"pickledgarlic" news and stories

I've recently become pretty good frinds with someone from Georgia (the one in Eastern Europe, not the one in Southern US). Of course, he's very proud of where he came from, and my friend has been busy educating me on food from his native country. These are eight of my favorite things so far.

1. Sulguni is a famous cheese that you can literally peel layer by layer. Unfortunately, we were only able to get a "sulguni-style" cheese from New York, so it wasn't exactly the same.
2. Tkemali is a sour plum sauce that can be purple or yellow, used as a condiment for grilled meats, and very yummy.
3. Adjika is another condiment sauce, but made from red peppers, vinegar and spices. I was assured that the brand we got wasn't like homemade, but I liked it anyway.
4. Hinkali, which is Georgia's version of a boiled, meat filled dumpling.
5. Khachapuri (pictured above) is Georgian comfort food, made of bread that has cheese and eggs baked in it.
6. Mzhave niori, or pickled garlic, is a great side dish or snack in a Georgian meal.
7. Pakhlava is a walnut pastry similar to Bhaklava but made with dough instead of phyllo.
8. Did I mention Georgian wine? I don't know how many times I've been told how great is Georgian wine, but sadly haven't gotten any yet.