Churchkhela

Churchkhela(Georgian:ჩურჩხელა,Georgian pronunciation:[tʃʰuɾtʃʰχela]) is a traditionalGeorgiancandle-shapedcandy.
The main ingredients ofchurchkhelaare grapemust,nuts, andflour.Almonds,walnuts,hazelnuts, and sometimes chocolate andraisinsare threaded onto a string, dipped in thickenedgrape must,mulberryjuice, or fruit juices and dried in the shape of asausage.In eastern Georgia,churchkhelaproduction begins with a condensed juice calledtatara, made from must from local grapes in the areas ofKakheti,Kartli, orMeskhetithickened with wheat flour. Wheat flour is also used for making condensed mulberry juice in the area ofSamtskhe-Javakheti. Corn flour is used in western Georgia (the areas ofRacha,Lechkhumi,Guria,Samegrelo,Abkhazia, andAchara), and this condensed grape juice is calledpelamushi.InAbkhazia, a region in the North Caucasus Mountains of Georgia, it is known asАджинджук(adzhindzhukhuaorajinjuk) in the localAbkhaz languageand is touted as the best souvenir for gifting.
Georgian warriors carriedchurchkhelawith them because they contain many calories.
The traditional technology ofchurchkhelain theKakhetiregion was inscribed on theIntangible Cultural Heritage of Georgialist in 2015.
Churchkhela(Чурчхелаin Russian orჩურჩხელაin Georgian) is now gaining popularity in other parts of the world, notably Canada and the USA. Georgian food has been seeing an upward trend over the last few years due to large numbers of Russians immigrating to Canada and the United Stateswith several companies starting up and taking off, like Chella, who makechurchkhelain Vancouver, British Columbia, and La Fabrique St-George, who make Georgian wine in traditionalqvevris.
The Cypriot variety is made by dipping strings of almonds into jelly, calledshoushoukos(σιουσιούκκος).
Churchkhelaand its varieties are popular in several countries besides Georgia, such asArmenia,Azerbaijan,Turkey,Iraq,Syria,Iran,Cyprus,Greece,Russia,andUkraine.InPersian, it is known asباسلوق شیره انگور. InAleppo, Syria, it is known asjok malbanجق ملبن. In Azerbaijani, Armenian, Greek, and Turkish it is known assujuk, which is actually a dry sausage. To distinguish the two, it is sometimes referred to as "sweetsujukh" (քաղցր սուջուխ,kaghtsr sujukh) in Armenian(շարոց,sharotsin Western Armenian), andcevizli sucuk('walnutsujuk') in Turkish.It is known inCypriot Greekasshoushoukos(σιουσιούκκος)and assoutzouki(σουτζούκι),τζουτζούκι(tzoutzoúkiorjutsuki)andtσούτσελα(tsoútsela) in Greece. Several related sweets are made in Greece during the autumn grape harvest by thickening grape must, to include the grape molassesπετιμέζιpekmez(petimezi), the grape must pudding calledμουσταλευριά(moustalevria) and grape must cookies calledμουστοκούλουρα(moustokouloura). 
Another variant ofchurchkhela, traditionally calledkelawo, is prepared in theGilgit-Baltistanregion of Pakistan.It was locally marketed as Hunza chocolate, but askelawodoes not contain any cocoa, it is now renamed Hunza candy.
Churchkhelais a homemade Georgian product.Georgians usually makechurchkhelain autumn when the primary ingredients, grapes and nuts, are harvested. It is a string of walnut halves that have been dipped in grape juice calledtataraorphelamushi(grape juice thickened with flour), and dried in the sun.No sugar is added to make realchurchkhela. Instead of walnuts, sometimes hazelnuts or almonds are used in the regions of west Georgia.
The juice is placed in a large bronze cauldron and heated slowly. A small amount of a special white earth calledasproiis added to the boiling must and causes impurities to rise to the surface, where they are collected and removed. It is possible to substituteasproi, when not available, with lager beer, which has a similar result. Once the cleansing process is complete, the liquid is left to cool. Next, flour is added while stirring and heating the mixture. When it reaches the right consistency, based on the rate of steam bubbles and the viscosity of the mixture, it is removed from the heat. The mix, calledbadagi, is now ready for use in the next step in the process of makingchurchkhela, which consists of preparing the nuts for dipping.
Before they are threaded, the nuts have to be shelled and dipped into water in order to soften them. Once soft enough, they are strung onto 2–3-meter (6.6–9.8 ft)-long threads. The strings are dipped in thebadagimixture until completely covered. This process is repeated several times (usually three times) until thechurchkhelahas the desired thickness.Churchkhelastrings are then left to dry for five to six days. They are then ready for consumption or storage, though some like to eat it fresh.
Churchkhelais a between-meal snack and is also served as a dessert duringNew YearandChristmascelebrations.
Traditionally, in times of war women would send their menchurchkhelato eat at the front, because of its pragmatic size, ability not to mold for long periods of time, and heavy texture that keeps one full.