Churchkhela

Name (also Churchela, Tschurtschchela) for a traditional candle-shaped dessert from Georgia. The main ingredients are grape must, nuts and flour, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and chocolate, and sometimes sultanas. The shelled nuts soaked in water are threaded on a string in autumn, dipped in grape juice (tatara), grape must thickened with flour (phelamushi) or even fruit juices and dried in the form of a sausage in the sun. The juice is first heated slowly in a large bronze cauldron. A small amount of a special white earth called asproi is added to the boiling must. Churchkhela used to be carried by Georgian warriors because the dish contains many calories and has a long shelf life. Today it is a snack for in between meals and is also served as a dessert at New Year and Christmas celebrations. The traditional technology of Churchkhela in the Kakheti region was included in the list of Georgia's intangible cultural heritage in 2015 (see World Cultural Heritage). Similar dishes with different names also exist in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey (Cevizli Sucuk) and Cyprus (Soutzoukos).

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Churchkhela

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