Georgia is a country located on the boundary separating Europe from Asia, considered, from a historical-cultural perspective, as part of Eastern Europe.

It was part of the Russian Empire until the 1917 revolution, and for much of the 20th century, it was a republic of the Soviet Union; in 1991, it declared its independence, which was formally recognized on December 25 of that year.

The years of transition to democracy and a market economy were accompanied by bloody internal conflicts with the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which in January 1992, declared their independence through a referendum, also expressing the desire to join the Russian Federation.

This led to a conflict between the Georgians and the rebels of the autonomous region that lasted for years.

Despite Georgia having defended its culinary identity, the proximity to Russia, Armenia, and Turkey has inevitably influenced the Georgian cuisine.

An undeniable emblem of Georgian cuisine, belonging to the tradition of the Caucasus regions, is the Khachapuri, the flatbread filled with cheese and ajaruli (ахарули хачапури – from the southwestern region of Adjara) is its boat-shaped variant, topped with an egg.

“Xach’ap’uri” literally means “cheese bread”.

There are numerous variants*, with over 50 counted, that have diversified over time according to different territories.

It is usually prepared with two local cheeses:

– Imeruli cheese (a type of very fresh slightly salted and very tasty cow’s milk cheese) which can be replaced with Greek feta.

– Sulguni cheese (a type of mozzarella with a much more elastic consistency) which can be substituted with mozzarella and/or stracchino or cow, goat, and fresh sheep cheese.