A bite of churchkhela, Georgia’s dessert

Kalpana Sunder

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AT first glance they look like party decorations or giant waxy candlesticks — a rainbow of colourful strings festooning every market and street stall in Tbilsi, the capital of Georgia. Our local guide Nino explains that they are actually churchkhela or juice-coated nuts, which are Georgia’s favourite candy and energy bars. Made from grapes, nuts and flour, its manufacture was included on country’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2015.

Legend has it that churchkhela was originally made for Georgian soldiers marching into battle because it was compact and easy to carry, and was a nutritious, calorie-packed snack that would not perish easily. It was traditionally walnuts dipped in grape juice, thickened with flour, and then dried in the sun. “The best churchkhela comes from Kakheti region, which is also famous for wines,” says Nino.

We watched the process of making churchkhela at Dr George Laboratory, a family enterprise outside Tbisli, the capital of Georgia. The small family run unit uses special Saperavi and Rkatsiteli variety of grape juice from Kakheti. This cinnamon-coloured juice is placed in a gargantuan bronze pot and heated, stirred with a big wooden spoon and condensed to almost half the quantity. Wheat flour is then added to thicken it, making it viscous. This thick, gelatinous liquid called tatara is used for dipping the nuts.

Walnuts, almonds and hazlenuts are used generally and sometimes raisins and dried peaches are added. Before they are threaded like flowers onto a string using a needle, the nuts are shelled and softened in water. We try our hands after the strings are attached onto a hooked wooden stand, dipping them gently into the liquidrepeatedly, till they are well coated and then left to dry in the sun for at least five days.

Churchkela is locals’ favourite snack for road trips, hikes and picnics. It’s also served as a dessert during celebrations. It is usually made during the grape harvest season in autumn, and can be stored for long periods though it tastes divine when fresh. We carry a few strings of these ‘Georgian Snickers’ back home, and every bite of these chewy sweets reminds of the time in this beautiful country with wooden houses and rolling mountains at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.