List of dishes from the Caucasus facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Caucasus region is a fascinating place located between Europe and Asia. It includes countries like Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, along with parts of Northern Caucasus. This area is famous for its amazing food! Caucasian cuisine is full of tasty dishes, fresh ingredients, and unique flavors. Get ready to explore some of the delicious foods from this special part of the world.

Shashlyk is a dish of grilled meat cubes, known by different names across the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Delicious Dishes from the Caucasus
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Delicious Dishes from the Caucasus

Tasty Cheeses

Circassian cheese

The Caucasus is home to many unique cheeses. Here are a few popular ones:

Ashvlagwan (Ашвлагуан) — A smoked cheese from Abkhazia, similar to Sulguni.
Chechil (Չեչիլ) — This is a string cheese, often smoked, made in Armenia.
Chechili (ჩეჩილი) — A special cheese shaped like ropes, made in southern Georgia.
Adyga kwae (Адыгэ Къуае) — A mild cheese from Circassia.
Chkinti (ჭყინტი) — A salty and "juicy" cheese, originally from Imereti.
Dambalkhacho (დამბალხაჭო) — This is a special aged cheese from Pshavi and Mtiuleti.
Guda (გუდა) — A cheese made from sheep's milk in Tusheti. It takes about 20 days to prepare!

Ossetian cheese

Earon tsykht (Ирон Цыхт) — A delicious cheese made in Ossetia.
Qatik — A sour, creamy cheese from Azerbaijan.
Sulguni (სულგუნი) — One of the most famous cheeses from Mingrelia, made from cow or buffalo milk.
To-beram (ТIо-берам) — Cottage cheese mixed with sour cream. It's a traditional dish in Chechnya and Ingushetia.

Dough Delights

Many delicious dishes in the Caucasus are made with dough:

Achma (აჩმა / Ачма) — A fluffy pastry filled with cheese. It's traditionally made in Georgia, especially in Abkhazia.
Afar (Афарар) — A Lezgian flatbread stuffed with different fillings, often meat or cottage cheese.
Chepalgash (ЧIепалгаш) — A Chechen and Ingush pie filled with cottage cheese and wild garlic.
Chudu (Чуду) — A type of pie from Dagestan with various fillings like meat, cheese, or herbs.
Dalnash (Далнаш) — A Chechen and Ingush pie filled with lard and wild garlic.
Haliva (Хьэлжъо) — A Circassian triangular fried pie, often filled with Circassian cheese and potatoes.
Hingalsh (Хингалш) — A half-round Chechen and Ingush pie, filled with pumpkin.

Adjarian khachapuri

Kubdari (კუბდარი) — A Svan pie filled with spicy meat.
Khachapuri (ხაჭაპური) — A famous Georgian pie filled with cheese. There are many regional versions, like Adjaruli Khachapuri, which is shaped like a boat.
Khichin (Хычин) — A pie from the Balkar and Karachay people, with various stuffings.
Ossetian Pies — These pies come with many fillings: Davondzhin (cheese and wild garlic), Kabuskadzhin (cabbage and cheese), Kartofdzhin (potato and cheese), Nasdzhin (mashed pumpkin), Khabizdzhin (cheese and potato), Artadzhikhon (cheese), Fidzhin (minced meat), Kh'adurdzhin (kidney beans), and Tsakharadzhin (beetroot and cheese).
Qutab — An Azerbaijani cooked dough filled with meat or pumpkin.
Zhingyalov hats (Ժենգյալով հաց) — An Armenian flatbread stuffed with diced herbs and vegetables like spinach.

Starters and Snacks

Ajapsandali (Georgian version)

These dishes are perfect to start a meal or enjoy as a light bite:

Ajapsandali (აჯაფსანდალი / Աջափսանդալ / Əcəbsəndəl) — A cold starter with aubergines, potatoes, and spices. It's popular in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Basturma (Բաստուրմա / Basdırma) — Seasoned and air-dried cured beef.
Choban salad (Çoban) — An Azerbaijani salad made from fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.
Dolma / Tolma (Dolma / Տոլմա / Tolma / Долма) — Vegetables (like cabbage, zucchini, or grape leaves) stuffed with minced meat and rice. It's common in Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Kupati (კუპატი) — A type of sausage made in Western Georgia.
Lobio (ლობიო) — Cooked minced beans mixed with coriander, walnuts, garlic, and onion.
Nigvziani Badrijani (ნიგვზიანი ბადრიჯანი) — Fried aubergine slices with a tasty walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds.
Pkhali (ფხალი) — Minced vegetables (like cabbage or beet) with pomegranate seeds.
Sujuk (Սուջուխ / Sucuk) — A dry and spicy sausage, mostly made in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Hearty Soups

Soups are a big part of Caucasian meals, especially during colder months:

Bugleme (Буглеме) — A meat stew, often served by the Mountain Jews.
Chakapuli (ჩაქაფული) — A stew made of lamb or beef, tarragon, and cherry plums. It's popular in Eastern Georgia.
Chakhokhbili (ჩახოხბილი) — A soup made with tomatoes and poultry meat (usually chicken or turkey). It started in Western Georgia.
Chikhirtma (ჩიხირთმა) — A soup made from turkey or chicken meat and eggs, traditionally from Kakheti.
Dovga (Dovğа) — A refreshing soup made of yoghurt and fresh herbs, traditionally from Azerbaijan.
Kharcho (ხარჩო) — A rich soup made with beef, rice, cherry plums, and walnuts from Mingrelia.

Khash

Khash (խաշ, Xaş, ხაში) — This soup is made from beef or lamb feet in a broth with garlic. It's eaten across the Transcaucasia.
Piti — An Azerbaijani soup made with mutton and vegetables.
Chorba — Different types of soup, usually with lamb or beef, fried vegetables, and herbs. It's made in every country in the Caucasus, especially in Dagestan and Azerbaijan.
Spas (Սպաս) — An Armenian soup made with matzoon (a type of yogurt).
Tarhana (Թարխանա) — A soup made with matzoon and flour.

Main Courses

These are the main dishes that fill you up:

Apkhazura (აფხაზურა) — Fried meat wrapped in caul fat, traditionally made in Abkhazia.
Amcheg (Амчег) — A Lezgian roasted turkey.
Balıq — An Azerbaijani grilled fish (often sturgeon) served with sour-cream sauce.
Barsh (БӀарш) — A Chechen and Ingush dish: a mutton stomach stuffed with minced meat.
Chanakhi (ჩანახი) — A Georgian tomato-based stew with spiced lamb, potatoes, and aubergines.

Jijig-Galnash

Tabaka Qatami (ტაბაკა ქათამი) — Georgian roasted chicken with adjika, traditionally from Mingrelia.
Dzhed (Джед) — Circassian chicken in a sauce, similar to satsivi.
Dushbara (Düşbərə) — Azerbaijani dumplings served with mutton and vegetables in a broth.
Jijig-Galnash (Жижиг-Галнаш) — Boiled dough (Galnash) served with meat and its broth.
Ghapama (Ղափամա) — An Armenian baked pumpkin filled with rice, dried fruits, and honey.
Holtmash (ХьолтӀмаш) — Chechen and Ingush dumplings made from cornmeal and stuffed with nettles.
Kchuch (Կճուճ) — An Armenian dish made of mixed vegetables, meat, and fish.
Khali-Nukun (ХIали-Нукьун) — A Dargin dish with fat-tailed lards and oatmeal.

Khinkali

Hinkal (Хинкал) — Dagestani boiled dough, eaten with lamb or beef.
Khinkali (ხინკალი) — A famous Georgian dumpling stuffed with meat, vegetables, or cottage cheese.
Khoyagusht (Хоягушт) — A meat pie from the Mountain Jews' cuisine. It's made with eggs, turmeric, slow-cooked meat (sheep or goat), and its broth.
Kofta (Küftə / Քուֆթա / გუფთა) — Spiced meatballs, made across the Transcaucasia.
Kuchmachi (კუჭმაჭი) — Fried chicken livers with pomegranate seeds.
Kurze (Курзе) — Long-shaped dumplings stuffed with meat, popular among Dagestanis.
Mataz (Мэтазэ) — Circassian dumplings stuffed with various fillings like meat, cottage cheese, or potato.
Lahmajun (Լահմաջու) — A flatbread topped with minced meat. It's made in Armenia and Turkey.

Fish based Lavangi

Lavangi (Ləvəngi) — Azerbaijani baked chicken or fish stuffed with walnuts and spices.
Libzhe (Либжэ) — A Circassian stew made of beef, similar to goulash.
Lula kebab (Lülə Kabab) — An Azerbaijani kebab made from minced meat, often wrapped in lavash.
Manti (մանթի / Манты / Мантиш) — Dumplings, brought by Turks, commonly made in the Southern Caucasus.
Plov (Plov / Փլավ / ფლავი / Плов) — A rice dish, mostly cooked with meat and vegetables.
Qovurma — An Azerbaijani lamb stew.
Satsivi (საცივი) — A Georgian dish with poultry meat (turkey or chicken) and walnuts.
Shashlik / Mtsvadi / Khorovats — Cooked meat on fire, made in all Caucasus countries.
Tjvjik (տժվժիկ) — An Armenian fried offal dish.
Yokh (Йоьхь) — A Chechen and Ingush spicy sausage made from mutton and flour.

Special Sauces and Condiments

These add amazing flavor to Caucasian dishes:

Matzoon

Ajika (აჯიკა / Аџьыка) — A hot and spicy paste made from peppers, garlic, herbs, spices, walnuts, and salt. It started in Western Georgia but is used everywhere in the Caucasus.
Matzoon (Մածուն / მაწონი) — Fermented milk, similar to yoghurt, eaten in Armenia and Georgia.
Narsharab — A sweet and sour pomegranate molasses, made and used in Azerbaijan.
Bazhe (ბაჟე) — A delicious walnut sauce with spices.
Tkemali (ტყემალი) — A sour cherry plum sauce.
Urbech (Урбеч) — A traditional Dagestan paste made from ground seeds or nuts.

Delicious Breads

Bread is a very important part of meals in the Caucasus:

Armenian lavash

Choereg (Ցուրեկի) — A braided bread made for Easter.
Matnakash (Մատնաքաշ) — An Armenian bread made with wheat flour and tea.
Lavash (Լավաշ / ლავაში / Lavaş) — A thin flatbread baked in a tandoor oven. It's very popular in the South Caucasus.
Mchadi (მჭადი) — Fried bread made from cornmeal.
Shotis puri (შოთის პური) — Bread shaped like a canoe.
Siskal (Сискал) — Fried bread made from polenta in Ingushetia and Chechnya.
Tonis puri (თონის პური) — A popular Georgian bread baked in a traditional tone oven.

Sweet Desserts

Don't forget to save room for these sweet treats!

Alani (Ալանի) — An Armenian sweet made from dried apricots stuffed with ground walnut and sugar.
Baldzhin (Балджын) — An Ossetian sweet pie filled with cherries.

Churchkhela

Churchkhela (ჩურჩხელა) — A Georgian sweet made from grape juice and flour, with chopped walnuts or hazelnuts inside.
Gata (Գաթա) — An Armenian pastry or sweet bread.
Gozinaki (გოზინაყი) — A sweet made by Georgians for New Year. It has chopped walnuts and honey.
Gvaymakkhsh (Гваймакхш) — Chechen / Ingush pancakes served with honey.
Halva (Halva / Հալվա / ჰალვა / Хьовла / Халва) — A sweet made from flour. It originated in Azerbaijan.
Harbiz Fo (Хьарбиз фо) — Circassian watermelon honey.
Mikado cake — A chocolate cake from Armenia made with condensed milk.
Murabba (Mürəbbə / Մուրաբա / მურაბა) — Jam traditionally made in Transcaucasia with local fruits like cherry, strawberry, raspberry, apricot, fig, watermelon, and even walnuts.
Natyoukh (НатIюхI) — A Lak candy made with honey, sugar, apricot kernels, and walnuts.
Pakhlava (Paxlava / Փախլավա / ფახლავა) — A sweet pastry made with thin filo layers. It's made in the Transcaucasian countries.
Pastegh (Պաստեղ) — A type of Dried fruit.
Pelamushi (ფელამუში) — A traditional candy from Kakheti made from grape juice and flour.
Shekerbura (Şəkərbura) — An Azerbaijani sweet pastry filled with almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts. It's eaten during Nowruz, the Zoroastrian New Year.