I was blown away by the food in Georgia. It is delicious, cheap, and accessible.
This is one of the best things I have ever eaten. I love eggplant and this combination is delicious. This is dish called Nigvziani Badrijani and is available lots in supermarkets and restaurants. It is eggplant with a walnut and garlic stuffing with pomegranate seeds.
Khachapuri. These are found everywhere. They are in restaurants and available street side in bakeries like this. A bread “boat” filled with cheese and often an egg. Here they were $1.60 USD based on the exchange rate when I was there. They vary in ingredients and quality but are a delicious hearty option any time of day.
The Eastern Orthodox religion has several fasting days Wednesday and Friday where you do not eat animal products. Because of this fasting food is offered in Georgian restaurants and is a great vegan option. I was excited to have this fasting dish of eggplant cooked into the delicious bread bowl.
I love dumplings. In Georgia dumplings, called Khinkali, are everywhere. Beef or mushroom seem to be the default choices, but sometimes there are others. Khinkali are very soupy. You hold it by the twisted part, bite a hole in the top and slurp the juice before eating. You leave the twisty nub that you were holding on the plate.
The bread in Georgia is delicious. It is cooked in stone oven. The flat bread is stuck on the side and removed when baked. The best was this tiny window I found near my apartment in Tblisi and never got a good picture of. All night long they backed and you could come up to the window and purchase a large flat bread for about 25 cents. Perhaps even more unusual is that even the Carrefour had a stone oven and fresh bread.