Monday, October 19, 2009
Food Chain / Food & Drink One bite: churchkhela
Posted by Mike Sula on Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 1:38 PM
I swear I'm not intentionally featuring bites that are vaguely coprolitic in appearance, but I admit there's been a pattern lately. You have to wonder what sort of reaction you'd get passing out churchkhela at Halloween, but in the Caucasus no one bats an eye at these stringed, grape-enrobed walnut confections. Traditionally a byproduct of the grape harvest, they are made by threading nuts onto string, dipping them repeatedly in a paste made from boiled grape must, flour, and sugar, then hanging them up to dry.
There are dozens of different varieties back in the old country, filled with all sorts of dried fruits and nuts, but at Argo Georgian Bakery they come with walnuts or hazelnuts, dipped and dried three times in a syrup made from good old Concord grape juice. At three bucks apiece, they are mildly sweet, with a texture like fruit leather.
Argo Georgian Bakery, 2812 W. Devon Ave, 773-764-6322
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I've had churchkhela a few times, and it's a pretty hard food to share. I should probably stop offering people "a taste of this purple dildo."
Never sliced one up, though. I like biting into the thing and pulling the hazelnuts off the knots in the thread with my teeth--makes a very satisfying "pop."
OK, I laughed out loud at that, Philip.
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