2024 the best tasting food in the world review

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“The definitive cookbook on Europe’s great unsung cuisines… Carla Capalbo’s Tasting Georgia shows off the culinary gem of the Caucasus… [It] is without question the best book ever written in English about Georgian food and wine… Every dish is brought to life by colorful, intimate photography.” –Saveur

“This food-, culture-, and history-centric travelogue will make readers yearn to visit the independent democracy of Georgia. Capalbo, an American journalist based in Europe, knows her subject intimately. In addition to the brilliant photographs and 65-plus recipes, Capalbo introduces the warm hospitality and amazing wine regions of this country the size of Scotland…. Everything’s showcased against Capalbo’s realistic pictures of people and scenery, along with good historical bytes. Georgia peaches in a whole different light.” –Booklist, Starred Review

“The book is fantastic—beautiful, fascinating and also moving, important and written from the heart.” —Claudia Roden

“The latest of Carla Capalbo’s dozen-plus regional books that expansively cover the culture of food and wine production—chefs, farmers, winemakers, grape growers, recipes, in-depth historical detail, and high-quality photography … An agricultural country of stunning beauty far removed from the bustle of tourism-weary Western Europe, Capalbo has done the great service of bringing the country’s treasures within reach of any visitor through the use of maps, listings of hundreds of places of interest, and suggested itineraries.”—Foreword Magazine

“With characteristic empathy and engagement, Carla has documented Georgia’s unique gastronomic traditions and the people who have fought so hard to preserve them.” –Carlo Petrini, Founder of Slow Food

“A book that shows the world perhaps one of the last undiscovered great food cultures of Europe.” –Rene Redzepi, noma

"The best book ever written in English about Georgian food and wine" —Saveur

Winner Guild of Food Writers Food and Travel Award 2018
Winner Best Food Book of 2017 Gourmand Cookbook Awards
Shortlisted for the Art of Eating Book Award
Shortlisted for the IACP Culinary Travel Book Award
The Atlantic 9 Best Cookbooks of 2017
NPR Best Cookbooks 2017

Nestled between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, and with a climate similar to the Mediterranean's, Georgia has colorful, delicious food. Vegetables blended with walnuts and vibrant herbs, subtly spiced meat stews and home-baked pies like the irresistible cheese-filled khachapuri are served at generous tables all over the country. Georgia is also one of the world's oldest winemaking areas, with wines traditionally made in qvevri: large clay jars buried in the ground. Award-winning food writer and photographer Capalbo has traveled around Georgia collecting recipes and gathering stories from food and winemakers in this stunning but little-known country.

The beautifully illustrated book is both a cookbook and a cultural guide to the personal, artisan-made foods and wines that make Georgia such a special place on the world's gastronomic map.

From the Publisher

Inside this book

Georgia: a short history

An introduction to Georgian wine

How to make wine in qvevri
The history of wine in Georgia
The Tamada’s Tale

An introduction to Georgian food

About the Supra

The elements of Georgian cuisine: ingredients

How to cook Georgian food

About the recipes

Khachapuri and filled breads

The master recipe

Khinkali

The master recipe

Tbilisi

Tbilisi: a brief history

Where to eat, drink, shop and stay

Three women chefs

Mulberry and goat cheese saladStuffed tomatoesBeef and chick pea stewStuffed vine leavesChicken with pomegranatePumpkin with walnutsMussels chakapuli

The center: Mtskheta and the Kartlis

Walnut pasteAubergine/eggplant rollsAubergine/eggplant family style

East to Kakheti

Kakheti and its winesKakheti food and historyTushetian pancakesTushetian potato and cheese khinkaliLamb stew chakapuliAubergine/eggplant ajapsandaliSpiced oyster mushroomsPurslane saladStewed cherries & tarragon and egg pieGreen beans with eggs & chilled yogurt soup

South-west to Samtskhe-javakheti

Beef and tomato stewGrilled meatballsMeskhetian khachapuriPotato khinkali dumplingsNoodle and yogurt soupStewed fruits and onions

West to Imereti

Food and Wine

Duck with blackberry sauceLeeks with walnut pasteGreen beans with walnut pasteLeafy greens with walnut pasteLobio, beans with spices and walnutsTkemali, sour plum sauceBeets with plum sauceBazhe, spiced walnut pasteBeets with spiced walnut paste

The black sea coast: Guria and Adjure

Gurian Christmas khachapuriBackcombed aubergines / eggplantHazelnut pasteEggs with onions and tomatoesChicken and walnut stew kharchoAchma, baked layered pastaFish with walnutsAdjarian Khachapuri

West to Samegrelo

Megrelian food

The Megrelian house

To see in Samegrelo

Spicy green ajika pasteSpicy red ajika pepper pasteMegrelian khachapuriCold chicken satsivi with spiced walnut sauce & Spicy ribsCheesy cornbread tchvishtariElarji cornmeal with cheeseChicken with bazhe nut sauce

North-west to Svaneti

On Svanetian food

Svaneti: a short history

Becho Valley

Ski slopes and glaciers

Kubdari spiced meat breadCooked and raw saladBraised meatballsMushrooms and red peppers

West and north to Racha-lechkhumi

Cooked Ajika spicy pasteBeet-green breadLobio, stewed beansLobiani, bean- lled breadChicken shkmeruli with garlic sauce

North to Kazbegi and Upper Mtskheta Mtianeti

Food

Meat- lled khinkali dumplingsKhabizgina cheese and potato bread

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Interlink Books (October 15, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1566560594
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1566560597
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.14 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1.5 x 9.75 inches
Reviewer: headbutler
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: If you're going to read one book about Georgia, this is the one. (Caution: Then you plan your trip.)
Review: The wine world’s cool kids are buzzing about Georgia.That is, the Georgia that is bordered on the North by Russia, to the South by Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.If you’re interested in a culture that, 8,000 years ago, gave birth to wine-making and still makes some wine by the ancient method, I have a book for you. If you’re interested in visiting a country that is far off the tourist path, I have a tour guide for you. If you’re a foodie who wants to try dishes you won’t find in an restaurant in Amerrica, here are 70 recipes. And if you’re an armchair traveler who would never go halfway around the world even to see vistas and customs unchanged for centuries, here are 400 pictures so crisp you’d swear they were photo-shopped.All of that is in what’s fair to say is the only book you’ll ever read about this raw countryside and its charming people: “Tasting Georgia: A Food and Wine Journey in the Caucasus.” No surprise that the author is Carla Capalbo, who has made a career of profiling overlooked regions, cuisines and wines and has, over the years, produced one classic title after another.She heard about Georgia as a child. Her mother danced under the direction of George Balanchine, whose father was a Georgian opera singer and composer. “You’d love Georgia,” she told Carla. “The food and wine are delicious, and there are cows in the roads.”Decades later, she got interested in the Georgian wine-making tradition of burying wine in large terra-cotta casks called qvervri. The wine ages naturally, with the sediment settling in the qvervri’s pointed bottom. In any other country, you would say these are quaint traditions from as disappearing way of life — but in Georgia they endure.In 2013, Capalbo visited Georgia. “It only took a few days for me to fall in love with the people, their food, wine and culture,” she says. Before she left, she knew she’d be doing a book.And why not? Meals in Georgia are social events, without a rigid course structure. Small dishes cover the table. The recipes haven’t changed for centuries. They don’t need to: The stars are grilled meats, vegetables garnished with herbs, nuts and spices. At the most popular restaurant in the country, found on a side road between towns, the menu — soup dumplings, grilled pork, tarragon lemonade — hasn’t changed since 1966.And the variety of landscapes! In the mountains, shepherds bring flocks of sheep down at the end of the day and then the sheep dutifully go off to their own homes. In a 6,600-foot-high resort town, every room in the shockingly affordable hotel has a view of the mountains. At a wine house near the Black Sea, you have lunch in the garden under a canopy.Georgia’s culture stands everything we know on its head. To turn the pages of this book is an unsettling pleasure — you go back to a time of small family farms, people who know one another all their lives, and a definition of news that involves events no more than a valley away. If I could just time-travel…

Reviewer: Sophia Gigitashvili
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An amazing book!
Review: What a lovely book about Georgian culture, wine, food and people. The photographs are stunning and recipes look appetitive . I bought it as a gift but thinking to get one for myself too.

Reviewer: Christy Wareham
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: These authentic recipes work!
Review: I lived in Georgia for 2+ years while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer. All of us learned what cooking we could from host families, but it was hard to replicate dishes back home in the US. This book has eased all our troubles. Since we can't buy local Georgian cheese here, there's a great substitute for using it to make Adjaruli khachapuri, for instance. The first few recipes have been successful on our first try.There's also a lot of great background information on history and customs for various regional cuisines, wine and social practices. Fun to read, even more fun to cook from.

Reviewer: Amber
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Must Have!!
Review: Due to having to cancel our vacation to Georgia and an amazing food tour of Tbilisi, I purchased this cookbook for my Mom. She LOVES it. The recipes are amazing but she also fell in love with the stories, photos, and love put into this special book. Truly a treasure!

Reviewer: Jillian
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Definitely recommend
Review: This is a wonderful book. Not only is it full of great recipes, it also tells a beautiful story of a country that has many things that make each region unique.

Reviewer: George S. Sturgeon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great Book
Review: Good condition, great value, great contents.

Reviewer: Tyler_Davis
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Absolutely Delicious
Review: Absolutely delicious. I'm so happy this obscure cuisine is coming to light. Beautiful color photos, both of Georgia and the recipes therein. Most unique and unusual food that is extremely tasty, healthy and unlike any other cuisine in the world.

Reviewer: Gail
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The weight is overly heavy.
Review: I purchased this book as a gift, but have not sent it because of its weight. The history and current issues including great recipes, beautiful photos makes this book have value!

Reviewer: Igor S.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: We are from the region. We love the book not only for recipes but for pictures and history. I was able to find all ingredients on line. Very different, very cultural. We scheduled Georgian dinners on some Fridays and found some Georgian wine. Fantastic.

Reviewer: KiwiEssex
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Was recommended to me following a food and wine in holiday in Georgia. Great pictures and recipes

Reviewer: Sarah M. Grunwald
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is a game changer for Georgian cuisine and puts the culture, wine and food of Georgia on the map. The recipes are easy to follow and Ms. Capaldo gives wonderful substitutes on ingredients that may not be easy to find outside of Georgia. It is also enjoyable to read.

Reviewer: Reed
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: There is one recipe in this book (Tskhare Neknebi) that alone made it worth buying for me, but there are so many! The fabulous cheese breads! It is beautifully illustrated for those who like that, but for me food books should be about food and this one really is a culinary tour. You will have to get into Georgian spices, but you will be thankful for the opportunity to get to know this flavour palette. And then there are the Georgian wines, to go with...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Reviewer: Jordan
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This is probably one of, if not the, best publications on Georgian food and wine culture in the English language. If recipes are your thing, I’ve tested many of Capalbo’s for my online Georgian food encyclopedia, and they largely hold up quite well. That said, for diversity / accessibility of recipes, specifically, you’ll probably want to supplement this with Tuskadze and Goldstein’s two books respectively, as well.In terms of travelogue and a contemporary description of the local wine culture (as well as food) this book is second to none.