Cooked over an open fire. At the same time, different peoples of the world have dishes with the addition of such flatbread. For example, in Georgia this flatbread is called Adjarian khachapuri. We will tell you in more detail how to eat this rich bread.
What is khachapuri?
Translated from Georgian, “khacha” is translated as cottage cheese, and “puri” is bread. So it turns out that this is a kind of flatbread with cottage cheese. However, what is usually added to the dough for Adjarian khachapuri is not exactly cottage cheese.
This is a special consistency reminiscent of cottage cheese. It is made from cow's milk with the addition of a special starter. In this kind of brine, the future cheese, or as it is also called “chkini-keli,” must sour for at least two days. Once ready, this young cheese acquires a light salty flavor. And after that you can put it in dough and even make the well-known suluguni from it.
A brief history of the origin of khachapuri
According to ethnographers, the first ones began to be made in the mountainous area of northwestern Georgia. It is noteworthy that the first flatbreads were made specifically for shepherds, who spent a long time in nature and did not have the opportunity to have a normal lunch. In addition, it is even dangerous to take a lot of food with you under the scorching sun. Later, this flatbread acquired national significance and was served throughout Georgia.
What do you need to bake flatbread?
According to the natives of Georgia, in order to make Adjarian-style khachapuri (boat), you only need a little wheat flour, matsoni (a fermented milk product that tastes like curdled milk) or water and young cheese. Typically, these ingredients are used to make dough. It is rolled into a flat cake and baked over an open fire.
Once the flatbread is ready, a raw egg is cracked into the center, a few knobs of butter are added, and it is placed back in the wood-burning oven. It turns out to be quite a satisfying and tasty dish that can easily feed a whole family.
What are Georgian flatbreads like?
Depending on the place of preparation, khachapuri can be street or restaurant. Accordingly, the former are prepared right on the street (in small rooms resembling kiosks), and the latter are prepared in the restaurant kitchen.
Depending on the type of dough for Adjarian khachapuri, the flatbreads can be puffed (called “penovani”) or unpuffed. They can also differ in shapes and sizes, the thickness of the dough and even the amount of filling.
Varieties of restaurant flatbreads
Restaurant flatbreads can be divided into four types:
- Imereti.
- Megrelian.
- Gurian.
- Adjarian.
The most common type of Georgian flatbread is Imeretian khachapuri. As a rule, in appearance they resemble a huge and round plate. When preparing this product, cheese is usually placed inside the dough. You can safely roll this flatbread in half, take it with you on a trip, and eat it cold. And this is in contrast to Adjarian-style khachapuri. We will tell you how to eat this flatbread below.
Megrelian flour products also have a round and flat shape. However, during their preparation, cheese is placed not only inside, but also outside (on top of the dough). This flatbread looks very appetizing. According to many tourists, it is also very tasty. This is not surprising, because there is so much cheese in it. This flatbread is best eaten hot, but you can also eat it cold.
Gurian khachapuri resembles Imeretian ones, but they differ in shape. Visually, they look like flat bagels. And Adjarian-style khachapuri deserves special attention. Not everyone knows how to eat them correctly. But there are real legends about these flatbreads. Externally, they have the shape of an eye or a boat, which is why they evoke pleasant associations. The taste is also interesting, combining dough, cheese, melted butter and egg.
How to cook flatbread in Adjarian style?
Before you eat Adjarian-style khachapuri, you must first cook it. And although every housewife has her own secrets for preparing dough, most often you will need: approximately 600-640 g of flour, about 300-380 ml of clean water, 10-15 g of ordinary salt and 2 g of dry yeast. For the filling you should use 5-6 eggs, 90-100 g of butter, 1000-1200 g of Imeretian cheese, you can also add a little suluguni here.
In total, preparing this dish takes no more than 15-20 minutes. And it is designed to treat at least six people. The entire cooking process begins with 10 minutes of kneading the dough. After it becomes more or less plastic and soft, it is left to rise for 2-3 hours.
The dough is then carefully divided into approximately 6 equal sausages. Next, each of them is rolled out individually, creating oblong boat-shaped cakes with your hands. Finely chopped cheese is placed in the center of each, and the edges of the dough are sealed.
These slightly elongated pies are turned over so that the seam is bottom to bottom. After this, a small recess is created in the center of each product and the edges are rounded. And finally, after baking in the oven, egg and butter are added to the pies. All that remains is to serve ready-made Adjarian-style khachapuri to the table. Everyone who decides to try this amazing Georgian dish should know how to eat them correctly.
How to eat a flatbread without attracting attention?
Usually tourists or visitors who try khachapuri boats for the first time can be seen immediately. They not only stand out against the general background of Georgian color, but also eat flour products incorrectly. Most often they do this using traditional utensils: a knife and fork. But how to eat khachapuri in Adjarian style so as not to stand out from the general background of restaurant or cafe visitors?
Let's start with the fact that this flatbread is eaten with your hands. Therefore, put all devices aside. Take the edges of the butter boat and start breaking off pieces of it. At the same time, each time moisten this piece in the cheese filling and egg. This must be repeated until you get closer to the center of the cake. At the end, you should only be left with the cheese bottom of the boat, which you need to roll into a tube and eat. This is how they eat khachapuri with eggs.
What to serve with Adjarian khachapuri?
According to local residents, khachapuri is a separate flour dish that does not require any additional sauces or seasonings. It can be eaten with tea or washed down with tarragon or lemonade. You can also add other dishes of your choice. But believe me, this is a completely independent and extremely satisfying dish that does not need unnecessary framing.
When to serve the flatbread?
You can taste the taste of khachapuri at any time, regardless of whether it is morning or evening. It is perfect for a hearty breakfast, lunch or family dinner. At the same time, it may well become not only the main course, but also an excellent snack for fairly hungry guests.
Now you know how to eat and cook boat-shaped khachapuri.
Fragrant corn cakes, spicy pkhali pate and warm khachapuri. Add to this a bouquet of excellent Georgian wines, sunny weather and national dances - an excellent choice for a quality holiday.
Khachapuri in Adjarian style, or is it possible to eat this delicacy entirely?
In restaurants and cafes in Batumi, Adjarian khachapuri is prepared in special ovens. Moreover, mostly men. Photo taken with a Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone.
This is what the national delicacy looks like in its raw form. Photos of Samsung Galaxy S5
Despite its apparent simplicity, preparing the dish is not so easy. The whole secret is not so much in the hot filling, but in the airy dough.
By the way, not every tourist knows how to eat khachapuri correctly in Adjarian style. To get maximum pleasure, Adjarians recommend mixing the filling, then slightly breaking off the edges of the bun, and dipping the cheese delicacy with them to enjoy the taste.
This is the finished product. The taste is amazing! Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone
Only locals can eat the entire delicacy. A tourist cannot handle this. Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone
Fewer demands are made except for a simple puff pastry with cheese. Regular khachapuri is cut into triangular pieces and served at the beginning of the feast. Sometimes Georgians make this dish open, sometimes closed. At the request of the tourist, you can also add meat, eggs and other goodies here.
A simple puff pastry with cheese.
We also liked the rich taste of the pate made from herbs, vegetables, nuts and seasonings with the unusual name “phali”. A very varied and ambiguous dish in taste, it is usually spread on pita bread and used as a snack.
Spicy eggplants in Georgian style. Photos on a Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone
Eggplants with a spicy dressing and pomegranate garnish look and taste great.
It’s rare that a Georgian table is complete without unleavened corn cakes – mchadi. A tender dough is made from corn flour and warm water, then the pancakes are fried in a frying pan without oil and served. You can eat them instead of bread and they are very filling!
Mchadi. A tender dough is made from corn flour and warm water. Photo taken by Samsung Galaxy S5
There are also several fish restaurants in Batumi. We were lucky enough to be in one of them on the Black Sea coast. Fried mullet and horse mackerel were served here. The fish is small but tasty. Locals recommend frying whole carcasses in corn flour. The mullet's bones are so small that you don't have to remove them. Horse mackerel meat has a rich, soft taste, complemented by a spicy composition of Georgian seasonings and herbs.
Such spicy salads with the addition of nuts are served in a fish restaurant. Photo taken by Samsung Galaxy S5
Not a single Georgian table is complete without cheeses. There are many of them here. Chechil cheese (braid-shaped) is often served smoked. Suluguni - considered an original Georgian invention, soft cheese with mint gadazelili and lamb guda cheese are simply cut into a plate, placed on the table and treated to guests.
The abundance of cheeses in Georgia is surprising. Moreover, everyone loves them: both children and adults. Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone
Long live Georgian wine!
Georgians love wine and love to treat tourists to this drink. The Georgian supra feast is not only a variety of dishes, but also more than 30 toasts. The first one always rises in honor of God and Peace, then they drink to acquaintance, parents, friendship and love... In restaurants it is customary to serve light white wine.
We visited the “Adjarian House of Wine” and tried several wines at once. “Chkhaveri”, a wine with a pale straw color and a pink tint, surprised us with a magical aftertaste. I liked “Tsolikauri” because of its tart berry taste with oak notes.
Gazebo in the "Adjarian House of Wine"
This is what the vineyards look like near the Adjarian House of Wine in Batumi.
Grapes are stored in such a sterile pit before they are made into wine.
Special device for wine production
Using small ladles, the future wine is “raised” for testing.
Here at the Adjara Wine House we not only saw how wine is made, but also learned several interesting traditions. For example, according to ancient customs, the glass before each new toast must be supplemented with wine. Moreover, this does not depend on the amount of drink consumed in the previous toast. In addition, at the end of the toast, the participants of the feast, in confirmation of what has been said, loudly say “Gaumarjos!”, which means “Long live!”
Georgians During weddings they drink wine from such vessels
In this premises, the Adjara Wine House plans to start producing champagne
Georgians also love lemonades: tarragon, duchess. No holiday lunch or dinner is complete without a bottle or two of this fizzy drink. These drinks have a special taste, just like in childhood.
Georgians are incredibly hospitable, generous and cheerful people. The feast is often accompanied by folk dancing. In one of the restaurants, children of different ages with an extensive repertoire performed in front of the public. And perhaps the most memorable was the “Acharuli” dance. The colorful costumes, vibrant movements and dynamism of the performers are impressive and memorable for a long time.
The famous Georgian hospitality works flawlessly. It is perhaps difficult to imagine another country where such hospitable people live. The quantity and quality of national dishes is also impressive. Georgian cuisine is truly original. We were able to try only a part of the wide variety of meat, vegetable and fish dishes with all kinds of spicy additives, nut sauces and pomegranate seeds. But it was amazingly delicious!
Interesting things on the topic of holidays in Georgia:
The classics and pride of Georgian cuisine - khinkali and khachapuri - should be perceived as more than just southern dishes. It is enough to pay attention to how sensitive the Georgians themselves are to these dishes, how easy it is to make a mistake when preparing them or the very process of eating them. This is the same case when the minimum available resources in skillful hands turns into unexpectedly juicy, varied and even interactive food.
Khinkali (like khachapuri) requires one hundred percent adherence to exact recipes and careful selection of ingredients, otherwise you risk simply not understanding such a dish and “dignifying” it with an offensive comparison with a large dumpling. Today FURFUR presents a short guide to khinkali and khachapuri - it breaks down these dishes into types, gives advice on how not to look ignorant during the first meeting with khinkali, and also turns to professionals from the famous Moscow restaurant “Chito-Ra” for help.
Khachapuri
As you know, khachapuri is a flatbread with a special loose cheese - one that cannot be grated, but can only be torn by hand. It is interesting that not so long ago Georgia patented this dish - the government of this country is trying to create such conditions that khachapuri, made from ingredients that are incorrect, in their opinion, cannot bear the name khachapuri. The people of this country have such a reverent attitude towards the authenticity of this dish.
Khachapuri is divided into a large number of types, however, usually, the choice consists of only three: Imeretian, Megrelian and Adjarian. The first two have the shape of a circle and are baked with Imeretian cheese or suluguni inside (in the case of Megrelian khachapuri, also outside).
Khachapuri in Adjarian style
Another story is Adjarian-style khachapuri. It is distinguished by its boat shape and a fresh egg with butter in the middle - apparently, without them the dish may not be filling enough. There is no consensus on how to properly eat such khachapuri, but besides the boring options of eating with your hands and a fork, there is a more interactive one: mix the filling with a fork, then break off the hard edges of the “boat” and, moistening it with the filling, put it in your mouth. In the end, only the middle remains of the khachapuri, which is eaten with a fork and knife.
Khinkali: basics
Some will say that khinkali is just a strange big dumpling from Georgia, and they will be wrong. Still, khinkali are distinguished by the juicy broth inside, which makes them more similar to Uzbek Chinese manta rays. The latter, however, are deprived of all the interactivity that is present in eating khinkali: several variations of preparation, disputes about the method of eating, counting tails and determining the weakest eater, the ability to eat with your hands without being embarrassed by indecent sounds - all this makes khinkali the most masculine dish.
Chewing, of course, was very difficult for him, but he wanted to eat. And there was no food, only lamb meat, onions, garlic and flour. So my sister chopped the meat into mince and cooked it with broth. There are a lot of sheep in the mountains, but cooking could only be done in a very primitive way. And for khinkali you don’t need to fry anything, just a pan and flour.”
One of the controversies surrounding khinkali is whether it should be with or without herbs. Initially, khinkali were prepared without greens, which simply were not available in the mountains. The version with greens was invented by city slickers, for whom the “dough-meat-pepper” formula seemed too ascetic.
How to eat khinkali
Main mistakes
Eat with a fork and knife |
Eat with the tail |
Snack on bread |
There are already cooled khinkali |
Josip, cook at Chito-Ra:“In Georgia it is bad form if someone eats khinkali with a fork and knife, it is not accepted. When George Bush came to Georgia, he even ate with his hands. In Russia, many people do it wrong - they eat it with sauce, and with bread, and with sour cream, and with a fork and a knife. But you need to eat khinkali just like that, it’s such a primitive, rustic dish.”
July 3rd, 2015
Oh, yes! I love Georgia, I really can’t! I still remember my trip to this most hospitable country in the summer of 2006 and look forward to the future trip that we will take to Georgia and Armenia in two months. Well, I hope it happens! For now, all that remains is to enjoy Georgia in your native Moscow. No, no, you heard right. We also have Georgia in Moscow. And last Sunday my friends and I visited the Khachapuri Festival in a nice Georgian cafe "Batoni" on Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya. And I’ll tell you more: it was not just a Festival, but a real full-fledged master class on making khachapuri! The chef of the cafe, Nana Chechelashvili, told us and showed us how to prepare them. And we prepared as many as five types of them: Imeretian, Megrelian, Adjarian, with herbs and puff pastry.
Well, then we ate them too. Yum!
I warn you right away: this story of mine is about very tasty food. Therefore, whoever didn’t hide, it’s not my fault!
This modest, sweet woman is chef Nana Chechelashvili.
2.
In general, what I appreciated most is that only Georgians work as cooks in the kitchen at Batoni. What does this mean? And the fact that the cuisine here, in this case, is truly Georgian, and not “similar to Georgian,” as is often the case in other establishments. And, in general, I believe that only representatives of the country or region of this very cuisine can prepare dishes of traditional national cuisine. But for everyone else, it turns out differently.
3.
I honestly admit to a small omission. There are three cafes "Batoni" in our city, but I still haven't been to one. Therefore, when I read on their website that in “Batoni” on Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya “warm spicy smells, warm delicious Georgian bread, warm lampshade light and a warm look” were waiting for me, that is, in other words, everything that I liked so much nine years ago in Georgia itself, I went there with even greater pleasure.
At the entrance to the cafe, musicians played Georgian melodies and sang national songs.
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And look at the paintings on the walls in “Batoni”! :)
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A little more surroundings.
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Rolling pins for the master class and khachapuri recipes were already waiting for us!
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Ingredients.
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And finally, the Festival began. But you probably already realized that there were a lot of people who wanted to learn how to cook real Georgian khachapuri. They all put on aprons and gloves and crowded around the table. Moreover, it was so dense that at first I didn’t even manage to squeeze in to take a few photos. However, Nana was not at a loss for a minute and immediately began to talk about how to make the right dough for khachapuri.
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And it turned out to be not at all difficult to do. Moreover, for all types of khachapuri, with the exception of puff pastry, the dough is, in general, the same.
Write it down!
- Water - 1 liter or Milk - 1 liter;
- Flour - 1 kilogram;
- Sugar - 1 tablespoon;
- Salt - 1 tablespoon;
- Yeast - 1 tablespoon.
Knead the dough by first adding 2 tablespoons of flour and leave until bubbles appear. And then add the rest of the flour, mix, leave in a warm place for 40 minutes and mix again.
15.
First of all, we started preparing khachapuri in Mergelian and Imeretian styles. These two types of khachapuri, as it turns out, are very similar to each other. For the filling, per one piece you need to take 220 grams of cheese (Suluguni and Imertinsky in equal proportions). Grate the cheese. Then roll out the dough into circles 5 mm thick (one khachapuri takes about 210 grams of dough). Place the cheese filling in the center of each circle, bring the edges of the dough together and pinch. Then sprinkle a little flour and roll out again to a thickness of 8-10 mm.
If you are preparing khachapuri in Megrelian style, then you need to sprinkle cheese on top, but if in Imeretian style, then you do not need to do this. Actually, this is precisely why Megrelian and Imeretian khachapuri differ from each other.
16.
Then put them in the oven as hot as possible for 10 minutes.
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Before serving, brush the crust with oil.
Incredibly delicious! :)
19.
Inga arctic-inga.ru
he knows for sure! 
Well, I love Adjarian khachapuri most of all. For a long time, ardently and passionately. A fan, in general! :) We started to eat them after the Mingrelian and Imeretian khachapuri were eaten.
The dough for Adjarian khachapuri, as I already said, is prepared in exactly the same way. And, for the filling, per one khachapuri you need to take 150 grams of cheese (Suluguni and Imeretian in equal proportions), 25 grams of butter and 1 egg. Grate the cheese for all khachapuri at once, beat in one extra egg and add a little salt.
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Roll out the dough into large, plump ovals (one khachapuri takes about 180 grams of dough) and make boats out of it - fold the edges towards each other and pinch the corners.
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Everyone's getting ready!
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Place the filling into the boats.
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And put them in the oven at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.
We take it out, beat one egg yolk into the center and put it back for 4 minutes!
Here the eggs await their fate. :))
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The yolk has gone!
28.
Take it out of the oven again, put a small piece of butter in each khachapuri and... eat!
29.
This is incredibly delicious! Lena appassionata_lr
won't let you lie. :))
The best khachapuri in Georgia!
30.
After preparing and eating Adjarian-style khachapuri, everyone, however, was a little tired, and some even scattered in all directions. But my fellow bloggers and I were persistent and continued to participate in the master class. Now it’s time to prepare khachapuri with herbs and khachapuri made from puff pastry, which, by the way, are called foamani.
For the filling for khachapuri with herbs, per one khachapuri it was necessary to take 130 grams of cheese (Suluguni and Imeretian in equal proportions), 85 grams of beet leaf and 15 grams of fresh tarragon.
Grate the cheese and mix it with chopped herbs.
31.
Well, then we do everything exactly the same as when we prepared khachapuri in Imeretian style.
Roll out the dough into circles.
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We put the filling on it.
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We connect the edges, pinch them, sprinkle the flatbread with a little flour and roll it out again.
It turns out such beauty! :)
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Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, remove and brush the crust with butter before serving. Mrrrr! :)
And, in order to prepare foamani - khachapuri from puff pastry, Nana Chechelashvili suggests taking ready-made dough. In principle, I completely agree with her, because making puff pastry yourself is such a hassle that it’s really easier for me personally to buy ready-made dough in the store, especially since it’s sold everywhere.
Roll out the dough to form thin squares. Then fold them in half and roll them out thinly again. We do this three times. If necessary, add flour little by little so that the dough does not stick to your hands and to the board. Grate the cheese and place it on the dough squares.
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Now we roll up the khachapuri into an envelope.
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And send it to bake in the oven, preheated to 220 degrees, for 15 minutes.
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Let's get it!
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Grease the crust with butter and be sure to eat it hot. This is exactly the trick of puff khachapuri. :)
41.
I honestly admit: I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t manage to try all five types of khachapuri (in fact, I only tried two: marl style and half Adjarian style), so all the guests packed khachapuri with herbs and foamani to take with them. True, by the time I got home, I still wasn’t hungry and treated my parents to khachapuri. They really liked it. :)
Well, as for the festival and the master class, at the end all its participants were awarded branded certificates and three prizes were drawn: two bottles of excellent Georgian wine and a trip to “Batoni” for two people.
42.
“This certificate certifies that Natalya Anokhina was trained in preparing 5 types of khachapuri on June 28, 2015 and is such a master of Georgian cuisine! We swear to our mother, well!”
So, if anything, please contact us. :))
43.
Do you know what was the most surprising? That I won one of the two bottles of wine. :))
White dry Tsinandali. How I love. :)
44.
Well, at the end of my story, all I can do is thank “Batoni” from the bottom of my heart for an excellent Festival, and
A trip to Georgia forever remains in the heart of every traveler. This wonderful country makes you fall in love immediately and forever. At any time of the year, tourists are fascinated by the beauty of the mountain landscapes, which they try to preserve in photos and videos, as well as the openness, emotionality and friendliness of the local residents. And the varied Georgian cuisine often becomes the reason to return to your favorite places. Tender meat, juicy vegetables, aromatic herbs, fragrant cheeses and other ingredients are transformed into a variety of delicious dishes that are offered in cozy cafes and restaurants. And all this is a must try!
Among the abundance of flavors, Adjarian-style khachapuri, a kind of pies or flatbreads filled with cheese, has become a traditional treat for tourists. Everyone who has tried them at least once in their life has a memory of extraordinary pleasure. But tourists who see this dish for the first time often feel confused: not every visitor knows how to eat it correctly
Special pie
Khachapuri is a traditional one that can be tried in any Georgian restaurant. In Adjara, it is given the shape of a boat, and unlike other regions of the country, Adjarian pies have an open appearance. Not only cheese is placed in the middle of the dough boat. After baking, add an egg and pieces of butter. The liquid consistency of the khachapuri filling causes problems for visitors.
But it's not that complicated! This is confirmed by experienced travelers, as well as numerous videos that tell you how to properly eat a cheese cake.
Traditional way of eating khachapuri in Adjarian style
We owe the appearance of the famous cheese pie not to the kitchens of Georgian princes or aristocracy. This dish was invented by shepherds, with whom it replaced lunch, breakfast or dinner. Being simple villagers, they did not stand on ceremony with khachapuri and ate it without cutlery.
In Georgia, there is still a custom of eating Adjarian-style khachapuri with your hands; local residents will appreciate following the tradition.
However, there are some subtleties here: Adjarian khachapuri cannot be taken in your hand and bitten off little by little. Exposed liquid filling requires different handling.
You need to break off a small piece from the corner of the boat, fold it into the filling so that the dough is saturated, and put it in your mouth. After this, the next piece is broken off and eaten, again immersed in the filling.
Option for a restaurant
Not every tourist is ready to eat khachapuri with their hands, especially when it comes to a restaurant. In this case, you can use a knife and fork, but the principle of eating khachapuri remains the same.
Sequencing
- Combine all filling ingredients.
When starting to make Adjarian-style khachapuri, you should first of all thoroughly mix the filling so that the egg, melted cheese and pieces of butter form a homogeneous consistency.
- Soaking the dough.
After mixing the filling, you need to saturate the dough with it as much as possible. To do this, use a knife and fork to carefully push the edges of the boat in different directions so that the mixture flows under the edges of the dough.
You can also carefully cut the top of the pie in several places so that the dough is thoroughly soaked in the mixture of egg, cheese and butter.
- Meal.
Cut off a small corner from either side of the boat, dip it in the filling and eat it, enjoying the great taste!
Alternately cutting off small pieces of dough, you need to take only its upper part, leaving the bottom of the pie intact.
They switch to it when the top of the flatbread is eaten. The lower part of the flatbread is rolled into a tube and eaten in this form. You can also cut off small pieces, thread them onto a fork, and eat them.
Now you know everything about khachapuri. It's not difficult to eat, but it's very tasty!
Bon appetit!