Churchkhela
Candle-shaped nut candy / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Churchkhela (Georgian: ჩურჩხელა, Georgian pronunciation: [tʃʰuɾtʃʰχela]) is a traditional Georgian[1][2][3] candle-shaped candy.
Alternative names | Churchela |
---|---|
Type | Confectionery |
Place of origin | Georgia |
Main ingredients | Grape must, nuts, flour |
The main ingredients of churchkhela are grape must, nuts, and flour. Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and chocolate and sometimes raisins are threaded onto a string, dipped in thickened grape must, mulberry juice, or fruit juices and dried in the shape of a sausage.[4][5][6][7] In eastern Georgia, churchkhela production begins with a condensed juice called tatara, made from must from local grapes in the areas of Kakheti, Kartli, or Meskheti thickened with wheat flour. Wheat flour is also used for making condensed mulberry juice in the area of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Corn flour is used in western Georgia (the areas of Racha, Lechkhumi, Guria, Samegrelo, Abkhazia, and Achara), and this condensed grape juice is called pelamushi.[8] In Abkhazia, a region in the North Caucus Mountains of Georgia, it is known as Аджинджук (adzhindzhukhua or ajinjuk) in the local Abkhaz language and is touted as the best souvenir for gifting.[9]
Georgian warriors carried churchkhela with them because they contain many calories.[10]
The traditional technology of churchkhela in the Kakheti region was inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia list in 2015.[11][12]