Caucasian cuisine has long become familiar to many, regardless of where they live. Barbecue or khachapuri can be tasted in almost any region of Russia. But in order to feel the real taste of Caucasian dishes, you should go directly to the Caucasus.
The Dagestanis adopted a lot from their neighbors, adding their own “zest”, so the cuisine here is varied. However, each dish, depending on whether it is prepared by Lakes, Dargin’s, Kumis or Avers, will have its own characteristics.
Miracle
Probably the most popular and affordable food in Dagestan. Chide – cakes with filling – an obligatory attribute not only of the festive table in Dagestan, but also of the daily diet.
In different regions, the chide may differ in shape and size. Somewhere these are small cakes, somewhere huge pancakes with filling. Chide is made from yeast-free dough, baked in the oven or fried in a pan.
Inside the miracle there can be cottage cheese, potatoes, pumpkin, greens and, of course, minced meat. Sometimes a mixture of different fillings is used. What is in the garden will be inside the pie. As a rule, the filling is flavored with cumin, dill and onion, and the surface is generously oiled so that the dough is well soaked. This is quite a tasty and satisfying dish.
Chide is sure to be on the menu of any Dagestan café. Although you can try it even in the street food format – just by buying it on the street. It will be a good and inexpensive snack. A miracle the size of a good piece of pizza will cost only 25-40 rubles.
Chichi
A dish borrowed by the Dagestanis from the Balkar cuisine. It is very similar to a miracle, but, as a rule, differs in form. In addition, chichi is usually made from yeast dough.
Kinkel
Kinkel can be safely called an analogue of dumplings, only the filling here is not inside the dough, but separately. This is a dish in which a piece or several pieces of well-cooked meat is served with pieces of boiled dough.
There are several varieties of Kinkel, depending on which region of Dagestan it is prepared in, but each is interesting and tasty in its own way.
Kinkel can be made from beef, lamb or chicken, which will be indicated on the menu. The dough is different in shape: plates, squares, rhombuses, pieces, balls, tubes. The dish is served with meat broth (optional) and garlic sauce with spices and spices.
Kinkel broth is sometimes served as an independent dish as an aperitif before dinner.
Do not confuse the Dagestan Kinkel with the Georgian kinkily, more like manta and in which the chopped filling is hidden inside.
Lamb shish kebab
It is rare that a feast in Dagestan will do without this meat dish. Here shish kebab is usually prepared from lamb, less often it can be found from beef, chicken or fish. Pork barbecue, like other meat dishes, is not cooked here.
Of course, if you think about what to choose, take lamb. Some people have a prejudice that lamb skewers have an unpleasant smell or are very tough. This can only be if the animal from which the dish is prepared is very old or the kebab is cooked incorrectly.
If the meat is young and cooked by a professional, the kebab will be juicy, tender and surprisingly tasty. Lamb kebab should be eaten while it is fresh, hot, freshly cooked. After all, if you let the barbecue cool down, then all its charm will disappear. The former juiciness will go away, and the frozen mutton fat will interrupt the desired taste.
Lula kebab
A kind of barbecue, where not pieces of meat are strung on a skewer, but sausages from minced meat. The dish, like barbecue, is cooked on coals. Traditionally, kebab is served on an unleavened flatbread with herbs, vegetables and chopped onion rings.
Lagan
A dish of oriental cuisine, which has long taken root in the Caucasian land. Laghman is made from lamb or beef, vegetables and hand-made noodles. Depending on how much broth to add to the plate, lagan can be either the first or second course.
Sherpa is on almost every menu. Sometimes it can be found under the names of sharper, shrub, chorea. Vegetables are usually coarsely chopped or even boiled whole.
Many cafes practice ordering half a portion for half the price, although this is not specifically indicated on the menu. Moreover, half a portion will often turn out to be a little less than a whole portion, and you will pay for it twice as cheap.
Orbach
Surely, you have heard about unbeach and even tried it. This is a paste made from grated nuts or seeds (usually flax seeds, but pumpkin and sunflower seeds are also used) with the addition of natural honey or maple syrup. This pasta is very high in calories and will be an excellent dessert at the end of a meal or as an independent dish for tea.
Apricot porridge
But apricot porridge is a purely Dagestan national dish. It has been prepared since ancient times. Serve as a dessert or an independent dish. There are several recipes for this dish. Porridge is boiled from apricot juice.
adding flour and butter to it. Or from fresh apricots or grated dried apricots, again with the addition of flour and butter. Top the porridge with unbeach, honey or sugar. The consistency of apricot porridge resembles semolina. It is eaten hot, as a main dish, and cold, as a kind of dessert.
