Churchkhela

Nuts in grape must

Churchkhela is a traditional Georgian sweet: walnuts (sometimes hazelnuts) threaded on a string, dipped repeatedly in flour-thickened grape must (tatara) and dried. The finished «candles» have a dense, chewy texture.

It is made in autumn during the rtveli from fresh must — in Kakheti usually from red (Saperavi), in Imereti from white. Rich in sugar and fat, it keeps for months and was historically a nourishing food for travel and war.

Today churchkhela is a culinary symbol of Georgia; its making is inscribed on the country's intangible cultural heritage list.