Traveling Spoon - Travel Off the Eaten Path

Learn to make khachapuri with a Tbilisi food and city expert

Our hours spent with Dinara and her family in Tbilisi were delightful. The afternoon incorporated the two most important components of a great dining experience: delicious food and wonderful company. Dinara smiles easily and has a contagious laugh; we instantly felt at ease with her. We enjoyed learning a few cooking secrets and the fine Georgian art of making a successful toast. (Making at least one toast to Georgia’s success is essential, Dinara explained.) After the experience, Dinara was even kind enough to share copies of the recipes by email. We have a few dietary restrictions, but Dinara was easily able to accommodate them. (One of us eats a gluten-free diet, and both of us only eat poultry and fish.) Dinara taught us how to make eggplant filled with a walnut paste (garnished with pomegranate seeds); spinach and peppers filled with a walnut paste; Shkmeruli (fried chicken in a sour cream and garlic sauce); cheese rolls stuffed with a ricotta-like cheese and mint (garnished with pumpkin seeds), Adjaruli Khachapuri (Georgia’s celebrated “cheese and egg bread boat”); Kakheti salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, Kakheti oil, Svaneti salt, basil, and walnuts; Georgian yogurt with walnuts, apricots, plums, and honey; and a fruit plate with pears, oranges, grapes, and peaches. Beverages included homemade feijoa fruit juice, as well as a semi-dry white wine from Georgia’s Kakheti region. Since we had been in Tbilisi for a few weeks prior to the experience, we had already tried some of these dishes. However, Dinara’s eggplant rolls were much more flavorful than the ones we had eaten in Tbilisi’s restaurants. The Shkmeruli chicken was also delightfully creamy. (Of note: the Khachapuri was not gluten-free, so we didn’t both eat it. Finding gluten-free flour in Tbilisi can be a challenging feat, but perhaps you could bring a bag of flour from home and see if it offers the right consistency for making Khachapuri.) The dishes were presented in an attractive fashion. Dinara set the table using vintage cutlery that belonged to her grandmother, pretty wine glasses, and attractive serving boards for the colorful pkhali and eggplant rolls. We got to Dinara’s apartment by using Tbilisi’s metro system, and it was easy. Her home is just a few minutes’ walk from the metro station. Finally, a review wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention Dinara’s adorable dachshund, Bruno. He’s small, but he’s got a big personality. After the meal, ask Dinara if you can toss the ball to Bruno. You’ll be impressed by his jumping abilities. :)