Georgian beet spread (beet pkhali)

The Republic of Georgia has a very deep tradition of the culinary arts and wine making. Most recent archeological records show that wine making started in this region on the Armenian side of the Armenian-Georgian border.

Phkali's are very typical appetizers at supras, i.e. a Georgian feasts, that present colorful, plant-forward and rich dishes. The word pkhali can be interchangeably used with the word spread.

In it's essence a pkhali is a dish of cooked and chopped vegetables (e.g. spinach, leeks, or beets) that are bound by nuts (often walnuts) and molasses.

We made a salad with dill, tarragon, parsley, cucumbers, hazelnuts and radishes for the top garnish, and dressed the whole plate with pomegranate molasses.