Maka Shengelia says, breaking up the bright orange egg yolk with her fork and stirring it into the bed of soft white cheese beneath. She dabs butter onto the crunchy crust of the boatshaped dough that cradles the gooey mixture, and we dig in.
In Georgia, khachapuri is enjoyed at every type of occasion and any time of day, whether for breakfast, as a quick snack or as part of a lavish dinner feast known as a supra. Maka, a culinary guide in Tbilisi, has brought me to Retro, one of the capital’s many sakhachapures (khachapuri cafes), for a taste of the house speciality: Adjarian khachapuri, named after the Black Sea coastal region from which it — and Retro’s owner — hails. This is a classic sakhachapure, with a simple decor of bare walls and wooden picnic tables, plus traditional Georgian fizzy drinks on tap. Maka orders chocolate flavour, a childhood favourite, while I choose an electric-green tarragon lemonade whose fizzy sweetness and liquorice notes cut through the rich, salty cheesiness of the khachapuri. We eat with our hands, tearing off chunks of the chewy bread to scoop up the filling with.
I’ve come to Tbilisi to learn more about khachapuri, and with each meal I have, it becomes clear I’d need much longer than a few days to try every version of this classic comfort food. The common refrain is that
