A Beginner’s Guide to Georgian Condiments

A bowl of hot potatoes, their skins split and steaming. Bread torn into generous pieces. Something sizzling in a pan. Put a few Georgian condiments on that table and you have something truly special full of new flavours with simple ingredients you already have in your kitchen.

There might be adjika for chilli, garlic and spice; a sharp plum sauce to cut through something rich; or a walnut sauce so good that the bread becomes a perfectly acceptable spoon.

Georgian sauces deserve a place in everyday cooking. You can serve them with traditional dishes, of course, but they’re equally welcome beside your Sunday roast, a plate of fried eggs or whatever vegetables need using up.

At Happy Adjika, that’s what we want to share: Georgian flavour you can bring into your own kitchen, with food you already love.

Adjika: chilli, garlic and plenty of character

Adjika, also written as ajika, is a concentrated seasoning paste with roots in Abkhazian and western Georgian food traditions. Chillies, garlic, salt, herbs and spices appear in different combinations, with recipes varying between regions, families and makers.

Some are red, some green. Some include walnuts. There are dry seasonings, too.

A good adjika has several things going on at once. You taste the chilli, certainly, but also garlic, herbs, salt and the fragrance of the spices. Use a small amount and let those flavours come through.

Our Heritage Pastes include Red, Green and Walnut Adjika. Green brings a fresh, herbal character, while walnuts give our Walnut Adjika an earthier richness.

Try adjika with:

• Roast chicken or grilled vegetables.

• Eggs on buttered toast.

• Beans simmered with onions and tomatoes.

• Mayonnaise for sandwiches and chips.

• Thick yoghurt to spoon over a traybake.

Begin with a little, taste, then add more. Adjika already brings salt as well as heat, so check your seasoning before reaching for the salt cellar.

Satsebeli: a Georgian tomato sauce made for the table

If you’re starting with tomato-based satsebeli, expect a savoury sauce with garlic, herbs and a little spice.

It’s a great introduction to Georgian condiments because the ways to eat it feel familiar. Put some beside grilled meat, spoon it into a burger or drag a crisp potato through it.

For a simple supper, serve roast chicken with a tomato salad, bread and a bowl of satsebeli. Let everyone help themselves.

Tkemali: the sharp plum sauce

Tkemali is a Georgian plum sauce with a wonderfully tart flavour. Green and red versions differ according to the fruit and recipe, with herbs, garlic and chilli often joining the plums.

This is the sauce to reach for when a mouthful needs some sharpness.

Try it with roast pork, grilled lamb or potatoes. It also makes sense beside oily fish, where that acidity gives a welcome lift.

If you’re expecting a sweet plum chutney, tkemali will surprise you. Its sourness is a large part of its appeal.

Bazhe: a generous bowl of walnut sauce

Bazhe is a Georgian walnut sauce, made with ground walnuts, garlic and spices, loosened to a spoonable consistency.

The walnuts give it body and richness without needing cream. Depending on the recipe, a little vinegar adds acidity.

It’s often served with chicken, but try it with roasted cauliflower or aubergine as well. Both are very good at carrying a generous spoonful of sauce.

Walnut Adjika and bazhe are different things: one is a concentrated chilli paste containing walnuts; the other is a walnut-based sauce.

Where do Georgian spice blends fit in?

Alongside the sauces and pastes, Georgian seasonings are worth getting to know.

Khmeli Suneli is a dry blend of herbs and spices for cooking. Stir it into beans, add it to a stew or mix it with oil before coating vegetables.

Svanetian Salt combines salt with aromatic ingredients. Use it as seasoning, remembering that it contributes salt to the dish as well as flavour.

A paste, a pouring sauce and a dry seasoning each do a different job.

Three easy ways to start

For a quick introduction, choose one of these:

Eggs and adjika: fry your eggs, butter some toast and serve a little adjika on the side.

Potatoes and sauce: roast potatoes until crisp, then put satsebeli or tkemali on the table for dipping.

Vegetables and spice: toss carrots, squash or cauliflower with oil and Khmeli Suneli before roasting.

You’ll soon find your own favourite combinations. That’s how a new ingredient earns its place in the kitchen: someone reaches for it again the next day.

Explore the Happy Adjika range and find something good for your table.