Recipes for meat dishes of Abkhazian cuisine step by step. What to try in Abkhazia

One of the main Abkhazian national dishes is hominy, porridge from cornmeal, which is boiled in water without adding salt. In Abkhazia there is whole line various variations hominy - so, it is cooked with cottage cheese, milk, cheese. Maize flour, which is widespread in Abkhazia, is also used to make flat cakes that replace bread for Abkhazians. Of course, corn on the cob (boiled, fried or baked) is also a popular local dish. In general, many dishes of the Abkhaz national cuisine are prepared either from corn flour or from corn itself. But Wheat flour rarely used, mainly for cooking cheese pies(something like khachapuri) and cheese dumplings (something like khinkali).

An important element of today's Abkhaz cuisine is meat. As a rule, meat or poultry is first cut into large pieces and then boiled or fried for open fire. Interestingly, soups and broths are Abkhaz traditional cuisine practically does not recognize them - Abkhazians still eat and rarely cook them.

However, if we compare the Abkhazian cuisine with other cuisines of the peoples of the Caucasus, then meat is used much less frequently in it. But for use fresh vegetables Abkhazians are in first place among the Caucasian peoples. AT summer time years, the most popular fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and green onion, in winter time- pickled cucumbers, kohlrabi, artichokes, radishes. Almost every meal, no matter what the main course, is accompanied by large quantity fresh greens on the table. Abkhazians actively eat parsley, dill, cilantro, watercress, and usually do not add greens to dishes, but serve it separately in fresh. However, these features Abkhaz cuisine characteristic of many other cuisines of this region.

A story about Abkhazian cuisine would be incomplete without mentioning adjika. Adjika is perhaps the most popular invention of Abkhazian cuisine, which is in demand today not only in Russia, but also in many other countries. This fragrant spicy paste Abkhazians are happy to add it to almost all their dishes, as a result of which the dishes of the Abkhazian cuisine have a special, unique aroma and taste. The main ingredient of adjika is red pepper, garlic and various herbs are also added there. Cooking adjika at home is not difficult, but only Abkhazians know how to cook it really tasty.

It should be noted that various spicy sauces and spices in general are a very important part of the Abkhaz cuisine, and adjika is the most popular, but not the only example. So, Abkhazians know how to cook sauces and seasonings from cherry plum, barberry, blackberry, and tomato. They are served with hominy and meat dishes.

The most popular Abkhazian drink is undoubtedly wine. There is historical evidence that the Abkhaz were engaged in winemaking as early as 4-5 thousand years ago. Today, excellent white and red wine is produced here, which is in demand not only in Abkhazia itself, but also abroad. In addition to wine, important national drink is chacha - grape vodka, which almost every Abkhazian farmer makes today.

It has its own distinctive features and features associated with the traditional occupations of the Abkhazians. Since ancient times, the Abkhaz people have been engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, and this is precisely what explains the use of milk and grain (millet, corn) in their diet. Climatic conditions contributed to the active cultivation of various fruits, nuts, grapes, figs, berries, various vegetables, which have become indispensable on the Abkhazian table.
From plant food the most popular are beans, beets, cabbage, tomatoes, wild herbs, and also - radishes, garlic, chestnuts, green onions. Pickles and smoked meats are common. Peculiarity local cuisine- the use of spices and hot sauces.

Popular Abkhaz dishes

There are two types of food here: aguhu - flour food and atsyfa - everything that comes with it. Recipes traditional dishes They are quite simple, but that is where their beauty lies. Simple, natural and delicious! Maybe it's time to start getting to know each other.

flour products

Hominy
The main flour dish, which is made from cornmeal. It has special recipe cooking, while cooking quickly and just. Its peculiarity is that it is cooked without salt.Hominy is served with delicious smoked cheese, pickles (cucumbers, peppers), special sauce. This is very helpful and hearty meal, rich in fiber which is essential for proper digestion.
Hominy - dense in structure, is a local bread, so they eat it with their hands, breaking off small pieces, snacking on smoked meats, pickles, and dipping into the sauce. The taste is awesome!
Varieties of hominy:
- Ashlarkunta - liquid consistency, served with peanut butter;
- Ailaj - eaten with sour-milk cheese;
- Achamykva - cooked on cheese with the addition of milk.
Corn flour products:
- chureki - cakes with cheese, honey, nuts;
- local breads;
- Abkhaz halva.
Corn cobs are used for frying or boiled.
Wheat flour products
Wheat is less common in cooking, but still used. Prepared from it:
- achashv - cheese pie;
- Abkhaz dumplings;
- sweets - baklava or halva.

Sauces

Traditional cuisine is inconceivable without sauces called asyzbal. They are made from following products: cherry plum, barberry, tomatoes, blackberries, green grapes, beans, pomegranate, walnuts. There is a sauce based on sour milk. It is added to flour products.
Adjika
Once it replaced the local population with salt, which was in short supply. Today it is the most popular sauce! No food is complete without adjika. It is present everywhere: it is eaten with milk and meat products, it is seasoned with salads, it is the basis for the manufacture of traditional hot sauces.
How is it done? Includes: red hot peppers, parsley, garlic, coriander, basil, cilantro, salt. Ready adjika is packaged in special jars, which are then stored in the refrigerator.

Milk dishes

They play one of the main roles in the Abkhaz cuisine. They contain many useful trace elements for our body.
Popular spoiled milk goats, cows and buffalo. Based on it, drinks with honey are made. Milk is a necessary element in the manufacture of cheeses:
- suluguni;
- wineskin - in the form of paste;
- fermented milk - with the addition of nuts and adjika.
It is also involved in the production of cream and cottage cheese.In addition, sour milk is an excellent medicine, often used for medicinal purposes. Due to sour-milk fermentation, the intestinal microflora is stimulated and restored. No wonder there is a folk proverb that says: "If you want to live long, you need to drink a lot of sour milk."

Meat dishes

Along with milk, vegetables and fruits, meat is widely consumed by Abkhazians.Usually it is chicken, turkey or beef, goat, lamb, pork meat. It is usually prepared on a spit, with the addition of sauces, nuts, cheeses. Boiled, stewed, smoked meat, sausages are common.Fish, horsemeat, mushrooms, and liquid meals(soups) - Abkhazians practically do not use.
Traditional Abkhaz meat dishes:
- chicken fried on a spit;
- boiled chicken, with adjika;
- chick under tomato sauce(akuchyhyitsarsh);
- Abkhaz liver sausage;
- chicken with walnut sauce;
- lamb or beef skewers (azhy dzny);
- lamb stew with sauce and garlic (akurma);
- boiled liver and offal seasoned with onion, cilantro (amguachapa);
- meat smoked on a spit (liar dzna);
- roast goat meat with sour milk cheese, mint and sauce - a real delicacy;
- goat meat or lamb boiled in milk;
In general, Abkhazians are masters of frying. They do this with the help of a spit, spinning over fire or coals.

vegetable dishes

As mentioned above, nutrition is unthinkable without plant foods.
The most common vegetable dishes are:
- Akudchapa - beans, adjika, cilantro, celery, marshmallow, green onions, salt;
- Akharchal - a salad of kohlrabi cabbage, walnuts, cilantro, adjika, green onions;
- Abaklazhanchapa - eggplant stuffed with meat;
- Chakhokhbili - Abkhaz stew made from chicken, tomatoes, onions and cilantro.

Abkhaz sweets

Akuakuar - cookies made from honey.
Abaclaua - Abkhaz baklava.
Ashvmgyal is a cheese cake.
Miracle - Abkhazian cheesecake.
Ajanjuhua - jelly from grape must, nuts.
figs boiled with hazelnuts or honey.

Honey

In addition to all of the above, the most famous Abkhaz honey- environmentally friendly, natural product.
Once it was eaten with chureks, dumplings. It was one of the main ingredients in sweet dishes. Prepared from honey traditional drink Abkhazians - atskhadzyua, actively used in medicine.
Now honey is more often eaten in pure form. This is not only very tasty, but also extremely useful, healing product that has a beneficial effect on the nervous, cardiovascular system, which has an antiviral effect, preserving youth.
Popular varieties of honey:
- lime;
- chestnut;
- meadow;
- mountain;
- floral.

Beverages

Own production:
- akhartsvydzyua - fermented milk drink;
- juices from laurel cherry, grapes;
- mead;
- red or white wine;
- chacha - local vodka, strong drink infused with grapes or honey.
Juices are usually good thirst quenchers. Alcoholic drinks - wine and chacha are drunk at the table in small quantities. At weddings and other celebrations, where numerous toasts are made by men, much more drinks are drunk.

Interesting facts about Abkhaz cuisine

There is a dependence of consumption of dishes on what time of the year. So, in spring and summer, more often vegetable, dairy foods, flour dishes, fruit fruits, and grass are consumed. Feed in small quantities chicken meat. Autumn and winter - time meat dishes as well as dairy products.
A characteristic phenomenon is a temperate and moderate attitude to food. Close attention has always been paid to this - correct behavior, as well as the very process of eating. It is necessary that the atmosphere during the meal was friendly, calm. Fast food and unnecessary talk has always been perceived as a sign of lack of culture.
In the end, I want to say that the whole cuisine is incredibly delicious. Arriving in Abkhazia, you will see for yourself!
You can taste local dishes in special cafes - Apatskhs.
Apatskha is a kitchen located in the courtyard of an Abkhazian house. It looks like a hut, where in the center there is a fire, on which hominy is cooked, meat or cheese is smoked. There are tables with benches along the edges, all kinds of skins of wild animals (bears, deer, buffaloes) can hang on the walls.
Apatskha is a kind of symbol of the Abkhaz forge, where you will always be hospitably met and fed traditional food prepared according to all the rules and customs.

Abkhaz cuisine

Abysta, Akud, Akuats, Achash… these are the names of the main dishes of the Abkhazian cuisine. It would be useful to learn these, in general, accessible words in the Abkhaz language.

Gone are the days when, in order to taste exotic cuisine, you had to go somewhere far away. Today we know more about Chinese or Italian cuisine than even the Chinese and Italians themselves. Abkhazian cuisine is a different story. And this is another reason to come to Abkhazia - except here, there is nowhere to try the dishes of this cuisine.

Abkhazian cuisine is not just a set of dishes, which, by the way, is very limited in terms of quantity. Abkhaz cuisine is ancient history beautiful feast. What matters is not what you eat, but where, when and with whom you sit at the table. Ceremonial is generally the most important thing in the Abkhaz feast. The order of serving dishes to the table, correct sequence toasts .. all this is of great importance.

Today Chinese dishes or Italian cuisine you can eat anywhere - in a huge imperial-style restaurant, in a small roadside tavern, and even at a counter near the subway. Abkhazian cuisine is completely different - Abkhazian dishes are served only in an Abkhazian restaurant. It is hard not to find him in Abkhazia. Everywhere you will see groups of small knitted wooden houses, led by one large house, also created by hand, above the roof of which smoke from a fire slowly rises. This is apache national restaurant. The main dishes here are made on an open fire. In good apaches, the waiter will not come up to you with a menu and ask what you will order. He immediately comes to you with a tray, on which there will already be hominy, cheese, greens, pickles and Akud. Why? Because, with the exception of a few more hot dishes, this is the whole Abkhaz cuisine in its modern version. You say Abkhazian cuisine is poor? No, she is not poor, she is simple and ascetic, this is the cuisine of the mountain people, who had no time for excesses. People lived in apatskhi, here they cooked food on the fire, and if they were in danger, they boldly went to the mountains, not worrying about material wealth acquired in vain and now burnt in enemy fire.

In the Abkhaz cuisine there are three whales - "bread", that is, hominy - fresh corn porridge which still needs to be learned to eat. Also meat and beans. Although, you will most likely find yourself in Abkhazia in the summer, after all best time to visit Apachi - winter. Once inside, you will not escape the temptation to warm yourself by a large fire. Look up and you will see big chunks smoked meat. When you sit down at the table, from this big piece they will cut off the smaller one for you, roast it right there on the fire and serve it. It's really tasty, but wait, dip a piece of hominy in hot meat fat - and you will understand that hominy is really tasty.

Abkhazian cuisine, this is only natural products. In hominy, be sure to put a couple of pieces of cheese. And while you start your meal, this cheese melts in hot hominy. So the cheese must be made at home, otherwise the artificial pseudo-product will not release animal fat, and without this the zest of this dish will be lost. Akud - a dish of grated and crushed beans. It must be served with hominy and eaten just at the time when the cheese is melting.

In fact, in Soviet time many books were published about the richness of the Abkhazian cuisine. Here and all sorts flour products, a huge range of dishes from goat meat - the most quoted meat among Abkhazians, and much more, which today, of course, is, but is present mainly on large ceremonial tables. A true connoisseur of Abkhazian cuisine needs just a few dishes. Hot hominy and akud, followed by smoked fried meat, at the same time, pickles appear at the table, another highlight of the Abkhazian cuisine. But of course, achash - Abkhazian khachapur. The chef should not feel sorry for the cheese, so much so that when achas is served at the table, this cheese practically pours out. In apatskhe, it is customary to serve smoked, fried meat on the table. But no one canceled the chicken, the Abkhazian chicken. Definitely homemade, grated with adjika, and not necessarily fried over a fire, even if there is smoked pork or beef at the table. She will always fit in. Most Abkhaz men cannot imagine even a small feast without a glass, but rather a decanter of wine, or a small glass of chacha. Agree at such a table, even two or three decanters of wine, no one will be allowed to be drunk.

But the morning comes, after the big Abkhazian table is always a hangover. And here the Abkhaz cuisine will come to your aid and folk wisdom. It would be best to start the day with asydzbal, a gravy made from still quite green, unripened cherry plums. You will get acquainted with this gravy even at the table, asyzbal, like other types of gravy, is always served at any table. But in the morning we strongly recommend drinking whole glass sour sauce. It seems that she is able to immediately restore the balance of vitamins necessary for the body. And finally, one of our little advice. Real Abkhazian cuisine, real Abkhazian hospitality is not something that money can buy. In the traditional Abkhazian culture, money appeared too late, and it is not customary to serve for money in Abkhazia. Therefore, in order to feel real hospitality, go to a place where there are still no crowds of tourists - to small village apatskhis, or just to visit someone. Then you will have a chance to feel the taste of life in Abkhazian style.

Abkhaz cuisine has long been famous for its unique traditions. As you know, in the country itself people live to an advanced age. It is believed that longevity is promoted by the fact that the main dishes are prepared from vegetables, using amazing spices.

Kitchen secrets

What is interesting about the national Abkhazian cuisine? What secrets does she keep? Why is she so good?

The country of Abkhazia itself is famous for its rocky soils and mild climate. As you can imagine, all this contributes to the fact that Agriculture develops. This means that almost all dishes of vegetable origin. Of course, such dishes are very tasty, but also healthy.

They have meat dishes, although they are prepared less, but they are. Of course, we will also consider similar dishes of Abkhazian cuisine, but later.

Famous dishes of the country

Now consider the popular Abkhazian dishes. Let's start, perhaps, with hominy. You have probably heard this word many times. Hominy is a national dish not only of Abkhazia, but also of Moldova and Romania.

In Abkhazia, not a single celebration is complete without such a dish. Only in this country it is called "abysta". But what is this dish?

Hominy - corn porridge cooked without salt. When creating a dish, finely ground cereals are used. The consistency of the porridge is thick. Therefore, it can be easily eaten with your hands. As a rule, salty types of cheeses, for example, suluguni, are served with this dish. Such a product complements fresh porridge.

Sometimes nuts, cheese are added to hominy, or it is cooked in milk. Let's look at the recipe for its creation.

Recipe

For cooking you will need (for three servings):

• 4 glasses of water;
• two glasses of finely ground cereals.

Cooking

1. First, sift the corn grits.
2. Next, pour a part into hot water while stirring so that there are no lumps. Then stir occasionally and cook until mushy.
3. Then add the remaining cereal, mix thoroughly.
4. Cover with a lid, simmer for twenty minutes. Then stir again and you can serve the dish on the table.

Adjika

Abkhazian cuisine is famous all over the world, the recipes of its amazing adjika are known to many. In this country, each family has its own way of cooking, which is passed down from generation to generation.

In Russia, it is customary to say to dear guests: “bread and salt”, and in Abkhazia - “acejika” (which means “bread-adjika” in translation).

The base of the dish is tomatoes. Spices and seasonings are added to them, as well as garlic, chili, etc. Adjika is stored for a long time even when room temperature. They also eat it as a separate dish, with pita bread or bread.

Abkhaz adjika recipe

For cooking you will need:

• 70 grams of dill (fresh, leafy), parsley and the same amount of basil;
• 400 grams of garlic;
• half a kilogram of chili peppers and the same amount of tomatoes;
• 70 grams of coriander;
• salt (3 tablespoons).

Cooking:

1. Rinse the peppers, dry, cut off the “caps”.
2. Wash the tomatoes, cut out the "butt".
3. Clean the garlic.
4. Rinse greens, dry.
5. Then grind all the ingredients, including salt, in a meat grinder (run four times). You can use a blender first to grind.
6. Next, pour the resulting (just do not use aluminum utensils) into a saucepan, loosely cover with a lid. Leave for 4 days.
7. Then spread it over the banks.

Milk and milk products

Previously, the national dishes of the Abkhazian cuisine were prepared using buffalo milk, and the citizens of the country also consumed it. Nowadays, this tradition has already been abandoned. Now Abkhazians prefer goat and cow milk.

The national Abkhaz cuisine is rich in dishes prepared using the above ingredients. A common drink in this country is matsoni. It is obtained by fermenting milk. You can use cow, goat or sheep. Initially, the milk is heated to the boiling point, then it cools, and sourdough is added.

Such a drink is digested better than regular milk. The product is rich minerals, vitamins and amino acids. Matsoni contains many lactic microorganisms, which, as you know, have a positive effect on the intestinal microflora.

Abkhazian cuisine is rich in cheeses. They also cook sour-milk, wineskin, smoked. They even make homemade cottage cheese. He's very popular there. For example, consider the option of making suluguni cheese.

Suluguni

For cooking you will need:

• 10 liters fresh fat milk(preferably sheep or goat);
• liter of milk for sourdough;
• 1 gram of pepsin (sold in a pharmacy).

Cooking:

1. First, the leaven is made. To do this, dilute pepsin in a glass of milk (room temperature).
2. Strain the rest of the milk through gauze and put on fire, but not in an enamel bowl (otherwise it will burn), and warm up to thirty degrees.
3. Pour the starter into the warmed milk, cover the saucepan with a lid and put it in heat for about thirty minutes.
4. Then put the pot of milk on slow fire languish. The mass will curl up, collect it on one wall of the vessel. This process will take five minutes.
5. The result is a lump, throw it in a colander, let the excess liquid drain.
6. Now let the young cheese ferment a little (several hours) in the heat.
7. In the morning, check if it is ready for further processing. How to do it? Break off a piece, dip for five minutes in water (heated). The cheese is elastic and does not tear? Then he is ready. Otherwise, let it lie down a little more.
8. Cut the cheese into strips (2 cm thick).
9. In a saucepan, heat the water to eighty degrees, lower the strips there. They will melt.
10. The resulting mass should be cooked over low heat, stir with a wooden stick (in one direction).
11. Once the cheese is completely melted, remove the pan from the heat. Combine the whole mass into a single lump. Then take it out, make a cheese ball. Then dip into cool water. That's it, the cheese is ready.

Meat

The basis of many dishes is beef and chicken. Lamb and goat meat are less common. Pork is also cooked in the country. Seasonings are used in the cooking process.

The favorite dishes of the citizens of the country are chickens fried on a spit, as well as boiled chicken with adjika.

Fish is rarely eaten, carcasses of goats and lambs are considered a delicacy. Citizens of the country practically do not use broths.

Greens and spices

Abkhazian cuisine is distinguished by dishes, in the process of preparation of which a wide variety of greens is used. This is basil, and savory, and mint and others.

Wild herbs are also used (amaranth, purslane, nettle, sarsaparilla, wild parsley, etc.). Little salt is used in the cooking process.

In general, Abkhazian cuisine does not have a large number of dishes, but it is quite nutritious, original, tasty and healthy.

Now consider some more interesting dishes of this country.

Abkhaz cuisine: recipes for popular dishes

First, let's look at how Abkhazian beans with meat are prepared.

For cooking you will need:

• 300 grams of lamb;
• one large onion;
• cilantro greens (gram 15);
• 200 grams of red beans;
• a little adjika;
• salt.

Cooking:

1. First sort the beans, fill with cold water.
2. Cook together with lamb (coarsely chopped).
3. When the meat is ready, take it out and continue cooking the beans.
4. While cooking, add tied bunches of cilantro (one third of all used). They are taken out when ready.
5. After the beans are cooked, mash them, add adjika, finely chopped onion.
6. Then boil for another ten minutes.
7. At the end of cooking, add boiled meat (cut into small pieces).
8. Chopped coriander greens add directly to the finished dish.

Bean soup

You can cook this bean soup with both canned and fresh beans. To make the soup you will need:

• half a kilogram of meat (lamb, goat or beef);
• four potatoes;
• carrot;
• 200 grams of fresh beans (or a can of canned);
• onion;
• three cloves of garlic;
• two or three tablespoons of cornmeal and the same amount tomato paste(or two fresh tomatoes).

Cooking:

1. Put the sorted beans in water overnight to swell. You don't need to do this with canned food.
2. In the morning, boil the meat, remove it from the pan, send the beans there. Simmer until tender, adding the parsley root and celery sprig in the process.
3. Divide the meat into pieces, throw into the soup.
4. Peel potatoes, cut, add to beans.
5. Fry for vegetable oil grated carrot and finely chopped onion. Next, add pasta (or tomatoes), fry.
6. After frying, send to the soup.
7. The dish is almost ready. It remains only to fry the flour with garlic (crushed), finely chopped parsley, dill, cilantro and adjika.
8. Season the soup with the resulting mass and wait for it to boil.

Abkhaz cuisine: pastries

What is the most popular pastry in this country? Now we'll tell you. If you are interested in Abkhazian cuisine, you will like khachapuri. To prepare such a dish, you will need:

• one and a half kilograms of Adyghe (or Imeretian) cheese;
• a kilogram of flour;
• one small egg;
• 400 ml of milk;
• 125 grams of butter (25 grams for lubrication and 100 for dough);
• a tablespoon of sugar (optional)
• salt (teaspoon);
• 10 grams of yeast (high-speed, dry).

Cooking process:

1. Make a brew first. mix warm milk with yeast, sugar and flour (0.5 cup). Then stir. The result should be a homogeneous mixture. Leave it for fifteen minutes.
2. Warm up butter to let it melt. Cool down.
3. Sift flour, add eggs, brew, salt. Start kneading the dough, gradually adding oil. As a result, it should become elastic. Ready dough wrap in a towel and put in a warm place for an hour.
4. When it rises, lower it and leave it for another three hours. If there is no time, then you can not wait so much, cook right away.
5. Now make the filling. Grate the cheese (large), mash with a fork.
6. Divide the risen dough into equal parts, roll each into a ball.
7. Then make round cakes out of them. Place a pile of cheese in the center of each. Pinch the edges, lay on the work surface so that the seam is at the bottom. Now press the balls on top with the palm of your hand to make cakes. In the middle of each, make an incision so that the steam comes out.
8. Sprinkle the finished cakes with flour and bake in the oven (heated to 250 degrees - this is important!) For fifteen minutes. When the product is reddened, you can get it.

Conclusion

Now you understand what the traditional Abkhazian cuisine is. As you can see, it is very interesting. Dishes of Abkhazian cuisine have a certain unique zest. Recipes - the most popular and interesting - we told you. We hope that you will be able to make such dishes at home.

Markets and restaurants
Soups
Main dishes
Cheese and khachapuri
Alcohol
Beverages
desserts
Fruit

When I asked Abkhazians about my beloved national dish, all as one called ... hominy! Hominy, hominy, mom - it is in any Abkhazian restaurant and is an important part of the daily diet. This greyish porridge consists of coarse and finely ground white corn (the locals also call the finely ground "semolina"). The taste is very reminiscent Italian polenta and is neutral in itself, so they eat it with sauces, cheeses, spicy puree from beans.

Abkhazian women believe that no matter how much you eat, you don’t get better from hominy, men sternly say “after the war, it was only thanks to her that they survived.” In general, hominy is Abkhazian bread, it can also be eaten with meat. Tourists usually do not like it, but in vain, very useful and hearty product, the main thing is not to order both barbecue and khachapuri and hominy at the same time, just portions of hominy with sauces are enough to feed an adult man!

To taste the dishes of Abkhazian cuisine, you have to go to a restaurant or ... to the market. The restaurant is not suitable for everyone, it is better to ask guides, owners of apartments or a hotel restaurant for recommendations. It's delicious where the locals eat. As part of a trip to the Chernigov Canyon, they always offer a visit to the Assir restaurant. The tables are located along the walls of the canyon, all areas are very intimate, there is beauty around. It is tasty and expensive here, you can try everything that I will write about below. It is designed primarily for tourists, but rich Abkhazians also come here to dine

In Sukhum there is a stunning restaurant "Nartaa", located right on the embankment of the Makhajirs, not far from the Ritsa hotel. As a landmark, I can name Brekhalovka (the place where elderly Abkhazians play dominoes) or the rental of children's radio-controlled cars.

The restaurant itself is a patskhu, that is, a collection of wicker houses in the national style. It is very tasty and inexpensive there - huge khachapuri 150-200 rubles, a portion of shish kebab of 300 grams 200-300 rubles, depending on the type of meat (mutton is more expensive).

But it’s not in vain that I send you to the market (it’s the only one in Sukhum, any local resident will tell you how to get there). It is there that you can buy cheeses, fruits, honey, pastries, fish, at normal, non-tourist prices.

And now we will move on to the main dishes of the Abkhazian cuisine. Abkhazians practically don’t eat soups (“Why eat soup, the stomach stretches from it. If I eat soup, then nothing else will fit”), so they are presented on the menu exclusively for tourists. Borscht, cabbage soup, sometimes an ear. A more or less authentic soup associated with the Caucasus is Shurpa.

But meat is good! In everyday life, Abkhazians prefer boiled meat, other cooking methods - for the holidays. The restaurant is very interesting to try smoked meat, it belongs to the cold appetizers. The meat is boiled and then hangs over the fire for a couple of days, saturated with delicious smoke.

Of course, barbecue - pork, beef, chicken, lamb. The marinade is at the discretion of the barbecue,

but fresh onions and herbs are a must when serving!

There are many trout farms in Abkhazia, so you can try trout both in smoked and in fried. On the market, it costs from 100 rubles apiece, a penny, when compared with prices in Russia.

By the way, travel agencies offer excursions to trout farms - this year I did not go, but 12 years ago the trip made a strong impression on me! Huge pools with fry, 20 cm fish, 40-50 cm fish ... Blue trout and golden trout, feeding, well, lunch with the freshest fish on the grill. I recommend!

Sea fishing is not developed at all (except that guys with fishing rods are on duty on the embankment). From sea ​​fish you can try red mullet, small and bony, but very tasty with fried and smoked form.

The assortment of cheeses is characterized by the phrase of the wonderful guide Islan, who took me around Sukhum: “ white cheese I don’t like, I love brown, even though it’s harmful.” We are talking about Suluguni, the only Abkhazian cheese: white - just salty, brown - smoked. There is, however, the "first cheese", a soft, shapeless semi-finished product, from which either cheese pastries, or by the second cooking they reach the stage of "mature" suluguni.

In restaurants cheese plate and will look like white and brown suluguni, but, BUT! nothing better under the Abkhazian sweet wine and you can not wish.

On the basis of suluguni and the "first" cheese, khachapuri is made. There are two types of them on the menu - round and boats (with and without an egg). Familiar in restaurants caucasian cuisine names like "Imeretian", "Mingrelian", etc. you will not meet.

Each restaurant prepares khachapuri a little differently, but khachapuri is based on the usual pita dough. And it's very, very tasty!

A few words about takeaway food. Since we were relaxing with a baby, who cannot yet sit calmly and civilly in a restaurant, and we wanted to try real cuisine, we ordered khachapuri and shish kebab “with us”. Such a request did not surprise anyone, but the implementation surprised us a little;)

Khachapuri is placed on a regular piece of cardboard and a couple of plastic bags are given to it. For the hominy, I myself asked for a large beer glass. That is, there is a service, but so far there are no cardboard or plastic boxes.

And I can not help but mention one more cheese caucasian dish- achmu (she is in the foreground, that is, not pasties and not pies). This, if you look for analogues in world cuisine, is lasagna with cheese and butter. Calories are off scale, but who counts them in Abkhazia?

Achma can be found both in restaurants and on the market (the issue price is 50 rubles for a full portion)

Be sure to pay attention to Abkhazian sauces.

Adjika - "Abkhazian butter", as one of the guides said, is prepared from a large number fragrant and hot spices, salts, oils. Burning, dry, it has nothing to do with the adjika that housewives in the south of Russia cook from fresh pepper, and in the North - from horseradish. According to legend, adjika was invented in order to eliminate the theft of salt during its transportation.

Locals call the green sauce made from cherry plum “gravy” (and cherry plum - plum). Essentially, this green tkemali, goes well with meat and hominy.

Alcoholic drinks are represented by a rich assortment of local factory and homemade wines. To be honest, I don’t like sweet and semi-sweet wines, and after Abkhazian ones, I also blow my head off instantly. After much questioning, I found out about black wine”, which is drunk by local men.

This wine is made from Kachich grapes, it is warm, dry, fine. It is believed that women and tourists do not like this, it is not sold everywhere, but I advise you to look.

True, the wine is homemade, so the taste depends on the winemaker.

Of course, in a story about alcohol, you can not miss the chacha, grape vodka. It is transparent and tinted with grape juice, with lemon, with mountain mint, from feijoa. At tastings, I only sniffed (without natural flavors- sivuha sivukha), but the feijoa chacha smelled so delicious that I even licked it and bought a bottle home.

Oh, yes, unlike our vodka, the cup is not 40, but 60 degrees and it burns like crazy!

By the way, the first toast at any Abkhazian feast is raised “to God” and everyone (even women) drink chacha. Switching to wine or cognac is considered normal.

Beer is mostly Russian cheap, but I advise you to try the local variety - "Sukhumi". It is almost always fresh, it is not found everywhere, and it is a very, very high-quality Zhigul, which you will not find here anymore;)

Abkhazia's main international ties are with Russia and a bit with Turkey, so the coffee here is amazing.

Can buy a bunch different varieties in the market and ground to dust there, as is customary in Turkey. Lots of coffee, lots of sugar cold water- the result in the Turk will please you.

Or you can just order in restaurants, they often offer Turkish coffee or coffee on the sand.

Juices, mostly packaged Russian, mineral water local. Freshly squeezed juice is made from tangerines, but be careful - it is squeezed out in advance and may not be as fresh.

When I asked women about local pastries, the answer I received was “yes, we all bake cakes, pies, cookies.” As I understand it, there are no Abkhazian desserts.

There are tubes with boiled condensed milk, nuts, anthills, Napoleons - that is, the Soviet legacy.

More or less authentic baklava, the taste is not inferior to Greek and Turkish.

But in Abkhazia absolutely unique honey! Mountain herbs, chestnut, linden - I did not need any sweets and sweets, just honey and cheese, or honey and matsoni served as the best dessert.

You can buy it in the market, in tents, and at any apiary, where you will undoubtedly be brought during the tour.

And incredible desserts can serve as a dessert. Abkhaz fruits, dried fruits and nuts.
At the end of June, hazelnuts, walnuts, persimmon, churchkhela are sold last year, so try before you buy.

But cherries, cherries, raspberries, peaches, apples, apricots are the freshest and (on the market) are much cheaper than in Moscow.

Such delicious cherries and I ate peaches only in my childhood, spent in the south of Russia. Returned home - not that;)