Dumpling diplomacy
"In this kitchen, everyone can find something to like.”
The Georgian khinkali is one of my favorite dumplings and a bit neglected on the international food scene. I had my first khinkali in Tblisi, Georgia’s capital city, in 2023. It was my first trip to this country on Black Sea’s eastern bank. Along with distinctive Georgian wines like Akhasheni and Saperavi, back then the world of Georgian cuisine was a delightful revelation.
The pleasures of Georgian cuisine are also catching on in Poland. On a recent trip to Warsaw, I couldn’t stop running across Georgian restaurants in the city. My AirBnb was next door to the upscale Genatsvale, where I had a glass of wine underneath a chic black-light map of Georgia. Next day, I stumbled across the hole-in-the-wall Tiflisi Bakery offering to-go portions of sumptuous Georgian lavash bread.
And finally, I had a lovely dinner at Mała Gruzja (Little Georgia), where I interviewed the Georgian chef, Ketino, together with a long-time waiter. They kindly answered all my questions: Not just about Mała Gruzja, which has been serving up delicacies for nearly twenty years, but also about life in Warsaw, which has seen a large influx of Georgians since 2017.
Why are so many Georgians moving to Poland? What do Poles think of khinkali? Finally, we also talked about Georgia and Ketino’s home region of Abkhazia, which Russian forces invaded and occupied in 2008. What wisdom are Georgians sharing about exile and resistance? Read on to see what they said!
