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What is Georgian tkemali sauce, and what other sauces are there?

Tkemali, adjika, bazhe and satsivi.

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Short answer

Tkemali is a sauce made from red, yellow or green cherry plums with coriander, garlic, dill and pepper, served with barbecue, boiled meat, potatoes and boiled eggs. Other Georgian favourites are spicy adjika and walnut bazhe. Turkey or chicken in walnut sauce is called satsivi.

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Why

  1. The colour of tkemali follows the plum: red, yellow and green cherry plums give a sauce of the same colour.
  2. Tkemali season starts in May, as soon as the skin of the fruit hardens.
  3. Walnut bazhe and satsivi are especially popular at New Year and holiday feasts.

Details

Fresh coriander and ombalo (pennyroyal) go into tkemali, and the preserved version also has garlic, dill, pepper and salt. Homemade tkemali is sold at markets such as Deserters' Bazaar in Tbilisi. Adjika can be red, green, yellowish or white; the red one is hot because of red pepper.

Tip

Try both red and green tkemali: some people prefer one, some the other, so you will find your own taste.

What may differ

Homemade tkemali at markets can differ from shop-bought in sourness and heat, so ask to taste first.

People also ask

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Sources

Dish names and recipes vary across Georgia's regions; the most common versions are given here.

Georgian sauces

  • What is utskho suneli and what is it added to?

    Utskho suneli goes into duck stew with walnuts: 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture for a whole duck of about 1.5 kg.

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  • What is khmeli suneli and how is it used?

    Khmeli suneli is a Georgian spice mix, and in the Imeretian version of aubergine with walnuts it goes in only in a very small amount so that it does not drown the garlic.

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  • What is Georgian tolma?

    Tolma is one of the staple dishes of Georgian cuisine, and there is a vegetable version that suits vegetarians.

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  • What kinds of flaky khachapuri are there?

    Flaky khachapuri in Georgia comes in several types: Meskhetian, made with puff pastry-style dough, a Gurian crescent with cheese and hard-boiled eggs, and a square Rachan one with a walnut in each corner.

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