The Hirshon Georgian Bean Dip – ლობიო

My Citizens, the undimmed culinary lighthouse that is TFD is proud to share yet another recipe from the culinary dynamo that is the proud country of Georgia! 🙂

Lobio (Georgian: ლობიო) is a traditional Georgian dish of various kinds of prepared beans (cooked or stewed), typically containing coriander, walnuts, garlic and onion. There are many varieties of lobio, both hot and cold.

The dish is said to have (unsurprisingly) originated in Georgia. The dish most likely predates any division of the lands into countries. As with many Georgian dishes, lobio is spicy, but not necessarily hot.

While there are many ways of making lobio, the most common of which is a cold dish called lobio nigozit, typically made with dark red kidney beans which are cooked and then mashed with garlic, onions, walnuts, coriander, marigold petals, chili pepper and vinegar, and then allowed to marinate overnight. A hot version is usually made with white beans.

In other hot varieties lobio may contain meat. Beans would be put in the pot with water and spices and allowed to sit overnight. The following day, the pot would be placed over a fire or, if available, in a small exposed oven, and the beans slowly cooked. At the appropriate stages, meat and other vegetables would be added to cook. The cooked lobio would then be served in the clay pot, along with a flat cornbread.

Lobio, in its traditional format, progressed to become a standard recipe the ingredients of which varied depending on the area in which it was cooked. Traditionally and best made in a clay pot, I love using these small ones for individual servings.

My version adapts from many of the classic styles of Lobio to make a knockout version of the dish that will be guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of your lucky guests at your next lunch, dinner, or gathering! 🙂 Sources for the more unusual spices such as Pennyroyal, smoked chili flakes, Georgian blue fenugreek and Svanetian salt may be found on the Internet.

Battle on – The Generalissimo

Print