Georgian sweets: recipes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Those who have tried Georgian sweets know that they are very tasty and high-calorie products, the preparation of which requires a minimum of available ingredients.

Today we will present you with detailed recipes for several desserts that are especially popular not only in Georgia, but also in other countries around the world.

Churchkhela: step by step recipe

Churchkhela is a traditional oriental sweet. As a rule, such a Georgian dessert is made from grape juice, walnuts or hazelnuts. To thicken the resulting mass, corn flour or plain starch is also used.

So how is churchkhela prepared? This sweet recipe requires:

• freshly squeezed grape juice - 1 l;
• nuts (hazelnuts or walnuts) - about 1 kg;
• cornmeal - about 2 large spoons;
• food starch - add to mixture as desired (if necessary).

In addition to the products, to prepare such a Georgian dish, we need a thick needle and thread.

Processing ingredients

How is churchkhela made with walnuts or hazelnuts? To prepare such a sweet, you needuse only freshly squeezed grape juice. Cornmeal is added to it, and then put on a slow fire and boil until thickened. If the resulting mixture does not thicken for a long time, add a little more cornmeal to it or add a spoonful of food starch.

While the original glaze is being cooked, start preparing the nuts. They are sorted out, washed well and dried in a pan for 10 minutes. After that, the product is cooled. After that, they take a thick thread and, using a needle, carefully put all the dried nuts on it. To get a beautiful dish, the thread should be 20-25 cm long, and the first nut should be strung at a distance of 5 cm from the end.

After the described actions, there should be about 10 nuts on each string.

Shaping sweetness

Sweet dishes of Georgian cuisine are always distinguished by their special design. And churchkhela is no exception.

After the nuts are threaded, they are dipped in the previously prepared icing and hung in a convenient place. In this form, the sweetness is left until completely dry.

After some time, the described procedure is repeated again, and so on until the glaze layer reaches 2 cm.

It should be noted that such Georgian sweets are prepared for about 1-2 weeks. All this time, the nuts must be dipped into the grape mass and dried. At the same time, it is required to ensure that the churchkhela does not lose its softness.

After a long drying, the dessert can be safely consumed, or you can wrap itfoil or baking paper and place in a cool place. In this form, Georgian sweets retain their properties for up to three months.

Cooking pelamushi

For those who don't know, pelamushi is the most delicious Georgian dessert. It should also be noted that it is he who serves as the basis for the preparation of the most famous Georgian sweet - churchkhella. However, such a delicacy is made much faster and easier.

So how do you cook pelamushi? The recipe for this delicacy was partly discussed above. But in order for you to understand what such a dessert is, we will present its method of preparation and serving to the table in more detail.

So, to make pelamushi on our own, we need:

• fresh grapes "Isabella" - 3 kg;
• fried walnuts - about 200g;
• white sugar - 20 g;
• cornmeal - about 2 large spoons;
• cornstarch - add to the mixture at will (if necessary).

Cooking method

Georgian sweets are especially tasty because only fresh and high-calorie ingredients are used for their preparation.

To make pelamushi, Isabella grapes are washed, de-stemmed and placed in a large bowl. After that, the berries are intensively crushed with a pusher or rolling pin. This procedure is carried out until only seeds and skins remain from the grapes. If desired, fruits can be crushed by hand.

The resulting grape mass is spread in a large saucepan andbring to a boil. After that, the fire is turned off. The contents of the dishes are stewed for three hours, stirring occasionally with a spoon.

During the heat treatment, the foam is removed from the juice. The result is a very sweet mass, halved.

The finished grape juice is left overnight, and in the morning it is filtered using a sieve with small cells. Such a mass is called badaga. It should be bright and clean.

After all the described actions, corn flour, starch and sugar are laid out in a common container, and then about 500 ml of badagi are added to them. After mixing the components with a wooden spoon, they are beaten with a mixer and a blender. As a result of this, you should get a homogeneous mass without lumps.

Final stage

After mixing grape juice with starch and sugar, pure badagu (500 ml) is poured into a large saucepan, and then the previously prepared mass with flour is gradually added.

After mixing the ingredients, put them on a quick fire and bring to a boil. Then the temperature is reduced. In this mode, the products are cooked for 8-10 minutes. The mixture should thicken noticeably.

The finished dessert is removed from the stove and laid out in deep bowls. After the pelamushi has hardened (after about 2 hours), it is turned over and laid out on a plate with a smooth surface up. The dessert is then topped with roasted walnuts and served with black tea.

Ready-made pelamushi should be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Cooking gozinaki in-Georgian

Gozinaki is the same as gozinaki, but with nuts and fresh honey. To prepare such a simple and delicious sweet, we only need the following ingredients:

• almonds - about 400 g;
• fresh honey - about 800 g;
• almond oil - for lubricating dishes.

Cooking process

Georgian gozinaki can be cooked using different nuts. However, the classic recipe is one that uses almonds. It is carefully sorted out, washed and dried in a pan or microwave oven.

Ideally, it is better to use almond plates to prepare such a delicacy. Although some cooks make gozinaki from whole or ground nuts.

So, to make a Georgian sweet at home, put fresh honey in a small saucepan and slowly bring to a boil. At the same time, the product is constantly stirred with a large spoon so that it does not stick to the walls of the dish.

After the honey boils and becomes transparent, and foam forms on its surface, fried almonds are spread on it and mixed well.

Simmer these ingredients over low heat until the sweetness caramelizes and becomes very thick.

After preparing the base for gozinaki, a not very deep, but wide form is smeared with almond oil, and then a mass of honey and nuts is spread. It is well distributed with a large spoon and immediately placed in the refrigerator.

After the sweet nut mass hardens, gozinaki is cut into equal squares and beautifully laid out on a flat dish. In this form, Georgian sweets are served to the table along with a glass of tea or other unsweetened drink. It is better to store gozinaki in the refrigerator for no more than 3-4 months.