Top 10 Georgian Meat Dishes

Mtsvadi is a traditional dish consisting of a skewered shish kebab. Pork, mutton, or veal is typically marinated in a mixture of lemon juice, pomegranate juice, tarragon, salt, pepper, and chopped onions, so that it remains tender and juicy when grilled. Mtsvadi is often prepared outdoors over an open fire. It is recommended to serve the dish with tkemali plum sauce, raw onion rings, sliced tomatoes, and pomegranate seeds.Expand

Similar to a goulash, chashushuli is a hearty beef and tomato stew hailing from Georgia. The stew is typically made with a combination of beef (sometimes veal or pork), tomatoes, onions, water or meat broth, garlic, and a generous amount of spices and herbs such as basil, chili pepper, parsley, fenugreek, summer savory, and bay leaves, yielding a highly aromatic and flavor-packed dish. Chashushuli is considered a version of another traditional Georgian beef stew called ostri, which uses almost all of the same ingredients as chashushuli, but it also contains coriander seeds and involves a different method of preparation. When preparing chashushuli, the meat needs to be fried before it is mixed with the rest of the ingredients and stewed, whereas the preparation of ostri requires no pre-cooking of the meat and everything is cooked in one pot from the beginning. Spicy and filling, the stew is typically served hot with Georgian bread such as shoti and a glass of fine Saperavi wine.Expand

Chanakhi is a hearty Georgian stew made with lamb, eggplant, sweet peppers, and tomatoes. The stew is typically flavored and seasoned with coriander, basil, pepper, and salt. This flavorful dish is traditionally served in individual clay pots, called chanakhi, hence the name. It is believed that chanakhi tastes even better if reheated the next day, when all of the flavors have been thoroughly combined.Expand

Ojakhuri is a Georgian dish consisting of roasted meat (pork, chicken, lamb, or beef) and potatoes. The name of the dish means family meal in Georgian, so every family has their own recipe, variations, and they all use different seasonings for the roast. The dish is usually garnished with slices of pickled vegetables and served with accompaniments such as tkemali or ajika sauces.Expand

Chakapuli is a popular Georgian stew consisting of either beef or lamb meat, unripe sour plums, onions, green peppers, white wine, and herbs and seasonings such as tarragon, coriander, garlic, and salt. It is especially popular during spring, when the plums are still unripe. Chakapuli is often served during the feast of Orthodox Easter, and it is recommended to serve it hot with Georgian bread on the side.Expand

Dolma is Türkiye's national dish, and it signifies any sort of vegetable stuffed with a mixture based on rice. For traditional dolma, grape leaves are stuffed with rice and ground meat. Stuffed leaves were first made at the court of King Khusrow II in the early 7th century. The popularity of dolma spread throughout the Muslim world, so there are numerous variations of the dish. Dolma is divided into two groups: dolma without meat and dolma with olive oil. Those without meat and cooked with olive oil are called yalanci, meaning imitation. Meat dolmas must always include rice, or sometimes bulgur. As explorer Pietro della Valle wrote, "If it doesn't contain rice, it is not a Turkish dish." Nevertheless, the end result is always the same–delicious and flavorful stuffed rolls.Expand

Khashlama is a straightforward and traditional meat dish originating from the Caucasus region. Although time-consuming, the dish is made by simply boiling large chunks of meat, usually beef or lamb, in hot water. The traditional version of this famous dish does not include other ingredients, except a few spices, making the boiled pieces of meat the star of the dish. Because of this, khashlama contains only the finest meat cuts available. The origins of the dish believe to be in the Georgian Kakheti region, where it is regarded as a regional signature dish. However, it is also widely popular in the neighboring Armenia, causing disputes over the true origin of the dish. Traditionally, khashlama is prepared on an open fire, slowly, until the meat is perfectly tender. It is commonly flavored with onions, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Because it is rather time-consuming, the dish is usually served on special occasions, and it is a common staple of supra, a traditional Georgian feast. Boiled pieces of meat are commonly served hot and garnished with a generous amount of coarse salt and chopped parsley.Expand

Abkhazura is a traditional dish originating from Abkhazia. These spicy meatballs are prepared with a combination of beef, pork, parsley, dill, coriander, pepper, onions, and summer savory. The meat needs to be tightly rolled in caul fat before it's seasoned with spices and fried in a pan. These meatballs are traditionally served with tkemali sauce.Expand

Buglama is a popular Azerbaijani and Georgian dish consisting of lamb pieces that are stewed with onions, tomatoes, peppers, a variety of spices including black pepper and bay leaves, and a small amount of liquid. The name of the dish means steamed, referring to the fact that the lamb is cooked in its own juices. Although lamb is the most common option, it is not unusual to prepare buglama with fish.Expand

Kayrma is a traditional meat dish originating from Georgia. The dish is usually made with a combination of lamb shoulder, oil, onions, garlic, pomegranate juice, bay leaves, and salt. The lamb and bay leaves are cooked in oil until the meat is almost tender. The onions and garlic are sautéed in oil, then mixed with the pomegranate juice and lamb pieces. Before serving, the dish is seasoned with salt and it's usually accompanied by rice or bread on the side.Expand