Cheeses of Samegrelo
The Megrelian lowlands, birthplace of sulguni, smoked sulguni and cheesy dishes like elarji and gebzhalia.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: May to June and September to October.
Samegrelo, or Mingrelia, lies in the humid lowlands of western Georgia near the Black Sea, with Zugdidi as its main town. It is the home of sulguni, the springy brined cheese now made all over the Caucasus. Megrelian cooking is known for its spice and for its love of melted cheese, piled on top of khachapuri and stirred into cornmeal.
Sulguni
Sulguni is made from young curd, often cow or buffalo milk, that is matured briefly, then kneaded and stretched in hot water and shaped into rounds. It is kept in brine, which makes it salty and slightly sour, with a layered, elastic texture. Smoked sulguni is a speciality, and the cheese melts beautifully on bread and in hot dishes.
The Megrelian table
Elarji is a thick cornmeal porridge beaten with sulguni until it stretches. Gebzhalia is sulguni rolled around mint and served in a sauce of matsoni, Georgian yoghurt. Megruli khachapuri is covered with cheese as well as filled. Ajika, the hot red pepper paste, comes from the same corner of Georgia, and walnuts, coriander and marigold petals season many dishes.
A trail idea for Samegrelo
- Zugdidi The regional town, with the Dadiani Palace and its botanical garden.
- Zugdidi market Look for fresh and smoked sulguni in the dairy rows.
- A Megrelian restaurant Try elarji and gebzhalia in their home region.
- Martvili Canyon A green limestone gorge in the Megrelian hills.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Mingrelia" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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