A few months ago I became friends with someone from Georgia (the one in Eastern Europe). He got me interested in the cuisine of that nation and I eventually ordered myself a Georgian cookbook, which I now love. I've been amusing myself by trying new dishes and seeing how close I get to what the dish is supposed to be like.
Georgian cuisine is all about fresh everything, with lots of fruits and vegetables and wine. Did you know it's thought that wine grapes originated in Georgia, and that it is probably the birth place of viniculture? This is just one fact that Georgians are proud of, and believe me they are proud of everything Georgian.
A while ago I tried this recipe for sage and mint fritters called pyshki. My friend didn't really know what they were, so I hope it's just a dish from a different region than where he's from (rather than my cookbook being wrong). The fritters were really good. You basically just make a very batter-like yeasted dough, let it ferment for about an hour or so, then drop it by the spoonful into a fryer of some sort. The only problem with the original recipe is that it doesn't call for salt. I ended up sprinkling salt over the fritters as they came out of the oil and they tasted great. Very fresh and summery tasting, we used them almost like bread (because I made them too big)which is a required item at every Georgian meal. I didn't try it with Tkemali, which has become my favorite condiment, but I bet it would be a great combination. The recipe is after the jump.
