Kubdari

Kubdari - chopped meat baked in dough is one of the most important dishes of Svaneti. Every dish in Svaneti is made of natural safe products sprinkled with Svanetian salt which gives the dishes their unforgettable smell and taste. The Svanetian salt is mixed with pepper, onion and various dry greens specially ground into tiny pieces.

Before baking Kubdari one should prepare bread dough – 1-2 lumps will be enough for serving the guests. The filling of Kubdari is generally made using half a kilo of beef and the same amount of pork. Chop the meat in small pieces, add garlic, crush 2 onions, and mix with red pepper and dry spices. Places the meat mixture in the centre of a large piece of the flattened dough and close the dough around it firmly.

Put the dough on a hot pan without using any oil. Cook the Kubdari on both sides on the hob, then put it in a special oven for 5-6 minutes. Try not to damage the dough. The meat should be cooked through in the well-closed dough after several minutes.

There are no vineyards in Svaneti thus the Svans buy wines at different lowlands. The main Svanetian drink is a fruit juice with the alcoholic content of vodka. Honey and elderberry vodkas are also popular drinks for the locals. Mineral water, which is famous in Svaneti, remains the most traditional Svan drink even at feast times. The three main toasts in the mountains are to God, then the archangels and Saint George.

The Svan cuisine has lots of traditional dishes with which the Svan always astound their visitors.