One the best ways to experience this is through the country’s delicious cuisine. The food of Georgia is rich with flavor, and the locals are passionate about sharing it with visitors to their country.
The best way to experience Georgian food is at a supra, a traditional Georgian feast with an endless stream of dishes usually held as a celebration of a special occasion. Being invited is an esteemed honour, and an opportunity not to be missed.
But even if you don’t make it to a supra, you’re guaranteed to eat well in Georgia as everywhere you go, from the city to the countryside, the locals will ensure you sample the very best of what their country has to offer.
Making Dried Fruit
People of the Caucasus region like to preserve their harvest by drying up the fruits. The tradition is as old as the Caucasus region, and each country has its own delicious dried snacks to offer.
Walk into any market or supermarket in Armenia, and you will find a package of dried fruits. If you don’t want the mass-produced product, you can visit guesthouses in a rural area where you can find homemade dried fruits.
Dried fruits take their special place at the New Years’ table in Armenia as a symbol of longevity and prosperity.
Making Lavash
Lavash is a bread made without yeast or any raising agent. It’s often called “Armenian flatbread” or “Armenian tear-off bread” in English sources.
Lavash is another staple of the Armenian table. It is food; it is cutlery; it is a table napkin. You can eat lavash, use it to take pieces of meat, or wrap your food in it.
In November 2014, the Intangible Heritage Committee included Armenian lavash baking traditions into the UNESCO representative list of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.
Lavash is baked in a tonir – the Armenian oven. You can observe the baking process in rural Armenia as they begin the preparation in the mornings.
Women knead the dough in a large metal bowl. The dough is then cut into pieces to be rolled into balls of identical weight and shape. The balls are flattened and pulled on oval pillows. Then, the women quickly bow and stick the flatbread to the hot walls inside the tonir.
You can take part in lavash making in different parts of the country. We recommend Noosh Guest House, a country house in Ashnak village.
Gastro Yards
Another fascinating thing about Armenia and the Caucasus region is how they treat their traditional food and rural population.
Gastro Yards aims to support the rural population to host guests in their own household, offering authentic food, beverages, and a cultural experience.
It will also contribute to the development of local infrastructure and boost rural tourism in Armenia’s remote areas.
Since 2016, the Russian government has been involved in Armenian agrotourism development through UNDP’s project “Development of agriculture.” The project has a USD 3m budget and aims to advance tourism in Armenia’s 60 rural communities.
Learn more about one of these gastro yards, Hnots gastro-yard by Arevi, here.
Caucasian cuisine is one of a kind. And even countries within the Caucasus have their peculiar secrets and dishes that will drive the foodies mad. Azerbaijani cuisine is deeply influenced by natural, historical, and traditional factors of the region.
It’s one of the reasons why Azerbaijan attracts more and more tourists every year.
The nomadic lifestyle of ancient Azerbaijani people, seasonal migrations of rural communities, and traditions of keeping livestock have shaped Azerbaijan’s national cuisine.
Agriculture has always been an important part of the national economy. Today, more than ever. It’s the main income for local communities and rural businesses.
Check the Azerbaijani Cuisine Tour or discover the Azerbaijani Local Sweets
Or follow the links below and find some other delicatessen:
Piti, Sirab, Badamli, Fish lavangi or Mineral waters of Nakhchivan
Country Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6SKrA7jCEU&t=899s
