Food in the Caucasus

As Tauni is a vegetarian and Michele might be called a flexitarian with limited meat consumption, having vegetarian options is critical for us. In each of the 3 countries [Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia] we found a good variety of vegetarian food to choose from.

o   Appetizers – we often found apps like hummus, or dips made from eggplant, peppers and tomatoes to be substantial enough for us because they were usually served with amazing bread.  And it was 91 F heat, so we were not looking for huge meals

• The bread was generally amazing – with numerous varieties, but the best was the bread that came straight out of a clay pit oven – which tasted like the best pizza crust you’ve ever had, crispy on the outside and doughy in the middle. 

o   Vegetable kebab or grilled vegetables – we found different varieties of grilled vegetables to be a very tasty option – usually featuring tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants [small eggplants grilled whole]. 

o   Georgia prides itself on its cuisine – like many regions – but in particular because of having access to the fresh food that grows in the area, and by not being limited by any religious limitations. As a result, Georgian food while heavily featuring all kinds of meat from lamb to pork, does also offer a lot of vegetables.  In Georgia, a few options:

o   Kachapuri – bread filled with cheese – not great for vegans, but great for vegetarians, as long as you like salty, sharp cheeses.

o   Pot of beans – not on every menu, but found an herby baked bean [not sweet] in a couple of locations. Vegan.  

o   Khinkali [dumplings] – Michele tried the Khinkali in Tiblisi as they are a famous dish – you can buy socks featuring the big dumplings. You can get cheese filling, but Michele tried the classic kind with minced beef, chilies, cilantro, and onion. 

o   On two of the tours in Georgia, we were served at a family-style Georgian feast where multiple small dishes were passed between guests – in both of those there were a large selection of vegetables, including cucumber and tomatoes mixed with walnut paste, grilled eggplant wrapped around walnut paste, pickles, beans, grilled vegetables, and a variety of meats, cheese, and bread. There was enough leftover to serve another tableful of guests each time. 

• In Azerbaijan in particular, there seemed to be a great affection for sweets that we didn’t see in Georgia.  One Azerbaijani guide joked that they drink as much tea as they do so as an excuse to eat sweets.  In Sheki, there was a street with souvenir and sweet shops. We stopped in at the oldest sweet shop, and couldn’t help but buy a few things after we were offered samples. The caramelized hazelnuts tasted like upscaled cracker jack peanuts.   And they gave us some baklava that was made with honey and saffron – it had a savory note to it that made it irresistible.

One note:  Even if a tour states that lunch will be a part of the tour, have snacks available, or even something more substantial.  One of our tours served “lunch” at 6PM, one did not stop for lunch at all.  Our tours in Azerbaijan seemed to be more regular with lunch – but lunch times could vary between 1 and 3.