It is usually quite thick, it is eaten with the hands, cut off pieces with a knife or simply broken off. Properly serve hominy on a special wooden board. Two or three pieces of salted suluguni cheese (ashvlaguan) are placed on top of the porridge-bread. It is less of an ornament, more of a necessity. After all, fresh hominy without cheese is not so tasty. Also, hominy is served with lobio (an ancient spicy dish of red or green green beans, which, however, belongs to Georgian cuisine), adjika. You can find the recipe for the classic Abkhaz hominy on our website.
In addition to the “ordinary” hominy, its varieties are prepared in Abkhazia: in milk with cheese (achamykva), sparse hominy with nut butter (ashlarkunta), seasoned with sour-milk cheese (aylaj-mamaliga). In general, corn flour is used very actively in Abkhazian cuisine. In addition to hominy, it is needed for making churek - unleavened cakes with honey or stuffed with walnuts, cheese. Ahampal are boiled breads, cornmeal is also needed for their preparation. It is also included in the recipe for the Abkhaz halva (atzvyvrtsma). And the corn itself, the grains of which have not yet become flour, is loved by Abkhazians. Some ears of milky-wax ripeness are even eaten raw. In addition, they are, of course, boiled and fried.
Adjika is the head of everything
Adjika is another important component of the Abkhazian cuisine. Without it, Abkhazians only eat sweets and drink tea, which, by the way, they themselves grow. Hospitality in Abkhazian sounds like "acejika", which means "bread-adjika" (by analogy with "bread and salt").
The secret of making real Abkhazian adjika is usually passed down from generation to generation. And these are not just beautiful words, a hackneyed stamp. It really is. Usually, older women are engaged in cooking adjika in Abkhazian families. Young people just don't have time for that. Each family has its own adjika. Of course, the basis of the recipe, the technology, in principle, are the same, but there are always family secrets of cooking adjika, which, as a rule, consist in adding certain spices, their quantity. Every Abkhaz who comes to visit his parents (especially in the village) always takes a few jars of adjika with him to the city - for himself and for his friends.
Traditionally, adjika is made from hot red capsicum - it is the basis of adjika. Abkhazian pepper seeds are sown in March. Sprouts are planted in open soil in early May. When the pepper ripens (in October), it is harvested and dried. It is best to dry the pepper initially in the barn, and then in the traditional Abkhaz wicker apatskha (kitchen) over the hearth. Pods in this case are in the smoke, acquire a special taste, their color darkens. After that, the pods are separated from the stalks. In some regions of Abkhazia, seeds are also removed - in order to rid adjika of a bitter taste. But with adjika seeds, it turns out to be more burning and fragrant. Next, the pods are soaked in hot water, 3-4 hours, under load. Then garlic, coriander and other spices are added to the pepper. All this is put on a large flat stone-grater and rubbed with another stone, smaller. Yes, that's right, in accordance with the most real ancient technologies. You can, of course, grind pepper with a meat grinder, but any Abkhazian will tell you that this is not it. The taste will be different, adjika from a meat grinder will never become as fragrant as the one made by the ancestral method. In the final, at the end of grinding, table salt is added. All. Adjika is ready. You can store it in glass jars, in the refrigerator or in the cellar, but this is not necessary. The “correct” adjika will not disappear even at room temperature. Spreading real Abkhazian adjika on bread and eating it is an incomparable pleasure!
Abkhazians, by the way, are the main Caucasian centenarians. So, according to scientists (and the phenomenon of Abkhazian longevity has been studied and is being studied by modern science), an important role in the fact that many Abkhazians live a very long time is played by adjika, which they eat throughout their lives.
Abkhazians themselves say that adjika educates. Abundant use of it - burns. Therefore, adjika brings up moderation, because its moderate use brings sharpness and brightness to life.
milk rivers
Dairy. They, like hominy with adjika, are a very important element of Abkhazian cuisine. Abkhazians drink mostly cow's milk. However, the goat is also in honor. Abkhazians also love buffalo milk, but now the tradition of its use is not widespread.
Matsoni are prepared everywhere in Abkhazia. In principle, this fermented milk drink cannot be called exactly Abkhazian: matsoni is considered a Georgian drink. It was from Georgia that he "penetrated" into the Abkhazian cuisine. Its counterpart among Armenians is called matsun. However, in Abkhazia, the Armenians also call it matsoni, because the connection between the Abkhazian Armenians and the Armenians from Armenia is rather arbitrary. Often they can't even understand each other (the language is different). But this is a completely different, long Caucasian story ...
Making yogurt is easy. Natural milk is boiled, then cooled, but not to room temperature, but to about 48-50 ° (you will need a water thermometer). Next, the milk must be mixed with a special sourdough and poured into jars. It is advisable to wrap the jars with “almost yogurt” warmer and leave it for 12 hours. If you do this in the evening, you can have a glass of delicious and healthy yogurt for breakfast.
A small snag may arise due to the fact that the preparation of a real yoghurt requires the “right” sourdough. The only place on planet Earth where it can be found is the Caucasus and Abkhazia in particular. The fact is that the milk of Abkhazian cows tastes different from what we are used to. No, of course, it's still milk, not wine or tangerine juice. It's just that Abkhazian cows are more mobile, they climb mountains, eat fresh grass most of the year, and milk them once a day (in the warm season, at least). This is at best if the cow deigns to “go down from the mountains” for the night. This fact cannot but affect the taste of milk. It is neither better nor worse than "ours", just a little different. Of course, on the Internet, there are recipes for yogurt with sourdough, for example, from sour cream "House in the Village", but here, as they say, "everyone chooses for himself."
In addition to matsoni, there is also just sour milk (akhartsva). It is customary to eat it with honey in Abkhazia. And if you dilute sour milk by half with cold water, you get akhartsvydzyua, a drink that perfectly quenches thirst in the summer heat.
Don't forget about cheeses. They are an important part of the Abkhaz diet. In addition to the suluguni (ashvlaguan) already mentioned here, the Abkhaz make delicious sour-milk cheese - ashvadza. Smoked cheese is very tasty (the same ashvlaguan is smoked over a fire). And ashvchapan is generally an overeating. This is suluguni stuffed with sour-milk cheese and mint, and also filled with spicy milk (!) sauce. They also make several types of skinskin cheeses and homemade cottage cheese in Abkhazia.
Meat, seafood, herbs
Although the scientist M.E., already mentioned in the text, claimed A shilling that Abkhazians, compared to other Caucasian peoples, eat little meat, but they still eat it.
In addition to meat fried on a spit, in the preparation of which the Abkhaz are great experts, they also eat boiled, stewed and smoked meat (Culinary Eden told about the technology of smoking meat by Abkhazians earlier). Nowadays, most Abkhazians eat beef. Less often lamb and goat. The meat of wild animals is considered a special delicacy.
Abkhazians also eat pork. However, it is worth remembering that for a long time Abkhazia was under the rule of the Muslim Ottoman Empire, and this still makes itself felt: not every family eats pig meat. However, Abkhazians still keep pigs (they, like cows, are not tied “to a pole”, but “walk on their own”). So tourists should not worry: there is no tension with pork kebab in the republic.
Among poultry, chickens lead the way. In addition to them, Abkhazians eat turkeys. But geese and ducks are much less common. Chicken fried on a spit, and with sour-spicy plum sauce or adjika - delicious. Not to mention the chicken stewed in walnut sauce (akuty eitsarshy)…
If Abkhazians do not eat anything at all, it is horsemeat. They prefer to ride horses in the mountains. In addition, seafood is not very popular in Abkhazia, which, you see, is a bit surprising. Abkhazians mainly prepare mussels for guests of their country. They do not burn with love for crayfish and crabs. Fish is eaten only fried in a pan or on a spit; they rarely smoke and dry it. There are almost no soups in the Abkhaz cuisine. Is that a soup of millet and beans, beloved by the Abkhazians.
Naturally, Abkhaz cuisine has a lot of greenery. A special place, perhaps, is occupied by basil (regan) and coriander (cilantro). They are put in various salads and other dishes or eaten just like that.
In general, Abkhazian cuisine, although it cannot boast of a wide variety of dishes, is the most important component of the Caucasian culinary tradition. Abkhazia, no doubt, can be called the "gastronomic pearl of the Caucasus." Abkhazian dishes, whether tasted in a Sukhumi restaurant or cooked at home in Moscow, will give you real pleasure. Bon appetit and Caucasian longevity!
Daniil Golovin
Dmitry Egorov
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