Georgian cuisine is extremely diverse, with cold starters usually displayed on the table for when guests arrive with plenty of fresh vegetables, salad, herbs, nuts and cheese. Main courses are hot dishes and feature a variety of meats, poultry and fish, often with flavourful sauces and soups. Dessert is light, usually fresh fruit, sliced churchkela or other small sweet snacks.

The list of Georgian dishes one might expect at a formal supra is vast. Luckily a number of these delicious dishes can be found on most Georgian restaurant menus intended for more casual dining. Below are a few you can expect to see frequently.

Khinkali

Dumplings the size of a baby’s fist, resembling giant xiaolongbao (小笼包). And like xiaolongbao, they contain a soupy minced mixture and are sealed with pleats ranging in number from a dozen to 19. While xiaolongbao are steamed, khinkali are boiled, and the filling can be beef, pork, mushroom or cheese. Instead of the fat and stock filling found in xiaolongbao, Georgians add water or liquid stock, and use thicker wrappers, to contain the runny filling. The dumpling is picked up by the overly doughy topknot, which is left uneaten on the plate to show how many have been consumed. With a heavily spiced (usually black pepper) filling, khinkali are served without condiments, aside from extra black pepper.

Khachapuri

A traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread, sometimes dubbed “Georgian pizza”. The bread is leavened and allowed to rise and is shaped in various ways, usually with cheese in the middle and a crust which is ripped off and used to dip in the cheese. The filling contains cheese, eggs and other ingredients, with lots of variation in different regions of Georgia. The variation with the egg in the middle is Adjarian khachapuri.

Mtsvadi

A dish of skewered and grilled cubes of meat, similar to shish kebab. It can be made from pork and beef as well, yet pork mtsvadi is most popular.

Churchkhela

A traditional Georgian candle-shaped candy served in small slices. The main ingredients are grape must, nuts, and flour. Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and chocolate and sometimes raisins are threaded onto a string, dipped in thickened grape juice or fruit juices and dried in the shape of a sausage.

Cheese

There are more than 100 types of cheese in Georgia and cheese is an integral part of any Georgian meal often served with fresh shotis puri (canoe-shaped Georgian bread baked in a stone kiln). Georgian cheese is generally very salty, and its consistency and textures differ from the West. Georgian cheese often is moist and -- depending on how fresh -- may have a light coat of watery residue on its surface. The three most popular types of cheese are Sulguni, Imeruli and Guda.

Pkhali

spinach, beans, beets and combined with ground walnuts, vinegar, onions, garlic, and herbs. The common ingredient of all variations of pkhali is pureed walnut paste.