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April 26, 2024
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Are you wondering if you should visit Georgia as a vegan? I did too! As there seemed to be a lot of meat-heavy and especially cheese-heavy dishes in Georgia I was wondering what to expect. But, I can tell you already that vegan Georgian food is not hard to find no matter which part of the country you will visit. In this post, I will tell you all about my vegan journey in Georgia and all the vegan dishes I encountered on the road!
Kazbegi, Georgia.
Let’s get one thing clear before we start. In this post, we are talking about Georgia, the country, which is bordered by Russia, Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and the Black Sea and lies at the intersection of West Asia and Eastern Europe. This post is not about the American state of Georgia.
Georgia is a country often overlooked by tourists. As a former soviet republic, the country’s weary history has certainly left a mark. However, don’ let this put you off.
The streets of Tbilisi.
I can tell you that Georgia is a fabulous country to visit! The natural places are still raw and wild, cultural sites are abundant and the locals are amongst the friendliest I ever met.
wherever you go, this country will surprise you with its centuries-old traditions, diverse landscapes, and its delicious food.
Tbilisi.
Georgian food is delicious according to many who have visited the country. But it is also meat-heavy and a lot of dishes contain butter and cheese like, for example, the famous Khachapuri. This is Georgian cheese bread, that you can literally find on every restaurant’s menu. Depending on the region, you will encounter it in many different shapes and sizes and with a variety of ingredients.
Aside from this, Georgian cuisine also contains a lot of plant-based dishes that you can easily find on every menu. Because Georgians are Orthodox Christians, as in Greece, they practice fasting during certain periods of the year, also in which they withdraw from eating meat, fish, and dairy products.
This fact makes it relatively easy to travel to Georgia as a vegan.
Badrizhan nigzvit (eggplant rolls with walnuts).
In this section, I will let you in on all the vegan dishes I encountered on my travels through Georgia. I arranged the dishes in the order you will often find them on the menu in Georgian Restaurants.
Georgians don’t make a clear distinction between an entrance, main course, and dessert. In fact, dessert is often absent on many menus. Instead, you sample a few dishes on the menu and shared them with the company you’re in.
Without further ado, let’s dive in to all the amazing vegan dishes you can find in Georgia!
Most of the time cold dishes and salads are presented first on the menu. A lot of them contain walnut. The walnuts can just be sprinkled on top of a salad, processed into a delicious nut sauce, or as a stuffing for vegetables.
This is a comprehensive yet not exhaustive list of dishes. There are probably more vegan Georgian dishes, but these are the ones that I encountered during my visit to the country.
Vegan Georgian food: tomato and cucumber salad.
This tomato and cucumber salad is a bit similar to the ones you get in Greece with the difference that they are often sprinkled with parsley in Georgia.
A variation that you will regularly see in restaurants is the tomato and cucumber salad with walnut.
Tomato salad & restaurant setting in Kazbegi, Georgia.
This is a simple tomato salad with onion and cilantro. As you can see, crushed walnut is sprinkled on top.
Vegan Georgian food: Pkhali.
Pkhali is a traditional Georgian dish consisting of vegetables and walnut sauce. It comes in different varieties and forms. In the photo above you can see a mixed Pkhali platter with spinach pkhali and red peppers filled with walnut paste.
In the picture above you can see an oval-shaped spinach pkhali with next to it a white bean phkali.
In the picture above, you can see a mixture of leeks with nut sauce. I am not 100% sure if this is considered pkhali in Georgia but it had the same flavors so I have put it in here.
Vegan Georgian food: Eggplant rolls with walnut paste.
These eggplant rolls with walnut sauce are on every Georgian restaurant’s menu. In the photo, they are sprinkled with onion and cilantro but they are also often found with pomegranate seeds on top.
Vegan bean stew
This dish was presented at the restaurant as green beans with walnut. We were a bit surprised when we were served a cold dish with brown beans and walnut. But is was tasty anyway!
Vegan Georgian food: Rice with vegetables.
Contrary to what we were expecting, this rice salad is served cold, with vegetables like tomato and onion and a lovely, fresh seasoning. We encountered it several times in restaurants in the northeast of the country but didn’t see it anymore in the south and by the coast.
Cabbage salad
This cabbage salad with carrots was served to us for dinner at a homestay by a Georgian family in the area around Vardzia. It was a welcome change from the tomato and cucumber salads we had every day during our trip.
Potato Salad
This cold potato salad was also served by the same Georgian family during a homestay in the south of Georgia. It is a mix of potato, onion, carrot, and cilantro.
Here is a collection of all the hot vegan Georgian dishes I tried on my trip through Georgia. As you will see, there is absolutely no shortage of vegan options!
Vegan Georgian food: Ajapsandali.
Ajapsandali is a Georgian dish that reminded me a little bit of ratatouille. It is an eggplant stew with onions, tomatoes and peppers seasoned with garlic and cilantro.
Ajapsandali
Every restaurant seems to have its own recipe. As you can see, the one on the second foto is more “watery” and topped with fresh onion. They both tasted great though!
Vegan Georgian food: Baked potatoes.
Aha, baked potatoes! Baked potatoes are found on the menu of every restaurant. They come in different varieties and it is often not clear if you will get baked potatoes or something similar to fries.
Baked potatoes with onion.
The baked potatoes in the photo above were actual “baked potatoes” mixed with onion and were simply delicious.
Baked potatoes topped with veggies.
On the other hand, the baked potatoes in the photo above were more like french fries and topped with fresh onion, peppers, and cilantro. Equally delicious though!
Eggplant with garlic
This was one of my favorite dishes during my trip to Georgia. It is wonderful how you can create something so flavorful with so few ingredients. This dish consists of roasted pieces of eggplant topped with garlic and cilantro.
Vegan Georgian food: Grilled vegetables.
In Georgia, grilled meat is on a lot of restaurants’ menus. Luckily for us vegans, they also grill veggies! A grilled vegetable plate mainly consists of eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes sprinkled with onions and cilantro.
Grilled vegetables.
don’t expect the portions to be the same at every restaurant. We were offered a gigantic portion of grilled vegetables in a restaurant in Kazbegi, while it was petite in Sighnaghi!
Lobio
Lobio is a dish that you can find at almost every Georgian restaurant. It is a stew made of beans, walnuts, and herbs. If you are starving, then this heartwarming dish, mostly eaten with Mchadi, is a perfect choice.
Mexican potatoes
I was surprised to see “Mexican potatoes” on so many menus in Georgian restaurants, whether we were in the Caucasus, in the cities, or by the coast.
The potatoes are seasoned with a mix of chili, salt, coriander, and probably some other spices, and are very tasty. Do note that the sauce is often not vegan!
Mushroom Khinkali
Khinkali are Georgian dumplings. They are made of little packages of dough, originally filled with minced meat. Luckily for us vegans, there are also vegan versions of Khinkali. I came across mushroom khinkali and potato khinkali during my trip. Mushroom khinkali was my favorite.
Mushroom Ojakhuri
Ojakhuri is a very popular dish in Georgia. It literally means “family dish” and originally consists of grilled meat, potatoes and onion.
Mushroom Ojakhuri
Luckily, they also serve a vegan version with mushrooms instead of meat. Do be aware that they sometimes use dairy-based butter to cook this dish so you better ask this before you order.
Mushroom Ostri
Ostri is a traditional Georgian dish originally consisting of beef and vegetables. Mushroom ostri is found at a lot of restaurants though and is completely vegan.
Mushroom “On ketsi”
At Georgian restaurants, this dish will be advertised as “mushrooms on ketsi”. A ketsi is a Georgian frying pan made of red clay. Ask if they use dairy-based butter before ordering.
Georgian pasta
This Georgian past dish was one of the best dishes I had during my whole trip. It was served by a Georgian family at a homestay and it consisted of boiled dough with fried small pieces of onion. Unfortunately, I can’t recall the name of this dish but it was in the area of Meskheti and was said to be a local specialty.
At every Georgian restaurant, you will witness a massive list of bread-based dishes. The most famous one is Khachapuri, a boat-shaped bread dish filled with cheese, butter, and egg.
Most of these bread-based dishes contain animal-based products. While some of them may seem vegan, they are actually not. Lobiani, for instance, is a Georgian bread filled with bean stew, and also often on offer are spinach pies. Both of them contain eggs, unfortunately.
Luckily, you can enjoy Georgian puri and Mchadi without worries!
Mchadi
Mchadi is a very popular Georgian cornbread. It is often eaten with Lobio and you can find it at every dinner table for “supra”.
My boyfriend and I were lucky to be asked to join a group of Georgian friends to experience “supra”. It was such a memorable evening, talking about politics, history, and more and toasting to new friendships and Georgian hospitality.
Georgian Bread
Georgian bread is delicious! As for breakfast, there is nothing better in Georgia than to go to the bakery and get some fresh “puri”. Traditional puri is baked in a huge clay oven and comes in different shapes and sizes depending on the region you’re traveling in.
Eat it with some fresh fruit and jam which you can buy at a local market.
Something you can almost find at any location in Georgia is Churchkhela. Churchkhela is a candle-shaped candy bar consisting of walnuts and condensed juice. I have to be honest. I’m not a fan. But I do think you should definitely try it when you travel through Georgia.
Another snack you can find on practically every menu is pickled vegetables. This can go from cucumber to beets to even pickled flowers of the Jonjoli plant. Pickles are not only vegan but also good for your gut health!
Restaurant in Sighnaghi, Georgia.
Here are a few of my favorite restaurants in Georgia in which I had the best vegan meals:
TBILISI
BATUMI
KAZBEGI:
KUTAISI
SIGHNAGHI:
There you go! I hope you enjoyed this vegan Georgian food guide. Let me know if this post inspired you to travel to Georgia as a vegan and please let me know in the comment below if you encounter any other great vegan dish that I didn’t mention here above!
ENJOY!
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Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
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Anubhav
Hi, good detailed information.. not very sure but i think they use eggs in the making of bread.. like in Lobiani or the spinach bread..
annelies_degelas
Hey! I just looked it up and you are right! I had no idea, I thought it was the same bread as normal Georgian bread. I will adjust the post to let readers know! Thank you so much!
Gela
Hi, just wanted to let you know that we don’t use cilantro for cucumber and tomato salad it’s parsley there.
Nice and informative article.
Thanks
Gela
Hi, just wanted to let you know that we don’t use cilantro for cucumber and tomato salad it’s parsley there.
Nice and informative article.
Thanks again
annelies_degelas
Hi Gela! Sorry, my bad! I will adjust it in the post! Thank you for pointing that out! 🙂 I am already missing all these incredibly tasty dishes!