The Hirshon Georgian Churchkhela Fruit and Nut Candy – ჩურჩხელა

My indomitable and beloved Citizens of TFD Nation – attend, as I return from distant shores laden with recipes of repute and the generosity to share My undimmed incandescent  culinary brilliance with you all! Today I return once again to My culinary homeland that is the Republic of Georgia, ancestral home to some of the most ancient gastronomic and vinicultural legacies on planet Earth – some dating back 8,000 years! Today, I share My recipe for churchkhela, the Georgian “energy candy”!

Georgia (Georgian: საქართველო, romanized: sakartvelo) is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and West Asia. It is part of the Caucasus region, bounded by the Black Sea to the west, Russia to the north and northeast, Turkey to the southwest, Armenia to the south, and by Azerbaijan to the southeast. The country covers an area of 69,700 square kilometres (26,900 sq mi), and has a population of 3.7 million people. Tbilisi is its capital and largest city, housing ⅓ of the population.

Georgia has been a wine production site since 6,000 BC, being the earliest known location of winemaking in the world. During the classical era, several kingdoms emerged in what is now Georgia, such as Colchis and Iberia. In the early 4th century, Georgians officially adopted Christianity, which contributed to the unification of early Georgian states. In the Middle Ages, the unified Kingdom of Georgia reached its Golden Age during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar.

Thereafter, the kingdom declined and eventually disintegrated under the hegemony of various regional powers, including the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, and various dynasties of Persia. In 1783, one of the Georgian kingdoms entered into an alliance with the Russian Empire but Russia reneged on its promises and instead proceeded to annex the territory of modern Georgia piece-by-piece against the wish of the local rulers.

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Georgia emerged as an independent republic under German protection. Following World War I, Georgia was invaded and annexed by the Soviet Union in 1922, becoming one of its constituent republics. In the 1980s, an independence movement grew quickly, leading to Georgia’s secession from the Soviet Union in April 1991.

For most of the subsequent decade, post-Soviet Georgia suffered from economic crisis, political instability and secessionist wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Following the peaceful Rose Revolution in 2003, Georgia strongly pursued a pro-Western foreign policy; it introduced a series of democratic and economic reforms aimed at integration into the European Union and NATO.

The country’s Western orientation soon led to worsening relations with Russia, which culminated in the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, and entrenched Russian occupation of a portion of Georgia, a situation that continues to this very day and leads to continuous tension with Russia and a concerted international diplomatic effort to regain control of its occupied territory.

Georgian cuisine and wine have evolved through the centuries, adapting traditions in each era. One of the most unusual traditions of dining is supra (tablecloth), or Georgian table, which is also a way of socializing with friends and family. The head of a supra is known as the tamada – he conducts the highly philosophical toasts, and makes sure that everyone is enjoying themselves. A full discussion of the Georgian supra is elucidated here on the blog.

Georgian cuisine has a distinct character, while bearing some similarities with various national cuisines of the Caucasus, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Every region of Georgia has its own distinct style of food preparation. Eating and drinking are VERY important parts of Georgian culture. Georgia was one of the countries on the Silk Road, which resulted in travelers influencing Georgian cuisine.

The Georgian love of family and friends is one of the reasons why the supra is so important in Georgia. Supra is offered spontaneously to relatives, friends or guests. Every supra has its tamada (toastmaster), who gives the toast and entertains the guests. In 2010, Georgian cuisine was described as having had an exotic appeal to Russians that The Independent compared to that of Indian cuisine to the British.

Georgia is also one of the oldest wine-producing countries in the world. Archaeology indicates that fertile valleys and slopes in and around Georgia have been home to grapevine cultivation and neolithic wine production for millennia. Local traditions associated with wine are entwined with its national identity. In 2013, UNESCO added the ancient traditional Georgian winemaking method using the qvevri clay jars for underground aging to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

Churchkhela is a traditional Georgian candle-shaped candy, the main ingredients of which are reduced grape juice, nuts, and flour. Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and chocolate and sometimes raisins are threaded onto a string, dipped in thickened grape juice, mulberry juice, or fruit juices and dried in the shape of a sausage. In eastern Georgia, churchkhela production begins with a condensed juice called tatara, made from must from local grapes in the areas of Kakheti, Kartli or Meskheti thickened with wheat flour.

Wheat flour is also used for making condensed mulberry juice in the area of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Corn flour is used in western Georgia (the areas of Racha, Lechkhumi, Guria, Samegrelo, Abkhazia and Achara), and this condensed grape juice is called pelamushi. In Abkhazia, a region in the North Caucus Mountains of Georgia, it is known as Аджинджук (adzhindzhukhua or ajinjuk) in the local Abkhaz language and is touted as the best souvenir for gifting.

Churchkhela is very much a Georgian national delicacy. In the 8th century BC, Churchkhela, also known as Chella, made its debut, marking nearly three millennia of culinary heritage. The history of churchkhela is rooted in the Georgian region of Samegrelo, a fact confirmed even by the etymology of the word.

Translated from the Mingrelian language, “chhur” means “cold”, and “chkher” means “hot”, and this reflects two essential steps in making churchkhela: Threaded nuts are dipped several times in a hot, sticky mass (called felamushi in Georgian) and then cooled in the open air for days.

The name was protected geographically in 2011, and the traditional method of Kakhetian churchkhela was inscribed on the Georgian Intangible Cultural Heritage Register in 2015. However, these days you’ll likely find versions of churchkhela produced at home and abroad that bypass the traditional, preferring instead to import grapes, use pre-concentrated juice, or add artificial color.

THIS IS AN ABOMINATION!

In western Georgia, a dessert similar to churchkhela is called janjura. In the Guria, Samegrelo and Imereti regions, people use not walnuts, but hazelnuts as a core, and corn flour is added to the condensed juice instead of wheat flour. Janjura, dipped for the first time in the condensed juice, is dipped again after 10 days and only then dried. In Racha, dried fruits, apricots and pumpkin seeds are often used as fillings – and I have adapted My version of the dessert to reflect both traditions.

Local people know what is a natural churchkhela quite easily – it doesn’t have different colors. If you see green or blue churchkhela – it’s not natural and it’s not real churchkhela. White grapes naturally produce a lighter brownish churchkhela, where red grapes produce a darker maroon. The history of Churchkhela goes back to David IV of Georgia (David the Builder).

When Georgian warriors started on long campaigns, they took with them a calorically dense and hearty churchkhela, since it is long-stored, easy to carry and contains many calories.

Churchkhela and its varieties are popular in several countries besides Georgia, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Cyprus, Greece, Russia, and Ukraine. In Persian, it is known as باسلوق شیره انگور. In Aleppo, Syria, it is known as jok malbal جق ملبل. In Azerbaijani, Armenian, Greek, and Turkish it is known as sujuk, which is actually a dry sausage.

To distinguish the two, it is sometimes referred to as “sweet sujukh” (քաղցր սուջուխ, kaghtsr sujukh) in Armenian (շարոց, sharots in Western Armenian), and cevizli sucuk (‘walnut sujuk’) in Turkish. It is known in Cypriot Greek as shoushoukos (σιουσιούκκος) and as soutzouki (σουτζούκι), τζουτζούκι (tzoutzoúki or jutsuki) and tσούτσελα (tsoútsela) in Greece. The Cypriot variety is made by dipping strings of almonds into jelly.

Several related sweets are made in Greece during the autumn grape harvest by thickening grape must, to include the grape molasses πετιμέζι pekmez (petimezi), the grape must pudding called μουσταλευριά (moustalevria) and grape must cookies called μουστοκούλουρα (moustokouloura). Another variant of churchkhela, traditionally called kelawo, is prepared in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.

Churchkhela is a homemade Georgian product. Georgians usually make churchkhela in autumn when the primary ingredients, grapes and nuts, are harvested. The juice is placed in a large bronze cauldron and heated slowly. A small amount of a special white earth called asproi is added to the boiling must and causes impurities to rise to the surface, where they are collected and removed. It is possible to substitute asproi, when not available, with lager beer, which has a similar result.

Once the cleansing process is complete, the liquid is left to cool. Next, flour is added while stirring and heating the mixture. When it reaches the right consistency, based on the rate of steam bubbles and the viscosity of the mixture, it is removed from the heat. The mix, called badagi, is now ready for use in the next step in the process of making churchkhela, which consists of preparing the nuts for dipping.

Before they are threaded, the nuts have to be shelled and dipped into water in order to soften them. Once soft enough, they are strung onto 2–3-meter (6.6–9.8 ft)-long threads. The strings are dipped in the badagi mixture until completely covered. This process is repeated several times (at least two, preferably three times) until the churchkhela has the desired thickness. Churchkhela strings are then left to dry for five to six days. They are then ready for consumption or storage.

Here is a fantastic video demonstrating how to make churchkhela in Georgia!

The Original Warrior Energy Bar

Churchkhela is a between-meal snack and is also served as a dessert during New Year and Christmas celebrations. It is worth noting that making churchkhela My way isn’t cheap, but it does reflect the ultimate expression of this ancient sweet and I encourage you to try My version – just once. For a much easier, still delicious and vey authentic version of this snack that doesn’t involve anything but clicking “buy” you can get several different versions from here.

Now – the classic version of churchkhela uses only grape juice, quite specifically GEORGIAN grape juice. Georgian juices of ANY form are the best and most delicious of their kind IN THE WORLD and some modern recipes of churchkhela use pomegranate or apricot juice instead of grape juice. Being TFD, I prefer more flavor complexity in My version of this ancient sweet and have elected to combine not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE different Georgian juices for the ultimate indulgence!

Specifically, I call for red Isabella grape juice, white Rkatsiteli grape juice, apricot juice, blackberry juice and pomegranate juice – ALL from the mighty Republic, all organic and all DELICIOUS! You can purchase all of them from this Amazon storefront – and trust Me, they will change how you think of juices forever afterwards – they’re juices for the palate and the soul! Leftover juice will be thirstily devoured within a day, of this I can assure you!

Traditional churchkhela uses only grape juice for the coating – mine uses not just 5 different juices but also includes an herbal and spice component for additional flavor complexity – and these are classic Georgian flavors! For herbal, I chose to use basil and for spices, the unmatched Georgian spice blend known as khmeli-suneli. My recipe for this may be found here or you can buy an excellent pre-made version from here. These are NOT traditional and may be omitted, if you so choose.

Top-quality walnuts are the backbone (quite literally) of this recipe – don’t skimp, get the best you can find! These are my go-to. As for dried apricots, while I normally enjoy California versions of this delectable fruit, they are the wrong flavor profile to match up with Georgian cuisine. Turkish apricots are the right choice here and these are exceptional.

On the excellent blog nofrillskitchen.com I found an exceptional hack to this recipe – instead of using raw flour in the juice to thicken it properly to coat the nuts and fruit, she instead makes a cooked roux BEFORE adding the juice. This is a genius hack I’ve happily adopted for My recipe. I mentioned earlier that My recipe combines Eastern and Western Georgia versions of the recipe – I happily add some dried apricots per the Western version to My Eastern walnut version to add extra savor to the final product.

Citizens, this is a healthy and delicious snack that will transport you thousands of years back in the past to antiquity, while the profound flavor enhancements I’ve added to the classic recipe point firmly towards a bold future. Give churchkhela as a gift to your most favored friends and family – but be careful, they will assuredly be asking for MANY more of them in the future from you!

Battle on – the Generalissimo

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