Churchkhela

The Georgian national delicacy called churchkhela is popular not only in its homeland - they are fond of it in Armenia, Azerbaijan and even in Russia. This delicatessen product is strung on a string of nuts in flour-thickened grape juice.

It is distinguished by churchkhela with high nutritional qualities due to its high content of glucose and fructose, proteins, vegetable fats, organic acids, phenolic and nitrogenous substances, as well as vitamins. The calorie content of churchkhela is 410 kcal per hundred grams of delicacy.

Today there are many varieties of churchkhela. Thus, the traditional Georgian, Imereti, Gurian, Rachin, Abkhaz and Mingrel sweet product stands out, each of which is distinguished by its appearance and its own taste characteristics. However, in all recipes of this treat, all 4 stages of churchkhela preparation can be traced in general terms. Usually it is not customary to store it for more than a year, since you can cook sweetness again during the next season of grape harvesting.

The classic Kakheti churchkhela, which is the most common type of this sweet dish, is made using white grape juice, with press fractions that are most rich in extractive substances. The juice boils for about half an hour, after which it settles for at least 10 hours.

Clarified grape juice is filtered and evaporated in boilers, and then again settled to settle the sediment. The already viscous mass is slightly heated and mixed with wheat flour. With continuous stirring, the required degree of thickening is achieved.

The readiness of the mass is checked by immersing nuts strung into it. For better adhesion of the mass, the churchkhel is dried for about 2 hours, after which the dips are repeated until a layer of grape mass is formed with a thickness of about two centimeters. You need to dry the churchhela in the sun near the crescent moon. The finished product is laid in boxes in layers, with the matter being transferred, and kept in a dry cool place for two to three months until ripening.

It is during the aging process that churchkhela acquires its characteristic taste properties - tones that are close to chocolate. Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, raisins, as well as kernels of peach and apricot seeds are mainly used for filling. The kernels are soaked in water and as soon as the skin comes down, they are not boiled for long in a weak sugar solution.

In addition to Kakheti, other species of churchkhela are produced in Georgia. But the technology of their manufacture differs in the quality of the flour used, the composition of the filling and the mode of juice preparation. Most often, churchkhela is found in resort towns of the Black Sea coast of Georgia and the Krasnodar Territory.