Khachapuri

Etymology

"ხაჭო" is perhaps borrowed into Georgian from Abkhazian ахырҵәы (a-xərcʷʼə́, "sour milk"). პური is from Ancient Greek πυρός (purós, "wheat").

History

Specialists are divided regarding the chronology of khachapuri. According to Darra Goldstein, who wrote the book The Georgian Feast about the dish, khachapuri probably dates back to the 12th century when Georgia experienced a period of renaissance, but its specific root remains unclear. Dali Tsatava, former professor at the Georgian Culinary Academy, suggested that khachapuri could be a "cousin of the pizza" as the concept of the dish might have been brought by Roman soldiers who crossed Europe, well before the addition of tomatoes in the 16th century.

Types

There are several distinctive types of khachapuri from different regions of Georgia:

• Imeretian (Imeruli) khachapuri is the most popular form, made with a yeast dough filled with white Imeretian salted cheese.
• Adjarian (Acharuli/Adjaruli), named for Adjara, a region of Georgia on the Black Sea, is a boat-shaped khachapuri, with cheese, butter, and an egg yolk in the middle. Traditionally, tangy imeruli and sulguni cheeses are used.
• Megrelian khachapuri (Megruli) is similar to Imeretian, but has more cheese added on top.
• Achma, from Abkhazia, has multiple layers and resembles a sauceless lasagna.
• Gurian (Guruli) khachapuri has chopped boiled eggs inside and looks like a crescent-shaped calzone. Gurians make them for Christmas and call them simply "Christmas pie." In the rest of Georgia, it is called "Gurian pie."
• Ossetian (Osuri) khachapuri has potato and cheese as its filling. It is commonly called khabizgini.
• Svanuri lemzira
• Rachuli khachapuri
• Samtskhe–Javakhetian penovani khachapuri is made with cheese-filled puff pastry dough, resulting in a flaky variety of the pie.

Outside Georgia

Khachapuri is popular in the post-Soviet states, including Russia. It was reported that 175,000 khachapuris were consumed during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Khachapuri is a popular street food in Armenia, where it is widely served in restaurants and school cafeterias. It has become increasingly popular as a brunch food in Israel, where it was brought over by Georgian Jews and is spreading to other parts of the world, like the United States.

References

References

1. Goldstein, Darra. (1999). "The Georgian feast: the vibrant culture and savory food of the Republic of Georgia". University of California Press.
2. Svensson, Therese. (April–May 2010). "Tracking monetary policy one big mac – and one khachapuri – at a time". American Chamber of Commerce.
3. "Khachapuri Index Project". International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University.
4. Jones, A. [http://georgiatoday.ge/news/14205/Khachapuri-Granted-Cultural-Heritage-Status Khachapuri Granted Cultural Heritage Status] {{Webarchive. link. (2019-07-03 Georgia Today, 2019)
5. Jones, Amy. (2019-01-24). "Khachapuri Granted Cultural Heritage Status".
6. Bukia, Manana. (2013). "Essays on the History of Kartvelian–Abkhazian Linguistic and Cultural Relations". Meridiani.
7. Beekes, Robert S. P.. (2010). "πῡρός". Brill.
8. (2018-04-27). "Georgian cheese boat Adjaruli Khachapuri - New York Essential Dish".
9. Eva. (2019-04-05). "Khachapuri, Georgian cheese bread".
10. (2025-10-06). "Complete guide to Khachapuri 11 varieties you didn’t know".
11. (2012-07-27). "About Food – Imeruli (Imeretian Khachapuri)".
12. Mosolova, Tanya. (15 April 1998). "What Is It? : Georgian Cheese Pies Come in Many Varieties". [[The Moscow Times]].
13. (2 March 2013). "Хачапури: The Big Cheese!". School of Russian and Asian Studies.
14. link. [[Argumenty i Fakty]]. (24 February 2014)
15. Grigoryan. Hasmik. (7 August 2011). link
16. (3 July 2014). "10 mouthwatering dishes of Israel you should really try". From The Grapevine.
17. [https://sfstandard.com/2023/01/19/sfs-only-georgian-restaurant-is-a-love-letter-written-on-cheesy-bread/ SF’s Only Georgian Restaurant Is a Love Letter Written on Cheesy Bread], [[San Francisco Standard]], Jan. 19, 2023