One of the oldest varieties of food is butter cake , cooked over an open fire. At the same time, dishes with the addition of such cakes are among different peoples of the world. For example, in Georgia such a cake is called khachapuri in Ajarian. How to eat this butter bread - we will tell in more detail.
What is khachapuri?
Translated from Georgian, “hacha” is translated as cottage cheese, and “puri” is bread. So it turns out that this is a kind of cake with cottage cheese. However, Adjarian is usually added to the dough for khachapuri not quite cottage cheese.
This is a special Imereti cheese, reminiscent of cottage cheese in consistency. It is made from cow's milk with the addition of special sourdough. In this peculiar brine, the future cheese, or as it is also called “chkini-keli”, should sour for at least two days. After being prepared, this young cheese acquires a light salty aftertaste. And after that it can be put in the dough and even made from it the well-known suluguni.
A Brief History of the Origin of Khachapuri
According to the assumption of ethnographers, the first Adzharian-style khachapuri began to be made in the mountains, a region of northwestern Georgia. It is noteworthy that the first cakes were made especially for shepherds, who for a long time were outdoors and did not have the opportunity to dine normally. Moreover, under the scorching sun it is even dangerous to take a lot of food with you. Later, this tortilla acquired national significance and began to be served throughout Georgia.
What is needed for baking tortillas?
According to the natives of Georgia, in order to make khachapuri in Ajarian (boat) you need only a little wheat flour, yogurt (fermented milk product, reminiscent of yogurt to taste) or water and young cheese. As a rule, dough is made from these ingredients. A cake is rolled from it and baked on an open fire.
After the cake is ready, a raw egg is driven into its center, put a few pieces of butter and again placed in a wood burning stove. It turns out quite a hearty and tasty dish, which is quite realistic to feed the whole family.
What are Georgian cakes?
Depending on the place of preparation, khachapuri are street and restaurant. Accordingly, the first are cooked right on the street (in small rooms resembling kiosks), and the second - in the restaurant’s kitchen.
Depending on the variety of dough for khachapuri, Adjarian cakes can be layered (called “foaming”) and non-layered. They can also differ in shapes and sizes, the thickness of the dough and even the amount of filling.
Varieties of restaurant cakes
Restaurant cakes can be conditionally divided into four types:
- Imereti.
- Megrelian.
- Gurian.
- Adjarian.
The most common variety of Georgian cakes are Imereti khachapuri. As a rule, they look like a huge and round plate. When preparing this product, cheese is usually placed inside the dough. Such a cake can be safely doubled, taken with you on a trip and eat cold. And this is unlike Adjarian khachapuri. As it is this cake, we will tell below.
Mehrelian flour products also have a rounded and flat shape. However, during their preparation, the cheese is laid not only inside, but also outside (on top of the dough). This cake looks very appetizing. According to many tourists, it is also very tasty. This is not surprising, because it has so much cheese. There is such a cake is best hot, but you can cold.
Gurian khachapuri resembles Imeretian, but they differ in form. Visually, they look like flat bagels. And special attention should be paid to Adjarian khachapuri. Not everyone knows how to eat them correctly. But about these cakes are true legends. Outwardly, they have the shape of an eye or a boat, which causes pleasant associations. The taste is also interesting, combining dough, cheese, melted butter and an egg.
How to make Adjarian tortilla?
Before eating Adjarian khachapuri, it must first be cooked. And although each mistress has her own secrets for making the dough, most often you will need: about 600-640 g of flour, about 300-380 ml of pure water, 10-15 g of ordinary salt and 2 g of dry yeast. For the filling, it is worth using 5-6 eggs, 90-100 g of butter, 1000-1200 g of Imereti cheese, here you can add a little suluguni.
In total, the preparation of this dish takes no more than 15-20 minutes. And it is designed to treat at least six people. The whole cooking process begins with a 10-minute kneading of the dough. After it becomes more or less plastic and soft, it is left to reach for 2-3 hours.
Then the dough is neatly divided into about 6 equal sausages. Next, each of them is individually rolled out, creating oblong flat-boat pellets with their hands. Finely chopped cheese is put in the center of each, and the edges of the dough are covered up.
Such slightly elongated pies are turned over so that the seam is from bottom to bottom. After that, a small indentation is created in the center of each product and the edges are rounded. And finally, after baking in the oven, an egg and butter are added to the pies. It remains to serve ready-made Adjarian khachapuri on the table. How to eat them is worth knowing to everyone who decided to try this amazing Georgian dish.
How to eat a cake and not attract attention?
Usually tourists or visitors who first try khachapuri-boats can be seen immediately. They not only stand out against the general background of Georgian flavor, but also eat flour products incorrectly. Most often they do this using traditional appliances: a knife and a fork. But how to eat khachapuri in Adjara style so as not to stand out against the general background of visitors to a restaurant or cafe?
To begin with, this cake is eaten by hand. Therefore, put all appliances aside. Take the edges of the butter boat and start breaking off a piece of it from it. In this case, each time soak this piece in a cheese filling and egg. So you need to repeat until you get closer to the center of the cake. In the end, you should have only the cheese bottom of the boat, which you need to turn into a tube and eat. So they eat khachapuri with an egg.
How to serve Adjarian khachapuri?
According to local residents, khachapuri is a separate flour dish that does not require any additional sauces and seasonings. It can be eaten with tea or washed down with tarragon or lemonade. And you can complement other dishes to choose from. But believe me, this is a completely independent and extremely satisfying dish that does not need too much framing.
When to serve a tortilla?
You can taste khachapuri at any time, regardless of whether it is morning or evening. It is perfect for a hearty breakfast, lunch or family dinner. At the same time, it may well become not only the main dish, but also an excellent snack for pretty hungry guests.
Now you know how to eat and cook khachapuri in the form of a boat.