Just like the landscape of Georgia, its cuisine is diverse with each region having its own distinct culinary traditions. Samegrelo region is characterized by its distinguished spicy and hot meals, so whenever you visit Zugdidi, make sure to try some of those 9 meals of Megrelian cuisine.
Ghomi
Photo Source: VistaCreate
Ghomi is a polenta-like dish made from corn flour and cornmeal. It is used as a side dish to a Satsivi, a meat stew in walnut sauce. You need to put slices of Sulguni cheese inside, and let it sit for a minute or two. Afterward, you take a small amount of Ghomi and Sulguni mixture and dip it in the sauce of Satsivi.
Another variation of Ghomi is topped with crumbled sulguni cheese mixed with mint leaves. This dish is called Ghomi with Chincholia Cheese.
Elarji
Photo Source: Georgia Travel
Elarji is very similar to Ghomi, the only difference is that the corn flour is boiled together with the cheese, resulting in more stretchier and cheesier dish. The meal is not a typical, everyday dish in Samegrelo. It’s only made for special guests or holidays.
Gebzhalia
Photo Source: Georgian Journal
Gebzhalia is an appetizer made from soft cheese rolls with cheese and mint mixture as a filling.
Megrelian Khachapuri
Photo Source: Freepik
There are at least 10 different types of Khachapuri in Georgia. Each and every region has its own take on it. Megrelian one is similar to Imeretian Khachapuri and has a round shape. However, Megrelians use milk instead of water to make the dough and fill and top it off with Sulguni cheese.
Chvishtari
Photo Source: Georgian Recipes
Chvishtari is a Megrelian version of ordinary Mchadi, the corn flour “bread”, filled with grated Sulguni cheese inside, which stretches every time you take a bite. Instead of a water, they use milk, yogurt, and eggs to make a dough-like substance. This results in fluffier Mchadi.
Satsivi
Photo Source: Georgia Travel
Satsivi originally calls for turkey meat, but today, many make it from the chicken as well. The turkey meat is boiled and then fried. The ground walnuts are added to the turkey broth together with garlic, onion, saffron, and other spices. When the stew is ready, they put back the meat and serve it with Ghomi.
Kupati
Photo Source: Georgian Journal
Kupati is made from mixing pig liver, lung, and spleen and inserted into the intestine. Then it’s prepared with spices, sealed and hung up for a couple of weeks to dry in the open air. Sometimes, they hang it up over the smoke to have a different taste. It is served either in the claypan or on a skewer with plum sauce Tkemali and Ghomi
Ajika
Photo Source: Georgian Journal
Ajika is a sauce made from red or green peppers, dried spices, and garlic. It’s a thick spicy sauce, that originated in Abkhazia and Samegrelo but is widespread across the country today. This resulted in many different types of Ajika, but one of the most distinguished ones is with walnuts, a perfect addition to meat and fish meals, as well as beans, tomatoes, and potatoes.
