Countries of Origin: Georgia, Armenia and Estonia
Where: Big Mama and Papa's Pizza of Las Vegas (info)
Cost: $12 USD including 2 drinks (menu)
Make it yourself: http://www.food.com/recipe/khachapuri-georgian-feast-bread-195085
Useful Links:
http://www.aboutgeorgia.ge/cuisine/breads.html?page=5
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khachapuri#_
My Experience:
Hello all, this is my first blog post ever! I'm excited to share my culinary and artistic experiences with you from some of my travels throughout the world.
First up for all the greasy food lovers, is a little Gut Bomb known as Khachapuri. For those that don't know, Khachapuri is a traditional dish from the central asian nation of Georgia. It's a type of cheese filled bread pie very similar to what we think of as pizza in the United States.
I've seen many varieties of Khachapuri on the web, including some topped like the inside of a calzone, or some featuring Canadian bacon, like the one pictured on this post. But the basic ingredients to any Khachapuri dish seems to be egg, cheese, butter and the Unique Eye Shaped Buttered Crust.
If you're a calorie counter, or overly conscious of consuming copious amounts of fat, then steer clear of this dish. I ate this whole pie in less than 24 hours and was still digesting it for the next 24! I can tell you that it is very decadent and packs a lot of flavor when made right.
The combination of cheese (I believe the one pictured below had a combination of mozzarella and feta) and egg is always a winner in my book. You combine that with a bit of butter and the right amount of piggy and you got something a bit salty, smoky and quite chewy. The texture of the bread is also what makes this dish quite different from most bread pies. The crust is neither flaky nor is it hardened, and the inside is rather fluffy with a taste that is a bit on the sweet side. It's kind of like a cross between a thick pizza crust and angel's food cake. Trust me on this one, it compliments the rest of the flavors quite well.
For those living in the Las Vegas and Los Angeles area, checkout Big Mama's Pizza website: http://www.bigmamaspizza.com/ They have a variety of Khachapuri made to order and for under $10 USD, you can feed about four to five people with one small pie. For more info on Khachapuri, Checkout my useful links section on this blog.