Rant: Boston Needs A Georgian Restaurant!

The country of Georgia may be the birthplace of wine, with evidence stretching back about 8,000 years, which is why Georgians sometimes state they have 8,000 vintages of history. Georgia is located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, in the Southern Caucasus mountain range, which forms the northern border of the country. It is bordered on the west coast by the Black Sea, by Russia to the north and Turkey & Armenia to the south, with Azerbaijan to the south and east.

When Georgians drink, they eat, rarely drinking on its own. Sometimes they engage in the supra, a traditional formal feast that features near endless food and a vastness of wine. And the various regions of Georgia each have their own food specialties, plenty of diversity in this fascinating region. Georgian wines have started making inroads into the U.S., and you can find a number of them in the Boston area.

However, we need a Georgian restaurant in the Boston area! None currently exists, though other cities, from New York to Washington, D.C., have such restaurants.

It may seem strange that I'm calling for a Georgian restaurant in Boston when I've actually never been to one or eaten Georgian cuisine. However, I'm a passionate advocate of Georgian wines, having tasted well over 100 different ones, and have written 16 articles about Georgian wines. Check out All About Georgian Wine which collects the links to those articles.

Georgians always drink wine with food so their wine is produced specifically to be accompanied by food. And based on the quality and diversity of their wines, it seems logical that their cuisine must be equally as compelling. I've read multiple articles about their cuisine and they have enticed my palate, made me yearn to dine upon many of their dishes.

For example, Khachapuri, Georgian cheese bread, is considered an essential element of the supra, as well as an everyday food item too. There are over over 50 different varieties of khachapuri, made with various fillings. The Adjaruli Khachapuri, a type of molten cheese bread, originated in the seaside region of Adjara and has become hugely popular in New York City according to NY Eater. All you have to do is look at the various photos of this dish and you'll probably start salivating. Who wouldn't love Georgian cheese bread?

Check out this intriguing map of the top dishes from each region of Georgia, and you'll see plenty of enticing photos at that site as well. You can look at Mtsvadi, Georgian barbeque that is made with pork, mutton or veal, often marinated in pomegranate juice. Khinkali, a Georgian dumpling, is often made with mixed pork and beef, though sometimes also with lamb. Shkmeruli is a dish of fried chicken in a creamy garlic sauce. The list just goes on and on with one alluring dish after another. The Georgian Journal also has numerous articles and recipes about Georgian cuisine.

Spend just ten minutes reading about Georgian cuisine, and perusing photos of their foods, and you'll probably become a convert as well, desirous of a Georgian restaurant in the Boston area. This is an excellent opportunity for someone to bring a unique, new restaurant to the area. Who will step forward and be a pioneer, an advocate for Georgian cuisine? We really need Khachapuri!