00:01Georgian cuisine without walnuts? Impossible.
00:05Here in Georgia, these nuts are the heart of sauces, spreads, and sweets.
00:11We'll show you how to pick the best walnuts and the delicious dishes you can make with them.
00:16But why is everyone here so crazy about walnuts?
00:20I love it. I don't only use it in cooking, like, at home. I just eat it, like, just a
00:27nut.
00:27I think 99% of Georgians love walnuts.
00:32I also like to travel and hike some places where there are walnuts in autumn,
00:37and I pick it up, and it's always a pleasure to eat.
00:41I simply love almost every walnut-based dish.
00:45Walnuts are a true superfood. They're good for the brain, rich in vitamin E,
00:50and packed with polyunsaturated fats, which are said to protect the heart.
00:54They come in all shapes and sizes, just like these at the Deserter Bazaar,
01:00the largest market in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.
01:03Chef Irma Lagatze also comes here to shop.
01:07I try to repeat the recipes I remember from my childhood, which I've seen with my eyes,
01:12and I always try to repeat them how they were doing, what they were doing,
01:16and this is very personal and intimate feeling to me.
01:19So how do you find a good walnut?
01:23So, first of all, I'm asking for Georgian walnuts,
01:26because walnuts might be imported from somewhere else,
01:29but Georgian walnuts are the best.
01:30I try it, mmm, because its taste is so different.
01:36And after that, we press it between our two fingers to see if enough oils come out, you see.
01:45Grease on your fingers.
01:47Georgian walnuts cost Irma between 7 and 10 euros per kilogram, depending on quality.
01:53Now, it's time to cook.
01:57Walnut paste is one of the most important elements of Georgian cuisine.
02:01It forms the base for many dishes, but it's prepared differently depending on the recipe.
02:06Irma starts with the classic Georgian salad.
02:09Besides walnuts, she needs cilantro, garlic, salt, and water.
02:15I'm grinding walnuts into this funny machine, old-fashioned machine,
02:21because they provide very fluffy and airy texture, which is needed for the walnut paste.
02:32I don't recommend to use a food processor or a blender or a chopper,
02:37because they extract all the oils from the walnuts,
02:41and after that, walnut paste becomes very sticky.
02:45Alternatively, you can use a meat grinder or a mortar and pestle.
02:49Crush the garlic and salt and chop the cilantro.
02:56In Georgia, we always use coriander stems, because they are full of aroma.
03:05Irma mixes the cilantro with the crushed garlic, walnuts, a splash of vinegar,
03:10and boiled water to make the walnut paste.
03:15She then adds red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, chopped parsley, and a drizzle of oil.
03:21And the classic Georgian salad is ready.
03:27Walnut paste is also the main ingredient in nigviziani badrigiani,
03:32a vegetarian appetizer made with eggplant.
03:35Irma combines walnuts, onion, blue fenugreek, and marigold.
03:40But you can also use a little turmeric.
03:44The paste is rolled into sautéed eggplant slices topped with pomegranate seeds.
03:52People also are fasting four times during the year,
03:57because it's one of the oldest Orthodox countries in the world.
04:01So people started to improvise and to create some walnut dishes,
04:09some vegetarian, vegan dishes.
04:10This is how I believe phali and other walnut dishes were created.
04:16In the past, walnut trees were a symbol of abundance in Georgia.
04:20Now, commercial cultivation is on the rise in the country,
04:23but most walnuts are grown in China, the U.S., and Iran.
04:28Georgia can't meet its own demand,
04:30which at around one kilogram per person per year,
04:33is among the highest in the world.
04:43Whole walnuts go into the sweet treat called churchkela,
04:46Georgia's version of a Snickers, as the locals like to say.
04:50Walnuts strung on a thread and dipped in thickened grape juice.
04:58Do you cook with walnuts too?
05:00Do you cook with walnuts too?
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