Khachapuri

Khachapuri (from 'curd' + 'bread') is a traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread. The bread is leavened and allowed to rise, molded into various shapes, and then filled in the center with a mixture of cheese (fresh or aged, most commonly, specialized khachapuri cheese), eggs, and other ingredients. The bread crust is traditionally torn off and dipped into the cheese.
It is very popular in Georgia, both in restaurants and as street food. As a Georgian staple food, the price of making khachapuri is used as a measure of inflation in different Georgian cities by the "khachapuri index," developed by the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University. It is Georgia's national dish, included in the list of the intangible cultural heritage of Georgia. On the behalf and initiative of the Gastronomic Association of Georgia, the 27th of February was announced as National Khachapuri Day, to celebrate Georgia's signature pastry as well as to promote its recognition internationally.
History
Specialists are divided regarding the chronology of khachapuri. According to Darra Goldstein, who wrote the book The Georgian Feast about the dish, khachapuri probably dates back to the 12th century when Georgia experienced a period of renaissance, but its specific root remains unclear. Dali Tsatava, former professor at the Georgian Culinary Academy, suggested that khachapuri could be a "cousin of the pizza" as the concept of the dish might have been brought by Roman soldiers who crossed Europe, well before the addition of tomatoes in the 16th century.
Types
There are several distinctive types of khachapuri from different regions of Georgia:
Imeretian (Imeruli) khachapuri is the most popular form, made with a yeast dough filled with white Imeretian salted cheese.
Adjarian (Acharuli/Adjaruli/Lazi), named for Adjara, a region of Georgia on the Black Sea, is a boat-shaped khachapuri, with cheese, butter, and an egg yolk in the middle. Traditionally, tangy imeruli and sulguni cheeses are used.
Megrelian khachapuri (Megruli) is similar to Imeretian, but has more cheese added on top.
Achma, from Abkhazia, has multiple layers and looks rather like a sauceless lasagna.
Gurian (Guruli) khachapuri has chopped boiled eggs inside and looks like a crescent-shaped calzone. Gurians make them for Christmas and call them simply "Christmas pie." In the rest of Georgia, it is called "Gurian pie."
Ossetian (Osuri) khachapuri has potato and cheese as its filling. It is commonly called khabizgini.
Svanuri lemzira
Rachuli khachapuri
Samtskhe–Javakhetian penovani khachapuri is made with cheese-filled puff pastry dough, resulting in a flaky variety of the pie.
Outside Georgia
Khachapuri is popular in the post-Soviet states, including Russia. It was reported that 175,000 khachapuris were consumed during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Khachapuri is a popular street food in Armenia, where it is widely served in restaurants and school cafeterias. It has become increasingly popular as a brunch food in Israel, where it was brought over by Georgian Jews.
See also
Banitsa
Burek
Cantiq
Cornish Pasty
Egg in the basket
Grilled cheese
Lafa
Naan
Pastrmajlija
Peinirli
Piadina
Pirog
Pizza
Vatrushka
Puri
Roti canai
References
External links
Revolution of khachapuri
Recipe at RecipeSource
Recipe at New York Times
Cheese dishes
Georgian cuisine
Cuisine of New York City
Flatbread dishes
Georgian products with protected designation of origin
Israeli cuisine
Russian cuisine
National dishes
Savoury pies
Street food