This is delicious.
Caucasian cuisine is bright and unusual. This is, first of all, meat, herbs, cheese and spices, from which very tasty things are obtained.
Dagestan
Previously, lamb was used to prepare the Avar khinkal, now they often take beef.
Ingredients:
300 g beef
5 fresh tomatoes
salt, pepper, bay leaf
onion
1 head of garlic
1 tsp soda
vegetable oil
Tips:
Serve meat, dough, garlic sauce and broth separately.
The lid must be tightly closed while cooking.
Recipe:
Boil large pieces of meat.
Roll out the wheat dough kneaded with kefir into a layer 6 millimeters thick, cut into rhombuses or squares and throw into the boiling broth left after the meat. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
As soon as the dough is ready, immediately take it out, not forgetting to pierce each piece with a fork or toothpick.
For the sauce, mix sour cream or peeled tomatoes stewed in broth with garlic.
Chechnya
Chepalgash
Chepalgash are thin cakes with cottage cheese. Despite the stereotype about kebabs, the basis of the North Caucasian cuisine is flour products, cereals and cheese, that is, simple, cheap and high-calorie food.
Ingredients:
100 g wheat flour
100 g kefir
0.2 g baking soda
For filling:
75 gr cottage cheese
several bunches of green onions
20 g butter
Tips:
Cook in a dry skillet
Recipe:
Knead wheat dough on kefir, divide into pieces weighing about 200 grams in the form of balls and roll thinly. In the middle, put a couple of tablespoons of the filling from homemade cottage cheese, green onions, eggs and salt. Connect the edges and pinch, roll out the cake to a thickness of less than a centimeter.
Fry on both sides in a pan (the first side with a lid, the second without a lid). Dip the finished cakes in hot water, stack on top of each other, thickly smearing each layer with butter.
Cut the whole hill like a cake into 6 parts. Eat before it gets cold.
Ossetia
In Ossetia, on holidays, pies with meat, beet tops, potatoes, and cabbage are often found. Tsaharajin contains both beets and cheese, it is a very tasty and satisfying pie.
Ingredients:
2 chicken eggs
400 g wheat flour
150 g suluguni cheese
150 g Ossetian cheese
80 g beet greens
30 ml vegetable oil
5 g sugar
5 g salt
10 g dry yeast
water
Tips:
After brushing with oil at the end, cover with a towel and let stand for 5 minutes
Recipe:
Knead the yeast dough with milk, salt and melted butter. Cover and leave in a warm place for an hour.
Make a filling of fresh young cheese and chopped strips of beet tops without stalks. For fat content, you can add ghee or sour cream. Salt and pepper.
Make a cake from the dough a little less than a centimeter thick. Place the filling in the middle. Pull the ends of the dough to the middle, pinch. Turn over, carefully level the surface of the cake, make a steam incision in the middle.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Then brush with oil.
Ingushetia
Birch
Meat in Ingushetia is usually served with a special sauce. Here is his recipe.
Ingredients:
meat broth
a few potatoes
bunch of greenery
salt pepper
1 onion
1 carrot
butter
Recipe:
Boil potatoes in meat broth, mash thoroughly, adding raw eggs in the process.
Mix with the broth so that the puree dissolves in it.
Simmer for a couple of minutes, then remove from heat, add finely chopped green onions and other herbs to taste.
Salt, pepper, simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add fried onions and carrots stewed in butter.
Adygea
Goedlibzhe
In addition to the Adyghe cheese, which everyone knows about, it is worth trying gedlibzhe. This is chicken stewed in sour cream or cream.
Ingredients:
5 pieces. chicken drumsticks
2-3 tbsp sour cream
1 bulb
1.5 tbsp flour
salt, paprika, pepper mixture to taste
Recipe:
Finely chop the onion and garlic and fry separately until golden brown.
Put everything together in a saucepan, sprinkle with paprika. Pour some water, salt, simmer for 15 minutes.
Add sauce of sour cream, flour and water, simmer for about half an hour until tender.
Azerbaijan
Dovga
Dovga is one of the most popular and favorite dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine. This dish is good because it is excellent both hot and cold.
Ingredients for a 2 liter bottle of homemade matsoni:
2 sour creams 200 g each
1 large bunch of cilantro, dill, spinach, tops, mint
1 small head of garlic
0.5 st. round rice
0.5 st. boiled chickpeas
Tips:
It is better to use homemade matsoni, you can buy it on the market
During cooking, you need to stir dovga continuously until boiling, otherwise the matsoni will curdle.
Stir better with a wooden spoon
Recipe:
Rinse all the greens well in advance, finely chop, dry. Boil rice separately. Pour the matsoni and sour cream into a saucepan and stir well. Crack 2 eggs into it. Add boiled rice along with water.
Place the saucepan over high heat and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
When the matsoni boils, put the greens and finely chopped garlic into the pan, without ceasing to stir.
Bring to a boil again.
Add boiled peas. Do not cover with a lid for the first couple of hours.
Armenia
Ishkhan in wine
Until now, ishkhan, or Sevan trout, is considered the main culinary masterpiece of Armenia. It is gutted with a spoon through the gills, without ripping open the stomach. The tender fish is then stuffed with tarragon and stewed in wine.
Ingredients:
1kg trout
1 bunch tarragon
300 g cherry plum
1 bulb
dry white wine
Recipe:
Remove the gills from the Sevan trout, take out the insides with a spoon through them. Rinse the cavity thoroughly and stuff with a crushed mixture of cherry plum, pomegranate, onion and tarragon.
You need to simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes in white wine at the rate of 1 glass per 1 kilogram of the dish, avoiding contact of the fish with the bottom of the pan. To do this, it can be placed on stones or wooden sticks.
Georgia
Chkmeruli
A delicious chicken recipe from the national cuisine of Georgia.
Ingredients:
500 ml cream
bunch of cilantro
bunch of parsley
a few cloves of garlic
salt, pepper, suneli hops
Recipe:
Cut the chicken along the breast, remove excess fat, tail and wing tips, lightly beat off.
Rub with salt, pepper and brush with vegetable oil. Put in a hot frying pan under oppression, fry on both sides until golden brown.
Pour in the sauce of cream, chopped garlic, cilantro, parsley and suneli hops. Close the lid, simmer in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Famous Caucasian pastries
Caucasian cuisine is no less diverse than the Caucasus itself. Adjika, kebabs, vegetable dishes with spices and spices are firmly included in our diet. Yes, and any hostess can pamper the family with traditional oriental pastries.
Khachapuri is a real masterpiece of Georgian cuisine. You can cook them in different ways: there are a huge number of different recipes in which the dough and filling are not repeated. In the variety of cooking techniques, you are sure to find one that will be to your liking.
What is oriental cuisine without baking? Dishes prepared according to the recipes of Caucasian culinary specialists are very popular all over the world.
Caucasian pastries can be sweet and salty, with honey, fruits, vegetables, different types of meat and fish. Almost every recipe has a lot of spices and herbs. There are always a lot of toppings, it is juicy and very tasty.
Khychin, Ossetian pies, khachapuri with a hundred different fillings - this is not the whole list of dough products that the cuisine of the Caucasus is famous for. Recipes have been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years, each family has its own secret ingredient that makes baking unique. The serving of pies is also unique - 3 pies are brought to the table as a tribute to water, sun and earth.
By the quality of the dough, it is easy to distinguish a skilled housewife from an inexperienced one. The better and thinner the dough is rolled out, the more praise a woman deserves.
The amount of filling in pies speaks of the generosity and hospitality of the owners. In no house you will find pastries without filling. Onions, cheese, mushrooms, lamb - everything that the owners of the house are rich in is served with flatbread.
It’s not enough just to mix all the ingredients; for a successful result, you need to put your soul into the dish and cook it with love.
Pastries of the Caucasus are not only cakes and pies. In this section of our virtual cookbook you will find not only traditional Caucasian dough products, but also many original recipes, the existence of which you may hear for the first time. It is enough to look into our section, and your feet will carry you to the stove, try to cook pies according to new recipes.
Caucasian cuisine consists of the cuisines of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, which have many common characteristics. In the traditional recipes of these countries, a lot of vegetables, herbs, spices, meat and, of course, red wine are used. Even far from these states, lula-kebab and lobio, khachapuri and satsivi are known.
Caucasian cuisine widely uses various types of meat in its recipes. Most often, cooks put veal, lamb and beef in dishes. Moreover, the meat is minced manually with a knife.
Shish kebab occupies a special place among the traditional dishes of the peoples of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. It is a kind of visiting card of the Caucasus. There are many recipes with which you can cook this dish. A large number of vegetables and a variety of herbs are always served on the table for shish kebab.
Caucasian cuisine is widely known for thick and tasty soups. Familiar to many and rich broths. Kharcho soup of Georgian peoples is especially popular, as well as Azerbaijani kyufta-bozbash and piti.
Traditionally Caucasian cuisine is famous for its plov. Meat is the main ingredient in this dish. However, cooks often use berries, fish, vegetables or other products instead.
The cuisines of the peoples of the Caucasus are also remarkable for their desserts. The main ones are sherbet and kazinaki, Turkish delight and baklava. Ossetian pies, open chebureks, meat in Tsakhton sauce and kebabs are very popular.
The diet of the peoples living in the Caucasus largely depends on the climatic features of the region. The morning starts with a light meal. The afternoon meal is a bit denser. The evening table is served with spicy and fatty foods. After all, it is at dinner that relatives, friends and neighbors gather together.
Caucasian cuisine, recipes with photos that make you hungry, will delight you with wonderful soups, kebabs, sauces and desserts. Traditional dishes of the peoples of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia will become a real highlight of your
Caucasian kitchen- the concept is rather arbitrary. A large number of peoples live in the region of the Caucasus Mountains, whose cuisine has many common features. Caucasian cuisine is, first of all, meat, vegetables, herbs, spices and red wine. The names of many dishes of Caucasian cuisine are well known even to those who have never been to the Caucasus, since this national food is simply adored in Russia.
Dishes in general are characterized by elegance of taste, satiety and a special ritual of cooking and eating with an obligatory abundance of herbs, spices, and delicious drinks, unite the collective name of the traditional dishes of the peoples inhabiting the Caucasian area.
Nature has generously endowed this region with fertile arable land, a lot of sun, noble mountains with an abundance of fragrant herbs, fragrant gardens and vineyards.. Therefore, Caucasian cuisine is a real national treasure, unlike others, because it combines the secrets of various dishes.
All dishes are very appetizing, juicy, satisfying, with their own unique flavors and original recipes. This is a well-known barbecue, delicious pilaf, satsivi, shurpa, dolma, khinkali, kebabs, khachapuri - the list can be continued indefinitely. And of course, one cannot ignore the unimaginable an abundance of various sauces, seasonings and famous aromatic wines. Magical unique recipes are given to us by peoples who are well versed in food and know how to cook it. Colorful culinary ideas are loved and in demand far beyond the Caucasus.
In this review, we have selected five famous Caucasian dishes and collected their classic recipes.
In order to start cooking a real and tasty barbecue, you must first choose the right meat. What kind of meat should you buy? Someone loves only lamb, others do not eat pork, and still others eat any meat. For a good barbecue, pork is great, not very fatty, only fresh and not frozen. What part of the pork to take for the best result? Take your neck.
Ingredients for pickling - based on 3-4 kilograms. The main secret of barbecue marinating is not what ingredients to put there, but in what order.
Ingredients:
- Salt (about 4-5 tsp)
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Coriander - aka cilantro. 15-20 peas. They need to be crushed in a mortar, first lightly fried. If the coriander is already ground: a little more than half a teaspoon
- Basil - as much as ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon
- Thyme - aka Thyme per kilogram - one, two pinches
- Zira. A very specific seasoning, a little less than half a teaspoon will suffice. Zira, very specific in taste, so be careful in its quantity
- Bay leaf, a couple of pieces
- Red pepper, paprika. Ground, sweet. You can have a teaspoon without a "slide". It will give a little desired flavor and a beautiful color when frying. Want to add spice? One clove of crushed garlic, add hot, capsicum, but be careful, the taste of meat can be greatly interrupted, everything is needed in moderation
- Onion - 5-6 bulbs
- Sunflower oil - 5-6 tablespoons
Mix everything, add half a lemon. The meat should be marinated for several hours, after which the barbecue should be fried on the grill.
Ossetians have been baking their traditional pies with various fillings for thousands of years. The shape of the pies is usually round, about 30-35 cm in diameter.
The name of the pies can be different, depending on the type of filling :
- Ualibakh, ch (b) iri, habizdzhyn (single) - cheese pies
- Kartofjin - pies with potatoes and cheese
- Tsakharajyn - pies with chopped beet leaves and cheese
- Kabuskajin - pies with shredded cabbage and cheese
- Fidjin - pies with minced meat (usually beef)
- Davondzhyn - pies with chopped wild garlic leaves and cheese
- Nashjin - pies with chopped pumpkin and cheese (buy and without)
- Kh(b)adurjyn - pies with beans
In different regions of Ossetia, there may be other variations of the filling.
Ossetian pie
Ingredients:
For test:
- Wheat flour - 500 g
- Sugar - 50 g
- Salt - 60 g
- Yeast (preferably live) - 50 g
- Water - 1.5 l
For filling:
- Beef (brisket) - 450 g
- Onion - 2 medium onions
- Garlic - 3-5 cloves
Ossetian pie
Cooking:
- Make a dough- mix one and a half liters of warm water, yeast, salt and sugar. Let it brew for 10-12 minutes
- Mix flour and broth so that the dough is sufficiently elastic and not too hard. At the end, add a little sunflower oil so that the dough does not stick to your hands.
- Pass meat through a meat grinder, do the same with garlic and onions. Add salt and pepper to taste
- Lay out the dough on the table, roll out a little and put the filling in the middle. Then close the top with the edges of the dough. Then roll out to a thickness of two and a half centimeters. Place the pie in a cast iron skillet or baking dish (approximately 32 cm in diameter). Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 300 degrees. When serving, brush the pie with a little butter.
To cook real khinkali, you need to follow a few rules. Firstly, it is advisable not to scroll the meat through a meat grinder, but to finely chop it: minced meat will give more natural juice when cooked, and this is the most valuable part of the dish. In addition, the minced meat should not be dry, you need to add a little water to it and mix thoroughly. It is difficult to knead the dough for khinkali by hand, as it should turn out to be dense and elastic, so if you have a dough mixer, it is better to use it.
The more folds on the tail, the more solid khinkali are considered: ideally, there should be 19 folds, but often there are about 10. The number does not affect the taste, but speaks of the professionalism of the cook.
You need to eat khinkali with your hands: take the tail, turn it over, bite a small hole and first drink the juice, and then bite off.
Ingredients:
Ground meat:
- Veal - 1 kg
- Onion - 200 gr
- Chili peppers - 10–12 gr
- Salt - 10–15 gr
- Black pepper - 3-4 gr
- Fresh cilantro - 5 gr
- Water - 100 gr
Dough:
- Flour - 2 kg
- Water - 650 ml
- Sunflower oil - 20–30 gr
- Salt - 20 gr
Cooking:
Dough. Pour flour, salt into a deep container and start kneading, gradually adding water and sunflower oil. After the mass becomes homogeneous and elastic, blind it into a lump, cover with cling film and leave for 20 minutes.
Ground meat. Finely chop the meat. Cut the onion into small cubes, finely chop the chili and chop the cilantro. In a deep bowl, mix the meat, onion, chili, cilantro, mint, salt and pepper. Add water and mix thoroughly (the consistency should be liquid, but homogeneous).
Roll out the dough into a sausage with a diameter of about four centimeters and cut it into pieces of three to four centimeters. Blind each piece into a ball, and then, sprinkling with flour, roll into a thin cake three millimeters thick. You need to roll out the same ball at least ten times to make the dough more elastic.
Put about 50 gr. minced meat in the middle of a thin cake and, lifting up the edges of the dough, roll them in a circle with an accordion: with one hand, pinch the dough and collect the folds with the other. Press the resulting tail and cut off the excess top with a knife. Slightly pull out the khinkali so that after cooking the juice from the meat inside remains at the bottom.
Salted in a saucepan swirl boiling water with a spoon funnel, lower the khinkali into its center, scroll once (so that the khinkali probably do not stick together) and leave to cook for seven to nine minutes.
(kebab in Persian "fried meat") - an oblong cutlet fried on a skewer.
Traditional kebab made from lamb and onions. At the same time, lamb should be quite fatty, and a lot of onions will be required. Unlike cutlets, neither eggs nor bread are put into the kebab. Only spices are added to meat with onions: pepper, basil, cilantro, garlic.
For cooking kebab lamb must be passed through a meat grinder and kneaded with hands for a very long time, throwing it on the table with force. The stuffing should become viscous so that it sticks to the skewers and does not fall apart on the grill. It is very important to knead the minced meat well - it also depends on how tender the meat will be.
In order for minced meat made without bread and eggs not to fall apart during frying, it must first be beaten off, that is, the whole mass of minced meat should be hit hard on the table for 8-10 minutes.
Ingredients:
- Lamb - 1 kg
- Onion - 4 pcs
- Fat tail fat - 100 gr
- Basil - 1 tsp
Cooking method:
- Peel the onion, grind together with half the fat in a meat grinder
- Wash the lamb, cut into pieces and also chop in a meat grinder. Add a mixture of onions and lard, once again pass everything together through a meat grinder
- Season the minced meat with spices and basil. Knead for 7-8 minutes. Then beat off properly, cover with cling film and put in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Shape the minced meat into sausages 12-14 cm long, strung on skewers. Roast on coals or in a hot frying pan, constantly turning over, 20 minutes. Plum sauce goes very well with lula kebabs.
Khachapuri
Adjarian khachapuri recipe
Ingredients:
- flour - 500 gr
- salt - 1/4 tsp
- warm milk - 1 tbsp.
- sugar - 1 tsp
- chicken egg - 8 pcs.
- vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. l.
- dry yeast - 1 sachet
- grated cheese (Adyghe or Suluguni) - 250-350 gr
- butter - 100 gr
Cooking:
- Dough. Pour milk into a bowl, add salt, sugar, 1 egg, flour and yeast and mix well. Knead until you get a smooth and elastic dough
- Lubricate the pan with oil, transfer the dough into it and roll it in oil, then cover with foil and put in a warm place for an hour. After an hour, we crush the dough and put it back in heat for half an hour
- After half an hour, we punch down the dough and divide it into 6 equal parts according to the number of future khachapuri. With hands spitting the dough to make soft oval cakes, we tighten the edges of these cakes so that the dough is thinner in the middle. Put grated cheese in the middle, wrap the edges and we form boats. Beat 1 egg and brush the edges with it
- We send khachapuri to the oven preheated to 200 ° C for 25-30 minutes. Then we take out khachapuri and drive an egg into the middle of each. We keep khachapuri with an egg in the oven, so that the protein is baked, and the yolk remains liquid (do not miss this moment !!!), and we get it. Serve khachapuri hot, putting a piece of butter on top of each
Bon Appetit everyone!!!
The culture of cooking and eating among the peoples inhabiting the Caucasian region is a whole world, the study and description of which will take many volumes. Caucasian cuisine is as ancient as the history of the peoples living here. The culture of eating and many dishes of Caucasian cuisine, which to this day are included in the menu of the peoples of the Caucasus, have come down to us from time immemorial.
Abaza cuisine
Both the festive feast and the usual family meal among the Abaza strictly obey certain rules of etiquette. Guests and family members are seated at the table in a strictly defined order, taking into account age and position, dishes are served in the same order.
Abkhazian Cuisine
Abkhaz cuisine has a small variety of products. These are mainly eggs, meat, fish, sour-milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits, corn, beans, walnuts. Soups are practically absent in the diet of Abkhazians. They eat non-greasy food. Vegetables are used for side dishes and salads. Meat dishes are served with fresh and salted vegetables.
Adyghe cuisine
Circassians took food sitting on stools at low tables with three legs. Kitchen utensils included a wooden, earthenware or copper bowl or plate, copper or plane tree trays, horn-handled knives, and wooden knives.
Azerbaijani Cuisine
It should be noted that in Azerbaijani cuisine, as in no other of the cuisines of the Caucasus, spices and all kinds of greens are widely used: bitter pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, dill, parsley, ginger, cilantro, mint, sumac (powdered barberry) , reagan, cumin, kavar, as well as purely national spices such as saffron, fennel, anise, bay leaf, coriander.
Armenian Cuisine
Armenian cuisine is one of the oldest cuisines in Asia and the most ancient in Transcaucasia. Its characteristic features were formed at least a millennium BC during the formation of the Armenian people and have been preserved in many respects for more than three millennia to the present day.
Georgian Cuisine
Georgian dishes are very popular in Russia and abroad due to their unique taste and spiciness. This national cuisine is characterized by a large number of seasonings and spices: allspice and bitter pepper, garlic, cumin, cilantro, mint, tarragon, thyme, parsley, dill, tarragon, regan, celery.
Dagestan cuisine
Modern Dagestan cuisine, enriched with the achievements of civilization, cannot be described, and it makes no sense. Many dishes that were consumed on celebration days or when guests came were included in the daily menu of every family.
Kabardino-Balkarian cuisine
The most characteristic dishes are fried, stewed and boiled meat and poultry. Boiled meat dishes are always served with brine - a sauce made from crushed garlic diluted with ayran or broth. Other sauces are mainly sour cream.
Karachai cuisine
Since ancient times, the people of Karachay have been famous for their hospitality. Any traveler, getting into the house of a highlander, could have a hearty dinner and only then talk about business. Among Karachays, the first and second courses are mainly prepared from lamb, less often beef and poultry. This is explained by the fact that the Karachay population lives in the mountains and mostly breeds sheep.
Kurdish Cuisine
Kurdish cuisine is original and has its own national flavor. The culinary art of the Kurds is always popular with other peoples, and many Kurdish dishes have entered the national cuisines of neighboring countries. In turn, some dishes of the neighboring peoples have become widespread among the Kurdish environment.
Nogai cuisine
The centuries-old nomadic life has left its mark on the national cuisine, which is not very diverse. Most often, meat dishes are prepared: beef, lamb, poultry, livestock products.
Ossetian cuisine
Ossetian cuisine is traditional among Ossetians - nomadic peoples who have settled near the Caucasus since ancient times. This nation has its own unsurpassed and incomparable feature in food, which will be discussed in this article.
