Kharcho facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kharcho

Type	Soup
Place of origin	Georgia
Main ingredients	Meat (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, or goose), rice, cherry plum purée, English walnuts

Kharcho, also known as Harcho (Georgian: ხარჩო), is a yummy and traditional Georgian soup. It's famous for its rich taste and special ingredients. This hearty soup is a favorite in Georgia and beyond.

What is Kharcho?

Kharcho is a thick and flavorful soup. It usually has beef as its main meat. Other important ingredients include rice, a special sour fruit puree, and walnuts. People often add fresh coriander on top when serving.

Key Ingredients

The unique taste of Kharcho comes from its main ingredients. These include:

• Meat: Most often, it's made with beef. Sometimes, people use lamb, pork, chicken, or even goose.
• Rice: This makes the soup hearty and filling.
• Cherry Plum Purée: This is a sour fruit paste. It's made from a fruit called Prunus cerasifera. This purée gives Kharcho its special tangy flavor. It can come from tklapi (dried fruit leather) or tkemali (a sour plum sauce).
• Walnuts: Chopped walnuts (Juglans regia) add a creamy texture and nutty taste.
• Spices: A mix of different spices gives Kharcho its warm and complex flavor. The exact spices can change depending on the region. Common spices include allspice, bay leaf, peppercorns, and coriander seeds.

How Kharcho is Made

Making Kharcho involves simmering meat until it's very tender. Then, other ingredients are added step by step.

Cooking the Meat

First, a piece of meat, usually beef brisket, is cut into pieces. It's then cooked slowly in water for a few hours. This makes the meat soft and creates a rich broth. Any foam that appears on top is carefully removed.

Adding Other Ingredients

Once the meat is tender, rice is added to the pot. After a short time, chopped walnuts and some spices like allspice, bay leaf, and peppercorns are stirred in.

Finishing Touches

Near the end of cooking, the special cherry plum paste is added. More spices, such as cerulea, coriander seed, paprika, and Turkish smoked red pepper, are also included. The soup simmers for a few more minutes to let all the flavors blend. Finally, salt is adjusted, and fresh coriander is added just before serving. It's often allowed to cool a bit before eating.

Kharcho Around Georgia

While the basic idea of Kharcho stays the same, different regions in Georgia might have their own special ways of making it. This means the spice mix or even the type of meat can vary slightly. Each version offers a unique taste of Georgian tradition.