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Levengi is a traditional stuffing made with walnuts, onions, and dried fruits such as raisins. The stuffing is typically additionally flavored with albukhara and alcha seasonings. It is often used in a variety of fish and poultry dishes, which are then traditionally paired with rice pilafs.
Although the stuffing is usually associated with the region of Lenkeran, it is also commonly prepared and consumed in the Shrivan and Sheki-Zagatala regions as well.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Elarji is a specialty of the Georgian Samegrelo region, prepared as a thick porridge consisting of coarse cornmeal, cornflour, and sulguni or tchkhinti cheese, depending on what's available. The dish has an extremely thick texture, and it is very elastic.
If properly made, one should be able to stretch it overhead. It is traditionally served hot and consumed with Georgian bazhe sauce, made with garlic, walnuts, and various spices.
White mushrooms à la Hutsul is a traditional dish originating from the western parts of the country. The dish is usually made with a combination of white mushrooms, onions, butter, cream, flour, hard cheese, salt, and pepper. The mushrooms are boiled and cut into smaller pieces.
The onions are chopped and fried in butter until golden. The mushrooms are added to the pan, the mixture is seasoned with salt and pepper, and it's fried for a few more minutes. The mushroom-onion mixture is placed into a clay or ceramic pot and it's covered with a sauce consisting of flour, butter, and cream.
Pkhali is a traditional dish made with a large number of different leaves such as spinach, beetroot, cabbage, or nettles, although it can also be prepared with nuts and vegetables. The leaves are chopped and minced, then combined with vinegar, garlic, onions, and fresh herbs.
This unique mixture is traditionally hand-shaped into balls and garnished with pomegranate seeds. Pkhali is served on the side as a dip or a flavorful condiment.
Serve with
VARIATIONS OF Pkhali
Olivier salad is a Russian salad with variable ingredients, but it is typically made with chopped vegetables, meat, and mayonnaise. The key ingredients include diced potatoes, vegetables, eggs, chicken, or ham. This salad is one of the most important appetizers at the New Year's salad buffets in Russia, as well as in some of the other countries of the former USSR.
The original was invented in the 1860s by Lucien Olivier, a chef in the popular Moscow restaurant called L'Hermitage. Olivier guarded the recipe until he died, but it is believed that the recipe was stolen by an employee who watched the chef at work, so the salad is still made today.
MOST ICONIC Olivier Salad
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Kurnik is a festive variety of traditional Russian pirog—a pie made from various types of dough that is filled with either sweet or savory ingredients. This special variety consists of a pastry shell that is shaped into a large dome and comes filled with layers of meat (typically chicken, which is suggested by its name - kuritsa means hen in Russian), eggs, rice, kasha, mushrooms, and other additional ingredients.
Often said to symbolize fertility and stability, kurnik is an old, traditional dish that was mainly reserved for royalty and served at wedding feasts. In the past, the layers were separated by blini pancakes, and the pie was usually intricately decorated with pieces of dough.
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Manqal salatı is a refreshing Azerbaijani salad that is especially popular during summer. It consists of eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, and onions. The vegetables are traditionally grilled on skewers on a mangal (Caucasian-style grill), then chopped and combined with minced garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs such as cilantro, dill, or basil.
The salad is usually served as an accompaniment to grilled meat dishes, but it can also be served with bread or a piece of Motal cheese.
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Ghomi is a traditional dish from Georgia consisting of coarse and fine cornflour combined with water. If the pieces of cheese such as sulguni are placed in the hot porridge to melt before consumption, the dish is called elarji. Ghomi is often served with different sauces on the side, such as tkemali or bazhe.
VARIATIONS OF Ghomi
Rasstegai is a traditional pastry with a hole in the center, which is stuffed with a wide variety of fillings – from liver with eggs to rice with mushrooms. However, the traditional stuffing is minced fish such as sturgeon or salmon. The pastry is made with flour, yeast, milk, eggs, butter, sugar, and salt, while the fish filling is typically combined with onions, butter, and cream.
Traditionally, rasstegai is served as an accompaniment to soups and broths – the hole in the pastry is used to add broth to the filling.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Azerbaijan is a country with a rich tapestry of culture, with many different influences - and no dish does more justice to its history than the sweet rice dish shirin plov. Believed to have been created in the capital of Baku, the dish is a nuanced and fragrant main course, often reserved for special occasions.
It is a pilaf made with several layers of basmati rice (infused with saffron and melted butter) that is combined with seasonal dried fruit. The most common toppings are apricots and raisins, but it can also be made with chestnuts during the fall season, or black plums during winter.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 18 Eastern European Side Dishes” list until February 13, 2025, 1,186 ratings were recorded, of which 561 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.