Satsivi is a Georgian National Dish with Walnuts

Satsivi is a very popular Georgian dish that is considered a winter dish. It is typically eaten during the Christmas season and at the beginning of a new year. When eaten during the holiday season, turkey is most often the meat used in the dish. Throughout the year, chicken is used in Satsivi.

Raw Walnuts

Walnuts are a key ingredient in Satsivi. Raw walnuts are ground into a paste as a base for the sauce. Herbs such as fenugreek and coriander along with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, turmeric or marigold, dried red pepper and onions and garlic give the walnut sauce its distinctive flavor. Authentic recipes and variations of the traditional recipe for this unique Georgian dish can easily be found online.

Walnut Sauce

You can purchase walnuts in shell or raw shelled walnuts to make walnut flour at home. All you have to do is add shelled walnuts to a nut grinder or blender and pulse until the walnuts have the consistency of bread crumbs. When they reach that stage stop pulsing. If you continue, pulsing, you will end up with walnut butter. You can use your homemade walnut flour to prepare other Georgian dishes. Georgians often add a walnut garlic paste to stews to thicken them and enhance their flavor.

Georgian Sweet Treat

Walnuts play a prominent role in Georgian cuisine. If you plan to prepare numerous Georgian dishes, buying walnuts in shell in bulk is the most budget-friendly way to stock your pantry. Unshelled walnuts have a shelf life of 6 months to a year when stored in a cool, dry location. While Georgian stews and chicken in walnut garlic sauce are delectable dishes, your use of walnuts can include sweet treats. Churchkhela is a popular dessert that is traditionally made with walnuts. The recipe for this unique treat only requires three ingredients, but it is time consuming to prepare, and you’ll need to wait at least 42 hours for the churchkhela to dry before eating it.