Georgia's traditional dish wins new fans скачать в хорошем качестве

Georgia's traditional dish wins new fans

(23 Aug 2013) Iakob Kekelidze is the chef at the Machakhela restaurant, in Tbilisi. He's baking from scratch a Khachapuri (cheese filled bread dish), one of the most famous traditional dishes in Georgia. Each Georgian region has its own version of Khachapuri. It can be round, rectangular or even boat-shaped but cheese is always the main ingredient. Boat-shaped Khachapuri from the Black Sea region of Ajara - like this one that is about to go in the oven - is one of the favourites among locals and tourists. But chefs have recently tried new flavours by adding different ingredients like peppers, olive oil or local herbs. Kekelidze says: "We in Georgia have different types of Khachapuri which our ancestors were baking centuries ago and nowadays all of them are on demand. Not only within local residents but within foreigners too; everyone seems to be happy with the variety we serve: Imeruli, Ajarian, Guruli or Megruli (types of Khachapuri). I think this is a very healthy product because it's made only from the natural ingredients." For Kekelidze, it's not difficult to bake a Khachapuri. The dough can be bought in supermarkets or made at home with egg, batter, salt and cheese. The filling is either inside the dough or put on the top, once the Khachapuri is taken from the oven. Here, Kekelidze is adding an egg right before this Georgian traditional dish is served to eager customers. This is the ' Ajarian' variety. The best Khachapuri is the one that gets a crispy crust with perfectly melted cheese inside. Khachapuri is a "must have" for every traditional Georgian feast but its popularity is increasing among foreigners. Nana Kirtskhalia is a waitress at Machakhela restaurant: "Ajarian (from the Black Sea region of Ajara) "Khachapuri" is the most demanded dish among foreigners, I think it is because it is very delicious and nutritious; once you taste it, next time, you won't need a recommendation." Each Khachapuri costs between 3 and 6 US dollars. A minor detail for tourists, like Mustafa Ibrauz, from Baku, in Azerbaijan. He loves this dish so much that he even goes to a Georgian restaurant in his hometown, just to have a Khachapuri. He says: "We come from Baku and we obviously picked this restaurant in order to have the Georgian traditional dish. We always eat it whenever we come here and even in Baku we have traditional Georgian restaurant where we always eat Khachapuri; we like it very much." I Whether you decide to have your meal inside the restaurant or on the terrace, there seems to be plenty of Khachapuri options to choose from. One of them will surely please you. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...