Ajarian Khachapuri at Argentinian Restaurant
Ajarian khachapuri, one of the most outstanding dishes of the traditional Georgian cuisine, has moved beyond the borders of Georgia and is quite successfully establishing itself on the foreign gastronomic markets. It first became popular in the USA, and has just recently appeared on the menu of a prestigious Argentinian restaurant chain, Almacén de Pizzas.
Visitors to the restaurant will have a chance to taste three varieties of Ajarian khachapuri, prepared with four different types of cheese. The options are to include bacon and cheddar, as well as spinach and blue cheese.
The price for discovering the taste of the Georgian gourmet pleasure amounts to 499 pesos, which is about $12.
Khachapuri is Georgian bread stuffed with melted cheese and represents an inseparable part of the Georgian festive table. The Ajarian khachapuri is a boat-shaped khachapuri topped with the raw egg and butter before serving.
source: www.georgiatoday.ge, By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya
Georgia on their minds: why tourists are flocking to the Black Sea
The city of Batumi on Georgia’s Black Sea coast is bracing for a tourism boom after winning the 2019 title of “Europe’s Leading Emerging Tourism Destination” at the prestigious World Travel Awards.
In recent years, the region has attracted significant investment. And the results are clearly visible.
The summer season has just begun but already tourist figures are breaking records. Dozens of new hotels have appeared along the coast and the number of international visitors in Batumi has almost doubled since the beginning of this year.
It’s also gaining a reputation as a centre of youth culture.
Joseph, a young street-artist, believes his city has much more to offer.
He’s confident that soon Batumi will be a focal point for creative youth and compete on an equal footing with the capital, Tbilisi.
“You can see how the city has changed on a cultural level – cinema, theatre, music, poetry, architecture, art etc,” he told Focus. “Batumi is in a constant state of development and we are able to create new trends in the cultural life of the city.”
In Georgia new cultural trends are closely intertwined with the country’s rich traditions and history.
It’s no surprise that Georgian polyphonic singing was recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
Add to this the region’s beautiful and diverse landscapes and you get a fuller picture of Adjara and its tourism potential.
You can head straight from the beach to the mountains and picturesque valleys. It’s all possible in Adjara, thanks to its unique ecosystem.
Tornike Rijvadze, Chairman of the Government of Adjara, told Focus: “Ecotourism is actually one of the greatest opportunities we’ve got here. Our agencies work very hard to find new directions. We expect to have quite a successful season this year.”
The region is also famous for its wine. According to archaeologists, winemaking in Georgia can be traced back thousands of years.
Local winemaker Rostom Beridze, said there are almost 500 types of grape varieties in Georgia and about 50 of them grow in Adjara.
“Such diversity gives us an advantage in creating wines that are very different from what you can find elsewhere,” he said.
Beridze added: “It’s impossible to talk about wine and not be in a positive mood. We are very proud of our winemaking heritage.”
Source: www.Euronews.com
Georgian – shop for tourists
The largest book shop in Georgia ,,Biblusi’’ has opened the first shop specially designated to the needs and interests of tourists and named it ,,Georgian’’. Shop Georgian is located on the David Aghmashenebeli 55. ,,Georgian’’ is unique of its kind and offers variety of the Georgian products to tourists.
Visitors of the shop ,,Georgian’’ can obtain high quality products made by the Georgian entrepreneurs. There is variety of products and the place is very interesting among tourists.
Representatives of Biblusi emphasize that by making this step they want to encourage the Georgian entrepreneurship as well. Shop ,,Georgian’’ cooperates with them and contributes in popularization of the Georgian products. This is very important to spread the Georgian products on the foreign markets.
Georgia among top 10 countries on the World Cheese Map
Georgian cheese has been listed among top 10 cheeses on the world cheese map. There exist thousands of different sorts of cheese that stand out for their wide range of flavors and various textures. Each country has its own method of cheese making and Georgia is no exception. Apart from delicious, hearty and spicy dishes, Georgia can boast a number of different sorts of cheeses that come from country’s different regions. Here we present three most famous and widespread types of Georgian cheese.
Although Georgia is a small country, it produces more than 250 types of cheese. This dairy product is so popular that there is one famous quote in Georgian “If you don’t have kveli (cheese in Georgian) at home, then you are dead”. Georgian supra (feast table) is unimaginable without Kveli, be it soft and tender Imeruli cheese from Georgia’s Imereti region or more rough and slightly sharp flavored Guda cheese from mountain region of eastern Georgia. The latter is usually made from sheep’s or cow’s milk and is aged in sack made from cheep’s skin for weeks. This method of cheese making was invented by the shepherds in the mountains of Georgia.
Imeruli Cheese, Guda Cheese, Guda cheese and Shoti (Georgian bread) And here we come to the queen of Georgian cheeses, Sulguni that originated from Georgia’s Samegrelo region (an area in the western part of the country). This type of cheese is soft, has a sour, moderately salty flavor, a dimpled texture, and an elastic consistency. It is noteworthy that Sulguni is often compared to Italian Mozzarella, due to its texture and taste. Sulguni may be produced from normalized milk of cow, buffalo, or a mix of these milks. It is a “quick cheese” maturing in just one or two days. There exist two types of Sulguni cheese – an ordinary one and smoked Sulguni. According to the folk etymology, the name Sulguni comes from two Georgian words – suli (which means “soul”) and guli (which means “heart”). Georgians usually consume cheese with Mchadi (Georgian corn bread), Ghomi (corn meal) Shoti (Georgian bread baked in the clay oven) or bake Khachapuri (Cheese bread) from it. Among the very delicious cheeses in Georgia are: Sulguni Cheese and Smoked Sulguni Cheese.
Source: Georgianjournal.ge
Photo: Georgianjournal.ge
Georgian desserts to taste in winter
Georgia offers a whole range of local dishes. Georgian cuisine has been shaped by different cultures such as ancient Greek and Roman, middle eastern Turkish, central Asian, Mongolian, Russian and Indian influences.
If you plan to spend winter in Georgia, you are recommended to taste top Georgian desserts. You will not be able to find the same taste elsewhere in the world.
Pelamushi is a Georgian dessert made with pressed and condensed grape juice, sugar, and flour. The liquid is gradually
heated until it thickens, and it is then poured into serving dishes, bowls, or various molds, in order to create attractive shapes. When fully chilled, pelamushi is ready to be served, and it is recommended to garnish it with various nuts and seeds.
Churchkhela is a traditional Georgian candy that is shaped into a sausage. It originated from the Caucasus region. This candy is made by dipping a long string of nuts (usually walnut halves) in concentrated grape juice, then leaving the concoction to dry. It is quite healthy and so nutritious that it was even carried by Georgian warriors on their long journeys in the past. Although walnuts are mostly used in the preparation of churchkhela, they can be replaced by almonds, hazelnuts, or raisins.
Tklapi is a unique Georgian dessert consisting of cooked fruit puree that is poured on a tray in a very thin layer and left to dry in the sun for a few days. It is typically prepared with fruits such as wild plums, pears, mulberry, figs, or apples. Visually, this healthy treat looks like a piece of leather. Tklapi can be consumed on its own or used in soups and stews.
Gozinaki is a traditional Georgian dessert with a crunchy texture, made with honey-fried, caramelized nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts. This sweet treat is often cut into diamond shapes, and it is traditionally consumed at Christmas and New Year.
Source: Georgianjournal.ge
Batumi to Host International Rural Tourism Conference
The second International Conference of Rural Tourism will be held in Batumi on October 19-20. The main topic of the conference will be “Rural Tourism as Business”.
The conference will present presentations, reports and seminars by invited Georgian and foreign experts, and introductory practical visits will be arranged on tourist routes throughout the Adjara region.
The topics of the Conference include:
Village and village life as a tourist product, business and source of income;
Innovative services and tourist products to maintain rural / village authenticity in parallel with innovative services;
Rural tourism development prospects and challenges in the Adjara region/tourist infrastructure in rural areas;
General standards of rural tourism (service standards, types of family guest houses, etc.);
Georgian hospitality and hospitality as a business;
State programs in rural tourism development in Georgia and other countries;
Competition in rural tourism, positive and negative impacts and sides of the competition;
Attracting tourists in rural areas and advertising.
The conference will be attended by the owners of family guest houses, tourist agencies, the representatives of the different fields of rural and eco-tourism, as well as the representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations.
“In the Adjara region, rural tourism is at the initial stage of development, so it is important for us to get acquainted with the international experience and successful business examples of rural tourism.
“Although the locals of Adjara region have started to actively engage in tourism sphere and the number of the providers of family guest houses and other tourist services is significantly increasing, there is still a lot of work in the direction of tourism business development,” said Tinatin Zoidze, Director of Tourism Products Development Agency of Ajara Tourism Department. “Accordingly, we need to get acquainted with other people’s experiences and use it in practice. This is the main goal of our conference and I think that we will have interesting speakers this year, too.”