What the Heck is a Khatchapuri?

You may have heard of a khatchapuri or even seen some pictures floating around instagram and social media, but here is a quick breakdown for everyone.

Basically a Khatchapuri is a Georgian delicacy which is some form of cheese filled bread. There are actually many different varieties of Khatchapuri but the most popular one is the Adjarian or Adjaruli Khatchapuri which is a boat-shaped dough, filled with a variety of cheeses and topped with eggs, all cooked to a cheesy, melty perfection.

As soon as the Khatchapuri comes out of the oven, it arrives to your table within minutes and is meant to be eaten as soon as possible. Your first step at tackling this concoction is to use your fork to mix the eggs with the cheese to get a scrambled egg/cheese mixture. Most of the time raw eggs are added after the khatchapuri is removed from the oven and the eggs are meant to be cooked by the heat of the cheese, but I would recommend asking them to pop it in the oven for a couple more minutes if you don't like your eggs too runny. Some people choose to tear bits of the dough off by hand and dip into the egg, but for a neater dining experience its best to use a fork and knife.

Since the dish has become increasingly more popular in the U.S., Khatchapuri is being featured on menus in trendy areas throughout Brooklyn and DC. There is even a restaurant coming to Fishtown that will be featuring Khatchapuri on their menu. Luckily, there is no need to wait and you can head over to Northeast Philly right now and enjoy one for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The stretch of Bustleton ave, between Red Lion rd. and County Line rd. has had a boom of Georgian restaurants in the past few months and there are now at least three different restaurants where you can enjoy a Khatchapuri. For about a 25min drive from center city, it is definitely worth the trip.