🍛 Traditional Adjara dish - borano: what it is, how to cook it and where to try it

🧀 Borano is more than just cheese. It is a true symbol of mountainous Adjara, woven into its life, traditions and feasts.

📜 This dish has a history. We will tell you where it came from, how our ancestors cooked it on a wood-fired stove and why it still remains the pride of the local cuisine.

🍽️ How is borano different from other cheese treats? What ingredients make it unique? What role do butter and spices play?

📍 Are you planning a trip to Batumi or mountain villages? We will tell you where to try real borano, prepared according to ancient recipes - in a restaurant, at a festival or with locals.

🧈 The name "borano" comes from the verb "to fry" - and this is no coincidence. The dish is made from processed cheese simmered in melted butter, which gives it a rich taste and unique texture.

⛰️ The homeland of this delicacy is mountainous Adjara, where life has always required hearty, simple and fast food. Borano was ideal for woodcutters, shepherds and haymakers who worked in harsh conditions and needed high-calorie and warm food. No sophistication - only natural products and deep-rooted traditions.

🥣 Over time, this simple dish became a real symbol of the region. It was served not only at home, but also at village festivals, family celebrations and treated guests. And today borano can be found in tourist restaurants in Batumi and even at food festivals.

🏅 In 2019, borano was officially recognized as a cultural heritage of the country - it is included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of Georgia. It is not just delicious, it is part of the Georgian identity.

🧀 The basis of borano is mature cheese that has undergone natural fermentation. Most often, braided suluguni is used - it stretches well, has a rich taste and is ideal for melting. Sometimes you can find Imeretian cheese in the recipe, especially in the regions where it is traditionally produced.

🔥 The second main ingredient is ghee, called yaghi in Adjara. It is simmered over low heat until a caramel aroma and a golden hue appear. Thanks to this, the butter gives the dish a nutty note and a unique silky texture. It is what turns the cheese into a tender but viscous delicacy, leaving a crispy crust on the bottom of the pan.

🍳 The classic recipe is as minimalistic as possible: just cheese and butter. But in village cuisine, there are signature variations that have been passed down in families:
— add a beaten egg,
— sometimes a little corn flour for density,
— and in some villages - even pieces of boiled potatoes.

🌾 These additives do not make the dish more complicated, but on the contrary, emphasize its accessibility and flexibility. The main condition is to preserve the homemade taste and texture of melted cheese in butter

👩‍🍳 Making borano is not just cooking, but a small ritual where everything is important: the aroma of the butter, the texture of the cheese, and even the choice of dishes. Here's how this dish is made in the mountains of Adjara:

🔹 First, the cheese is cut and kneaded by hand to prepare it for melting. Most often, braided suluguni or mature Imeretian cheese is used. Before frying, it is lightly washed in hot water - this helps remove excess salt and achieve the ideal texture when heated.

🧈 Then a ketsi is placed on the fire - a traditional clay frying pan with a thick bottom. A generous piece of melted butter (iaghi) is put in it and brought to the state of a "nutty smell" - the butter should ring, acquire a golden color and a caramel aroma.

🫕 When the butter is ready, the cheese is lowered into it and simmered over low heat. The process takes a few minutes - the cheese melts, stretches, gets a crispy crust, and the kitchen is filled with an appetizing smell. It is important not to overcook it - otherwise the cheese will become tough.

🍽️ Ready borano is served immediately, hot off the stove. It cannot be reheated - it loses its taste, texture and charm. It is best to eat it straight from the ketsi, scooping it up with pieces of corn tortilla or fresh bread.

🥣 Sometimes borano is served with fermented milk products, mint or ayran - they help balance the fat content of the dish and add freshness to the meal.

🔥 Borano is always served hot, straight from the ketsi (traditional clay pan) or deep bowl, so that the cheese remains soft and stretchy. This way, the dish reveals the maximum taste and aroma, from the nutty notes of the melted butter to the delicate texture of the cheese.

🫓 A classic pairing for borano is mchadi, a flatbread made from corn flour. It is neutral in taste and perfectly absorbs oil, making each bite rich.

🧅 Fresh vegetables are often served with the dish: tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions or aromatic herbs. This adds lightness and balance to the rich, rich cheese.

🍷 A glass of Adjarian wine or refreshing matsoni, a local fermented milk drink, are excellent drinks. It softens the taste and helps digest hearty food.

🥄 Some tourists call borano “Georgian fondue” - and there is some truth to this. Like fondue, it is eaten by dipping pieces of bread or mchadi in melted cheese. But borano is a much more authentic and ancient dish, in which the spirit of the mountains and traditions is felt.

📸 In restaurants, the dish is often garnished with fresh herbs or served with a view of the fjords, creating a real gastronomic ritual. If you are traveling in Adjara, be sure to order borano - it will tell you more about the region than any guidebook.

📍 The best flavors are in Adjara. If you want to try real, authentic borano, go to the mountain villages of Keda and Khulo. Here, the dish is prepared according to old recipes: on a ketsi, with aged cheese and fragrant melted butter. In Batumi, you will also find decent places - look for restaurants with the note "homemade borano" or "Adjarian" on the menu.

🍽️ For a tourist, this is not just food, but an experience. Borano in Georgia is taste, atmosphere and tradition in one dish. It is served hot, with the squeak of butter and the aroma of smoke from the ketsi. You will see how the cheese stretches, how the butter sizzles, and you will understand - this is a gastronomic spectacle that cannot be repeated at home.

👩‍🍳 Is it possible to make borano yourself? Theoretically, yes. If you find good suluguni, burnt ghee and a thick-walled frying pan, you can try it. But without real yaghi and Georgian ketsi, it's not quite the same taste. Doma is a remake, not the original. Borano is a dish about the moment, about the place, about the spirit of the mountains.

✨ Advice from us: Be sure to try borano in Georgia, especially in the mountains. And then decide whether you want to repeat this experience at home or keep it as a special memory from your trip 🏔️💛