In our country, barbecue has become the dish that is most often prepared, going to the countryside. Usually, it is not limited to simple frying of meat strung on skewers; a lot of treats accompany this process. It is assumed that on the road people manage to get pretty hungry, and the time required for cooking should not be wasted.
However, such a popular dish requires a special approach to the side dishes and appetizers that make up its gastronomic background. In order to decide what to apply for barbecue, you need to evaluate the capabilities of the digestive system, and they, unfortunately, are not unlimited. First of all, the experience of residents of the Transcaucasian republics, traditionally possessing a culture of consumption of spicy meat food, will help in this.
So, what is served to barbecue in Georgia or Armenia? As a rule, sauce, vegetables and herbs. No olivier salads, sandwiches with sausage and herring on a Caucasian table do not side by side with charcoal-baked meat. Tkemali is considered the best sauce; it unobtrusively emphasizes the aroma of smoke from fruit charcoal and fried lamb. Its sour tint does not interrupt the taste of the main product, which is very important when the meat is good. An excess of pepper or vinegar is an eternal ploy of catering workers trying to hide behind them the "not the first" freshness of what they sometimes try to pass off as barbecue, so do not be like them.
The lack of time brings modern people to the point that they serve barbecue in the usual store ketchup. It is better to cook it yourself from mashed fresh tomatoes, boiled over low heat with herbs and a little pepper. In any case, the sauce should not be too harsh.
Now about the side dish. The best option of all that is served with barbecue is salads and baked vegetables on the grill. It is enough just to chop cabbage and mix it with onions, slightly flavored with sunflower oil. Dill, parsley and fresh cucumbers in this composition are welcome. You can bake eggplant in Georgian, cut into brackets and lay it peeled down on the wire rack, and in foil. In the second case, it is recommended to stack them with carrots, small pieces of potatoes and onion rings, so it will be juicier.
The king of all side dishes is the onion. It goes well with everything that is served with barbecue. Onions should be present both in the marinade and in the design of the finished dish. It can be baked on charcoal, pickled, just cut into rings. It is so important that without it, barbecue is not barbecue, but just fried meat.
Garnish should be minimal, while potatoes or rice are not very suitable. The task is to enjoy the taste of a dish that is difficult or impossible for most of our fellow citizens to cook at home. Therefore, the barbecue table should be plentiful, but concise. Salad, pickled onions and garlic, bread or pita bread, baked vegetables, a bottle or a jug of good red wine, that’s all.
As for the dishes, contrary to the common stereotype, disposable plastic plates are not the best option. An event such as a trip to the countryside with barbecue does not happen often, so you should pamper yourself and your friends with something more interesting. A great option is a set of pottery, including a jug.