Georgia On My Mind: Batumi brings the Caucasus to Valencia

Cuisine from the country of Georgia, a small nation on the Black Sea, is informed by local products, especially walnuts and pomegranates, and centuries of influence from Turkey, the Middle East, and travelers along the Silk Road. It is also considered the birthplace of wine, with an astounding 8000-year history.

The historic Black Sea port city Batumi, which itself is over 2,000 years old, is the namesake of a wonderful restaurant in Valencia, with two locations, in Mestalla and Ruzafa. At the location in Ruzafa, there is a nice, welcoming vibe, with service that is both friendly and professional. Three of us, two New Yorkers and an Eastern European, were welcomed with an amuse-bouche, a tiny toast dolloped with pate and garnished with a single pomegranate aril (seed).

Fortified with a couple of large beers and some bracing Georgian white wine made from the Khikhvi grape, we ordered the smooth and silky Badrijani Nigvzit (below), thin slices of eggplant rolled and filled with walnut paste. Some more walnuts were strewn about the dish, adding crunch to the rich rolls, which we piled atop toasted bread.

Amuse-bouche of pate with a single aril, pomagrante seed, and Badijani Nigvzit, rolls of sliced eggplant with walnut paste.

Boat-shaped bread, twisted knots of dough, and slow-roasted pork

We moved on to the Khachapuri, Adjarski style, which is warm, fresh bread, shaped like a boat, stuffed with butter, cheese, and an egg, which is all woven together tableside by a server, which we used to mop up the Odjakhuri (below), roast pork, potatoes, and onions in a tangy sauce.

We also ordered two types of Khinkali, one stuffed with cheese, the other with veal. These are large dumplings, with the tops twisted into a knot. They are accompanied by a dipping sauce, and you eat them with your hands, grabbing them by the “knot”. You also need to “bite and suck”, as they are filled with broth, similar to a Chinese xiaolongbao, or soup dumpling. Speaking of which, all of this food can be eaten with your hands, which, for some reason, makes everything taste better.

There are subtle flavors in Georgian cuisine you won’t find elsewhere, such as the hints of blue fenugreek, berberis (barberries), and marigold petals, which are unique to Georgian cooking. Lots of herbs such as dill, cilantro, and parsley are at play in the background of the dishes as well. This cuisine, along with Ukrainian food, is gaining a foothold in Valencia, in part due to the strong immigration of people from that region.

Khachapuri, Georgian fresh bread stuffed with egg and cheese Adjarski-style; served with Odjakhuri roast pork, tomatoes, potatoes, and onions in a clay pot; and Khinkali, cheese or meat dumplings

Connecting Valencia to the rich culinary traditions of Georgia

I spoke to the new chef at Batumi, Saba Berelashvili, whose experience includes more than eight years working across different cultural cuisines, including not just Georgian, but Japanese, Italian, French, Chinese, and Thai.

With a certification from Le Cordon Bleu Paris, and a focus on creating new and ambitious culinary projects, Saba and the owners of Batumi plan to, in his words, “elevate their concept, and introduce Valencia to a modern vision of Georgian cuisine”.

“People around the world know Georgian food through iconic dishes like khinkali, khachapuri, and barbecue. But behind these famous stars, there are hundreds of traditional dishes and thousands of regional variations—many of which are slowly disappearing and now exist mostly in family traditions. Our mission is to present Georgian cuisine the way it was once introduced within our own families: authentic, diverse, and deeply cultural.” – Saba Berelashvili, Chef at Batumi

This is an exciting moment for the restaurant, and a welcome expansion of Valencia’s culinary universe.

A wide selection of Eastern European meats, cheeses, and Georgian dumplings at Tienda Tangra.

Where to buy Eastern European ingredients in Valencia

And if you can’t get your fill of Eastern European food in the few restaurants sprouting up around town, you can also check out Tienda Tangra, a Bulgarian grocery store, which sells all sorts of Eastern European staples, including the spectacular Bulgarian white cheese, which is on a par, if not superior, to Greek feta. They also sell tons of pickles, condiments, smoked meats, and, of course, frozen Georgian dumplings!

Places Mentioned