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|
 Kakhetian churchela | |
| Alternative names | Churchela |
|---|---|
| Type | Confectionery |
| Place of origin | Georgia |
| Main ingredients | Grapemust,nuts,flour |
Churchkhela[a] is a traditionalGeorgian[1][2] candle-shapedbrittleconfection.
The main ingredients ofchurchkhela are grapemust,nuts, andflour.Almonds,walnuts,hazelnuts, and sometimes chocolate andraisins are threaded onto a string, dipped in thickenedgrape must,mulberry juice, or fruit juices and dried in the shape of acandle. In eastern Georgia,churchkhela production begins with a condensed juice calledtatara, made from must from local grapes in the areas ofKakheti,Kartli, orMeskheti thickened with wheat flour. Wheat flour is also used for making condensed mulberry juice in the area ofSamtskhe-Javakheti. Corn flour is used in western Georgia (the areas ofRacha,Lechkhumi,Guria,Samegrelo,Abkhazia, andAchara), and this condensed grape juice is calledpelamushi.[3] InAbkhazia, a region in the North Caucasus Mountains of Georgia, it is known asАджинджук (adzhindzhukhua orajinjuk) in the localAbkhaz language and is touted as the best souvenir for gifting.[4]
Georgian warriors carriedchurchkhela with them because they contain many calories.[5]
The traditional technology ofchurchkhela in theKakheti region was inscribed on theIntangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia list in 2015.[6][7]
Churchkhela (ჩურჩხელა in Georgian) is now gaining popularity in other parts of the world, notably Canada and the USA. Georgian food has been seeing an upward trend over the last few years due to large numbers of Russians immigrating to Canada and the United States[8] with several companies starting up and taking off, like Chella, who makechurchkhela in Vancouver, British Columbia, and La Fabrique St-George, who make Georgian wine in traditionalqvevris.
The Cypriot variety is made by dipping strings of almonds into jelly, calledshoushoukos (σιουσιούκκος).[9]
Churchkhela and its varieties are popular in several countries besides Georgia, such asArmenia,Azerbaijan,Turkey,Iraq,[5]Syria,Iran,Cyprus,Greece,Russia,Ukraine andBulgaria. In Azerbaijani, Armenian, Greek, and Turkish it has been described assujuk, which typically is a sausage. To distinguish the two, it is sometimes referred to as "sweetsujukh" (քաղցր սուջուխ,kaghtsr sujukh) in Armenian[10] (շարոց,sharots in Western Armenian), andcevizli sucuk ('walnutsujuk') in Turkish.[11] It is known inCypriot Greek asshoushoukos (σιουσιούκκος)[12] and assoutzouki (σουτζούκι),τζουτζούκι (tzoutzoúki orjutsuki) andtσούτσελα (tsoútsela) in Greece. Several related sweets are made in Greece during the autumn grape harvest by thickening grape must, to include the grape molassesπετιμέζιpekmez (petimezi), the grape must pudding calledμουσταλευριά (moustalevria) and grape must cookies calledμουστοκούλουρα (moustokouloura).
Churchkhela is a homemade Georgian product.[citation needed] Georgians usually makechurchkhela in autumn when the primary ingredients, grapes and nuts, are harvested. It is a string of walnut halves that have been dipped in grape juice calledtatara orphelamushi (grape juice thickened with flour), and dried in the sun. No sugar is added to make realchurchkhela. Instead of walnuts, sometimes hazelnuts or almonds are used in the regions of west Georgia.
The juice is placed in a large bronze cauldron and heated slowly. A small amount of a special white earth calledasproi is added to the boiling must and causes impurities to rise to the surface, where they are collected and removed. It is possible to substituteasproi, 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, calledbadagi, is now ready for use in the next step in the process of makingchurchkhela, 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 thebadagi mixture until completely covered. This process is repeated several times (usually three times) until thechurchkhela has the desired thickness.Churchkhela strings are then left to dry for five to six days. They are then ready for consumption or storage, though some like to eat it fresh.[citation needed]
Churchkhela is a between-meal snack and is also served as a dessert duringNew Year andChristmas celebrations.
Traditionally, in times of war women would send their menchurchkhela to eat at the front, because of its pragmatic size, ability not to mold for long periods of time, and heavy texture that keeps one full.[clarification needed]
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չուրչխելա (քաղցր սուջուխ)
...the cevizli sucuk, a traditional, sausage-shaped candy made of walnuts sewn onto a string and dipped into thickened mulberry juice.
Soutzoukos is a solidified grape juice sweet made with almonds and formed into sausage-like rolls.
Media related toChurchkhela at Wikimedia Commons
