List of dishes from the Caucasus

Traditional dishes

Cheeses

• Ashvlagwan ' — Abkhaz smoked cheese, similar to sulguni
• Chechil ' — String cheese, made in Armenia
• Chechili ' — Cheese in shape of ropes, made in south Georgia
• Adyga kwae — ' - Mild cheese, made in Circassia
• Chkinti' ' - Salty and "juicy" cheese made originally in Imereti
• Dambalkhacho ' — "Rotten" cheese made in Pshavi and Mtiuleti
• Guda ' — Cheese made from sheep milk in Tusheti. Its preparation takes 20 days.
• Iron tsykht ' — Cheese made in Ossetia
• Qatik — Sour creamy cheese, made in Azerbaijan
• Sulguni ' — One of the most famous cheeses from Mingrelia, made from cow or buffalo milk
• To-beram ' — Cottage cheese mixed with sour cream, made traditionally in Chechnya and in Ingushetia

  Dough

• Achma ' — Sort of lasagna with cheese, traditionally made in Georgia, especially in Abkhazia.
• Afar ' — Lezgian flatbread stuffed with various fillings, mostly meat or cottage cheese.
• Chepalgash ' — Chechen and Ingush pie filled with cottage cheese and wild garlic.
• Chudu ' — Sort of pie, made in Dagestan with various fillings.
• Dalnash ' — Chechen and Ingush pie filled with lard and wild garlic.
• Haliva ' — Circassian triangular fried pie, often filled with Circassian cheese and potatoes.
• Hingalsh ' — Chechen and Ingush pie with a half-round shape, filled with pumpkin.
• Kubdari ' — Svan pie filled with spicy meat.
• Khachapuri ' — Georgian pie filled with cheese. This dish has a lot of regional variation, the most famous being Adjaruli Khachapuri, shaped in a form of a boat.
• Khichin ' — Balkar and Karachay pie filled with various stuffing.
• Ossetian Pies — Davondzhin / Kartofdzhin / Nasdzhin / Khabizdzhin / Artadzhikhon / Fidzhin / Kh'adurdzhin / Tsakharadzhin.
• Qutab — Azerbaijani cooked dough filled with meat or pumpkin.
• Zhingyalov hats — Armenian flatbred stuffed with diced herbs and vegetables such as spinach.

  Starters and snacks

• Ajapsandali ' — Cold starter containing aubergines, potatoes and spices. It is traditionally made in Georgia and in Azerbaijan.
• Basturma ' — Seasoned and air-dried cured beef.
• Choban salad ' — Azerbaijani salad made from tomatoes and cucumbers.
• Dolma / Tolma ' — Vegetable stuffed with minced meat and rice, mostly made in Azerbaijan.
• Kupati ' Sausage made in Western Georgia.
• Lobio ' — Cooked minced beans with addition of coriander, walnuts, garlic and onion.
• Nigvziani Badrijani ' — Fried aubergine with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds.
• Pkhali ' — Minced vegetables with pomegranate seeds.
• Sujuk — Dry and spicy sausage, mostly made in Azerbaijan.

  Soups

• Bugleme ' — Meat stew, served by the Mountain Jews.
• Chakapuli ' — Stew made of lamb or beef, tarragon and cherry plums in Eastern Georgia.
• Chakhokhbili ' — Soup made of tomatoes and poultry meat which originated in Western Georgia.
• Chikhirtma ' — Soup made of turkey or chicken meat and eggs which is traditionally made in Kakheti.
• Dovga ' — Soup made of yoghurt and fresh herbs, traditionally made in Azerbaijan.
• Kharcho ' — Soup made of beef, rice, cherry plums and walnuts from Mingrelia.
• Khash ' — beef or lamb feet in its broth with garlic. It is eaten throughout the Transcaucasia.
• Piti — Azerbaijani soup made with mutton and vegetables.
• Chorba — Types of soup usually made with lamb and beef, fried vegetables and herbs which is made in every country in Caucasus, especially in Dagestan and Azerbaijan.
• Spas ' — Armenian soup made with matzoon.
• Tarhana — Soup made with matzoon and flour.

  Main courses

• Apkhazura ' - Fried meat enrolled in caul fat, traditionally made in Abkhazia.
• Amcheg ' - Lezgian roasted turkey.
• Balıq - Azerbaijani grilled fish with sour-cream sauce.
• Barsh ' - Chechen and Ingush dish, consisting of a mutton stomach stuffed with minced meat.
• Chanakhi ' - Georgian tomato-based stew with spiced lamb, potatoes, aubergines.
• Tabaka Qatami ' - Georgian roasted chicken with adjika, traditionally made in Mingrelia.
• Dzhed ' - Circassian chicken in a sauce, similar to satsivi.
• Dushbara ' - Azerbaijani dumplings served with mutton and vegetables in its broth.
• Jijig-Galnash - Galnash with meat and its broth.
• Ghapama - Armenian baked pumpkin with rice, dried fruits and honey inside.
• Holtmash - Chechen and Ingush dumplings made from cornmeal stuffed with nettles.
• Kchuch Armenian dish made of mixed vegetables and meat and fish.
• Khali-Nukun - Dargin dish consisting of a fat-tailed lards with oatmeal.
• Hinkal - Dagestani boiled dough, eaten with lamb or beef.
• Khinkali - Georgian dumpling stuffed with meat, vegetables or cottage cheese.
• Kofta - Spiced meatballs, made in Transcaucasia.
• Kuchmachi - Fried chicken livers with pomegranate seeds.
• Kurze - Long shaped dumplings stuffed with meat, popular among Dagestanis.
• Mataz - Circassian dumplings stuffed with various fillings.
• Lahmajun - Flatbread topped with minced meat. Made in Turkey and popular in Azerbaijan.
• Lavangi ' - Azerbaijani baked chicken or fish stuffed with walnuts and spices.
• Libzhe ' - Circassian stew made of beef, similar to goulash.
• Lyulya kebab ' - Azerbaijani kebab made from minced meat.
• Manti ' - Dumplings, brought by Turks which is commonly made in Azerbaijan and Southern Caucasus.
• Plov ' - Rice dish, mostly cooked with meat and vegetables.
• Qovurma - Azerbaijani lamb stew.
• Satsivi - Georgian poultry meat '' - Chechen and Ingush spicy sausage from mutton and flour.

  Condiments and sauces

• Ajika ' — Hot and spicy paste made from peppers, garlic, herbs, spices, walnuts and salt. It originated in Western Georgia, in the regions of Mingrelia and Abkhazia but used in all Caucasus.
• Matzoon ' — Fermented milk, similar to yoghurt, eaten in Armenia and Georgia.
• Narsharab — pomegranate molasses, made and used in Azerbaijan.
• Bazhe ' — walnut sauce with spices.
• Tkemali ' — cherry plums sauce.

  Breads

• Choereg ' — Braided bread made for Easter.
• Matnakash ' — Armenian bread made with wheat flour and tea.
• Lavash ' — Flatbread made in tandoor which is quite popular in the South Caucasus. The origin is uncertain.
• Mchadi ' — Fried bread made from cornmeal.
• Shotis puri ' — Bread shaped like a canoe.
• Siskal ' — Fried bread made from polenta in Ingushetia and Chechnya.
• Tonis puri — Popular Georgian bread baked in a traditional tone.

  Desserts

• Alani ' — Armenian sweet made from dried apricot stuffed with ground walnut and sugar.
• Baldzhin ' — Ossetian sweet pie filled with cherries.
• Churchkhela ' — Georgian sweet made from mixed grape juice and flour with chopped walnuts or hazelnuts.
• Gata ' — Azerbaijanian pastry / sweet bread. It is also well-known to the neighbouring countries as Kada in Georgia.
• Gozinaki ' — Sweet made by Georgians for New Year consisting of chopped walnuts and honey.
• Gvaymakkhsh ' — Chechen / Ingush pancakes with honey.
• Halva ' — Sweet made from flour. The origin is Azerbaijan.
• Harbiz Fo ' — Circassian watermelon honey.
• Murabba ' — Jam made traditionally in Transcaucasia with local fruits such as cherry, strawberry, raspberry, apricot, fig, watermelon, etc, but also from walnuts.
• Natyoukh ' — Lak candy made with a mixture of honey and sugar with apricot kernels and walnuts.
• Pakhlava ' — Sweet pastry made with filo layers. It is made in the Transcaucasian countries, especially in Azerbaijan.
• Pastegh ' — Dried fruit.
• Pelamushi ' — Kakhetian traditional candy made from grape juice and flour.
• Shekerbura ' — Azerbaijani sweet pastry filled with almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts. It is consumed during Nowruz, the Zoroastrian New Year.

  Beverages

Alcoholic

• Arak ' — Ossetian vodka made from cereals such as corn or barley. However, some are made with fruits especially by the Ossetians of Georgia.
• Ararat ' — Famous Armenian brandy made from white grapes and spring water.
• Armenian wines ' — Most famous include : Voski, Karasi, Yeraz.
• Boza — Type of sweet and sour beer with little degree of alcohol, made from cooked wheat and barley flour. It is primarily consumed in Azerbaijan.
• Bagany ' — Ossetian beer made from wheat, barley and maize.
• Chacha ' — Georgian vodka made from pomace or other fruits which is often homemade.
• Georgian wines ' — Most famous include : Saperavi, Tsinandali, Akasheni, Kindzmarauli, Kvanchkara, Lykhny, etc. Most of the wines are made in the region of Kakheti.
• Makhsima — Circassian alcohol made from corn flour and wheat. Similar to boza but has higher alcohol content.

  Non-alcoholic

• Ayran / Tan ' — Yogurt-based salty beverage, popular in Azerbaijan and North Caucasus. The origin is Turkey.
• Borjomi ' — Carbonated mineral water from the Borjomi Gorge.
• Jermuk ' — Mineral water from Jermuk.
• Kampot ' — Very sweet beverage made from local fruits which is often homemade. Made in Azerbaijan.
• Lagidzis Tsklebi ' — Fruit- or chocolate-infused water, often sold in streets.
• Nogai Tea ' — Salty tea brought in Northern Caucasus by the Nogais.
• Sharbat ' — Azerbaijani refreshing beverage made from herbs or fruits.
• Tach ' — Lak kissel made from cereals.
• Tarkhuna ' — Georgian lemonade with tarragon flavour.
• Tea ' — Tea is an important beverage in the Caucasus and is cultivated mostly in Azerbaijan and on the Georgian coast.

  Gallery