One need only locate Georgia – the country, not the American state – on a map to understand its eclectic mix of cultures. It shares its borders with four countries. To the west is the Black Sea, the halieutic route to Turkey and Bulgaria, a stepping stone to Western Europe; to the east is Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea connecting it to the rest of Central Asia. In recent times, it is perhaps more associated with its northern neighbour, Russia, although Georgia declared independence from Soviet rule in 1991.
The capital, Tbilisi, is dotted with small pubs, many of which are windowless, basem*nt establishments. Walk in and you’ll see locals enjoying beer – peculiar for a country with an 8,000-year-old winemaking tradition – and dumplings the size of a baby’s fist. Called khinkali, they resemble giant xiaolongbao, the soup dumplings from Nanxiang, Shanghai. And like xiaolongbao, they contain a soupy minced-meat mixture and are sealed with pleats ranging in number from a dozen to 19.
While xiaolongbao are steamed, khinkali are boiled and the filling can be beef, pork, mushroom or cheese. Instead of the fat and jellied stock filling found in xiaolongbao, Georgians add water or liquid stock, and use thicker wrappers, to contain the runny filling. The dumpling is picked up by the overly doughy top knot, which is left uneatenon the plate to show how many have been consumed. With a heavily spiced (usually black pepper) filling, khinkali are served without condiments, aside from extra black pepper.
The concept of dumplings is said to have been carried west from China, across Mongolia, Russia and Georgia, by the Mongols in the 13th century.
Part of a region known as the Caucasus, Georgia’s strategic location connecting Asia with Europe attracted conquerors from the Ottomans and Iranians to the Mongols and Russians. It was also a key leg on the Silk Road.
It’s not surprising, then, that when it comes to the country’s food culture, everything from tarragon and wine grapes to breads cooked in tandoor-like ovens (called a tone) is considered “traditional”.
It’s believed the Mongols saw dumplings as a convenient way for warriors to carry parcels of meat for sustenance to the battlefield, and that the more luxurious and delicate soupy versions were later developed by those who had settled.
Despite their ubiquity, there appears to be little definitive history related to these dumplings. They’re simply an integral dish in Georgian cuisine. In the book Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore, authors Irina Petrosian and David Underwood talk about the food of Georgia’s southern neighbour. They write that khinkali are also known around the Caucasus as khan-kal, and that “folk etymology says that the name means ‘khan’s head’, but we were unable to find a definitive origin of the name khinkali”. In Georgian, k’ali means woman, and locals joke that it’s the reason that the best dumplings are always made by women.
