There are two legends that Georgians tell to explain the creation of their country, and fascinatingly, both involve food. In the first, the Georgians claim that when God was distributing land to all the peoples of the Earth, they were too busy feasting and drinking to show up at the appointed time. When they finally arrived, they were dismayed to learn that all the land had already been given away. They explained to God the reason for their delay, and God, obviously recognizing the value of a people who would rather be feasting than fighting over land, took pity on them and gave the Georgians the part of the Earth that he had been reserving for himself – naturally, the most beautiful part. In the second legend, God took a supper break while creating the world, and became so involved with his meal that he inadvertently tripped over the high peaks of the Caucasus, spilling his food onto the land below. This land blessed by heaven’s table scraps was Georgia.

We were not observing supra, which is a feast when a huge assortment of dishes are prepared, always accompanied by large amounts of wine.

These feasts are said to go on for hours but we didn’t have hours, just a bit of time before the boys had to go to bed.

At this meal we enjoyed a lovely salad and a delectable marinated and grilled pork.  But to be honest, what I was fascinated with and couldn’t get enough of was the Khachapuri which I understand is their version of cheese bread and is a a staple of Georgian kitchens.

Sarah referred to her Nani’s recipe when she described to me how Khachapuri is made.  A simple dough is prepared with the inclusion of Balkan yoghurt. In a separate bowl the cheese filling is mixed together from feta, butter and eggs.  Sarah mixes and kneads her dough in her bread maker.  Then she splits the dough into eight equal parts.  She rolls out each portion and then places 1/8th of the cheese filling in the middle.  She then folds the edges up around the filling, pinches it together and flattens back into a thick disk.  These dense cakes are then heated in a dry frying pan 2-3 minutes per side.  Oh my, I couldn’t get enough of these.

The meal and the Khahapuri tasted like the perfect blend of Eastern European and Middle Eastern cooking.  When I did a little bit of research on the history of Georgian fare, these are the two primary influences of the region’s cuisine.

A gorgeous trifle was served next.  One of the boys tried very patiently to wait for dessert.

Kath’s quote: “Anybody who believes that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach flunked geography.”-Robert Byrne

Love-that is all.