Before watching this Reel, I’d never thought about eating Georgian food. Nor did I know anything about it. But since the mentioned restaurant was located in Madrid and I planned on going to Madrid, I immediately put “try Georgian food” on my bucket list.* Georgian food in Madrid—seriously? you might think. I say, “yes!”
It’s important to note that here I’m referring to Georgia, the sovereign state, the country. Not Georgia the U.S. state. The cuisines between the sovereign state and the U.S. state are two different things. And this article will not serve as a comparison of them. It’s only a lighthearted rehash of my experience trying food from the sovereign state for the first time.
If you’re USAian, it’s possible that you’ve never heard of that country. If that’s true, go research the country and then return to this article. But if you have heard of the country, proceed with this article.
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July 30th: After a transatlantic flight from Philadelphia to Madrid, I was incredibly tired. I had to rest in a real bed after approx. 24 hours of no sleep. My plan was to try Georgian food on the first day of my arrival. And that I did. Let me chronicle my experience for you.
First things first: I ordered a Georgian drink called Tarkhuna. The flavor is that of tarragon. But to me, it tasted like a mix of Sprite and Mountain, I mean, I don’t know much about Mountain Dew. I’ve only drank it several times in my life. But I remember the flavor, so I thought about Mountain Dew.
Tarkhuna provoked a pleasant minty aftertaste. The best thing about this drink is that it’s non-alcoholic. Because I don’t have an interest in drinking alcohol, I liked it a lot! I felt expensive without drinking alcohol, and that was a great feeling.
The next thing I ate was a salad called Djonjoli. It’s made from bean sprouts. The texture was pretty different from what I would eat at home, because I don’t eat that kind of salad at home. Nevertheless, the vinegar, onion, and coriander flavors made the salad memorable. I’d definitely eat it again
Now it’s time to announce the signature dish, the hallmark of Georgian cooking: Khachapuri.
Oh my God, the bread: super authentic! The egg yolk mixes with the cheese at your own accord, but I really couldn’t taste the egg. The only reason I remembered it (the egg) was because of the yellow color inside the bread. Still, I enjoyed the Khachapuri with its cheesiness and hope to eat it again in the future.
And finally, the dessert and final dish: baklava. It tasted different from what I had hoped. I thought that the baklava was a soft dessert, but the layers were pretty firm. I’ll admit that it wasn’t too hard to eat or cut through with a fork. I liked its sweetness, but I didn’t really like the texture. I was a little disappointed, because I’d see the photos of baklava and think that it would be a really, really good dessert. But unfortunately, it’s not such a dessert in my opinion.
Do I regret trying it? No, not at all. But if the majority of baklavas taste just like that, I don’t think I’ll eat it again.
All in all, I’m very happy to have had this experience. If I had more money, I’d try more Georgian dishes. Chvishtari, Elardji, Mtsvadi, Khinkali—the list goes on. How couldn’t I? I can and I will. And of course, I plan to go to Georgia one day to try the dishes in their native habitat.
If there’s a Georgian restaurant near you, plan a trip there to try Georgian cooking for yourself. You won’t regret it at all. I promise. *chef’s kiss*
*I didn’t go to the restaurant mentioned in the IG Reel, but I’d like to go there one day. I ended up going to a restaurant called Kinza, another Georgian restaurant in Madrid.
La versión español de este artículo está disponible. Haz clic en este enlace para leerlo: https://sweetsimplicity16.com/probando-comida-georgiana-por-primera-vez/
