Best Georgian Natural Rind Cheese Types
Narchvi is a traditional cheese hailing from the Svaneti region. It's made from cow's milk. The cheese is placed in a small wooden tower and it's then pressed with stones for more than 3 months (and up to a year). Narchvi has a soft and buttery texture, while the flavors are surprisingly strong, ranging from sweet to sharp and nutty.
Originating from Samegrelo, Smoked Sulguni or Shebolili Megruli Sulguni is a Georgian cheese made from the milk of cows, buffalos, and goats (rarely), or a combination of the three. This semi-hard cheese has a dense, springy, and elastic texture underneath its natural rind.
Due to the fact that the cheese is smoked, its aroma is smoky, while the flavors are both smoky and salty. The paste is yellow in color, while the crust is hard and golden brown or dark brown due to the smoking process. Smoked Sulguni melts exceptionally well, and it's recommended to serve it with ghomi, a local porridge that's a staple in Samegrelo.
Dambalkhacho is a Georgian dry moldy cheese hailing from the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region. It's produced from buttermilk cottage cheese that remains after churning the butter. Salt is kneaded into the lumps of cottage cheese, and it's then dried on a webbed grate (dzobani) that's hung over a flame.
The dried lumps are placed into clay pots and left that way for 2-3 months, in order for the cheese to develop special mold. The cheese has a specific, intense aroma, the texture is semi-soft and uniform, while the flavors are spicy.
Pair with
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