All aboard the international cruise of flavors.......This crazy cruise ship has embarked upon a world tour, with curious and hungry cachers aboard. The itinerary is every country in the world, one restaurant at a time, all without leaving the confines of Central New Jersey. 77th Stop ... Georgia!
Join the Central Jersey Cachers as we venture to the Caucasus region of Eurasia!
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Mimino Restaurant
415 State Route 18
East Brunswick, NJ
Enjoy delicious food and good company as this wacky cruise ship voyages across the Atlantic Ocean thru the Mediterranean and Black Seas to the Eurasian country of Georgia!
Not to be confused with the southeastern United States state of Georgia, the Republic of Georgia lies within the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Georgian cuisine is unique to the country, but also carries some influences from other Caucasian, Eastern European and nearby Middle Eastern countries, featuring flavors from Greece and the Mediterranean, as well as influences from Turkey and Persia.
Each historical province of Georgia has its own distinct culinary tradition such as Megrelian, Kakhetian, and Imeretian cuisines with unique flavors from blends of various indigenous herbs and spices. And of course, in addition to many meat dishes, Georgian cuisine is also rich in a variety of vegetarian specialties.
Georgian cuisine is the result of the broad interplay of culinary ideas carried along the Silk Road Trade route by merchants and travelers alike. The importance of both food and drink to Georgian culture is best observed during a feast called supra, when a huge assortment of dishes are prepared, always accompanied by large amounts of local wine and that can last for hours. In a Georgian feast, the role of the "tamada" (toastmaster) is an important and honoured position. When you arrive in Tbilisi, border agents don't just stamp your passport; they hand you a bottle of wine. It's a fitting welcome to Georgia!
Khinkali (Georgian soup dumplings) are beautifully twisted knobs of dough. Khinkali are typically stuffed with meat and spices, then served boiled or steamed. They say you can judge a good khinkali by how many folds it has: Tradition dictates that fewer than 20 is amateurish. The trick with khinkali is to eat them without making a mess or spilling the hot broth inside all over yourself.
Kharcho is a traditional Georgian soup originating in Mingrelia containing beef, rice, cherry plum purée and chopped English walnut. The soup is usually served with finely chopped fresh coriander. The characteristic ingredients of the soup are meat, cherry plum purée made from tklapi/tkemali, rice, chopped English walnut and the spice mix that varies between different regions of Georgia.
Chkmeruli is a traditional Georgian dish of chicken in garlic cream sauce. Lamb Chashushuli is a Georgian stew with tomato and spices. The name of the dish speaks for itself, since chashushuli means stewed in Georgia. This hearty dish is ideal to consume on cold rainy days with a good loaf of Georgian bread shoti.
Lobio (Bean Soup) is a cross between bean soup and refried beans. The consistency and taste of lobio varies widely. That it often bears a resemblance to Mexican bean dishes is almost always satisfying. For full effect, the traditional way to eat lobio is with a round of mchadi, Georgian corn bread.
Khachapuri is Georgian Cheese Bread. No visit to Georgia would be complete (or possible) without a few tastes of khachapuri, the warm, gooey cheese-stuffed bread that oozes and drips with heart-stopping goodness. In addition to the standard round pie stuffed with cheese, other variations include egg-topped (Adjarian khachapuri), the four-fold filo dough pocket, and tarragon, mushroom and rice-stuffed pies.
Lobiani is Bean-stuffed bread. Lobiani is similar to khachapuri, except that it is stuffed with bean paste rather than cheese. Lobiani is typically quite moist and is just slightly healthier than its original cheese cousin, khachapuri. This humble flatbread is a symphony of textures and tastes. When you bite into an outer edge, it shatters and flakes like a Parisian croissant, giving way to a buttery center of spiced, bacon-scented beans.
Satsivi (walnut sauce) is a food paste in Georgian cuisine made primarily from walnuts and is used in various recipes. Walnuts are the workhorse of Georgian cooking. An essential ingredient in menu stalwarts like chicken bazhe and vegetable pkhali (chopped salads), in pulverized form it's often employed in the same way that the French use butter: whisked into soups and sauces to add richness and body.
Sulguni is a brined Georgian cheese from the Samegrelo region. It has a sour, moderately salty flavor, a dimpled texture, and an elastic consistency; these attributes are the result of the process used, as is the source of its moniker "pickle cheese". Sulguni is often deep-fried.
World Culinary Cruise Itinerary
1 - Mexico - July 16, 2012
2 - Greece - August 23, 2012
3 - Japan - September 12, 2012
4 - India - October 11, 2012
5 - Russia - November 14, 2012
6 - Poland - December 5, 2012
7 - Ireland - January 22, 2013
8 - France - February 26, 2013
9 - Spain - March 13, 2013
10 - Thailand - April 30, 2013
11 - Portugal - May 28, 2013
12 - United States of America - June 4, 2013
13 - Afghanistan - July 11, 2013
14 - Egypt - August 6, 2013
15 - United Kingdom - September 18, 2013
16 - Sweden - October 16, 2013
17 - Peru - November 6, 2013
18 - Germany - December 20, 2013
19 - Ghana - January 7, 2014
20 - Polynesia - February 19, 2014
21 - Sri Lanka - March 13, 2014
22 - Korea - April 22, 2014
23 - Jamaica - May 22, 2014
24 - Vietnam - June 25, 2014
25 - Mexico - July 23, 2014
26 - Mongolia - August 19, 2014
27 - Persia - September 17, 2014
28 - Philippines - October 15, 2014
29 - Dominican Republic - November 19, 2014
30 - Trinidad - December 10, 2014
31 - Nigeria - January 20, 2015
32 - Lebanon - February 18, 2015
33 - Cuba - March 24, 2015
34 - Brazil - April 21, 2015
35 - Turkey - May 27, 2015
36 - Hungary - June 6, 2015
37 - Canada - July 15, 2015
38 - Guyana - August 31, 2015
39 - Ethiopia - September 8, 2015
40 - Pakistan - October 14, 2015
41 - Columbia - November 24, 2015
42 - Malaysia - December 8, 2015
43 - Argentina - January 20, 2016
44 - Cameroon - February 17, 2016
45 - Taiwan - March 22, 2016
46 - Morocco - April 26, 2016
47 - Costa Rica - May 18, 2016
48 - Uruguay - June 15, 2016
49 - Angola & Mozambique - July 12, 2016
50 - Haiti - August 30, 2016
51 - El Salvador - September 21, 2016
52 - Uzbekistan - October 19, 2016
53 - Puerto Rico - November 29, 2016
54 - Bangladesh - December 13, 2016
55 - Scotland - January 24, 2017
56 - Guatemala - February 22, 2017
57 - Venezuela - March 28, 2017
58 - Indonesia - April 26, 2017
59 - Syria - May 23, 2017
60 - Italy - June 13, 2017
61 - Ecuador - July 18, 2017
62 - Jordan - August 24, 2017
63 - Liberia - September 21, 2017
64 - Cyprus - October 25, 2017
65 - Israel - November 29, 2017
66 - Belize - December 12, 2017
67 - Slovakia - January 30, 2018
68 - Saudi Arabia - February 27, 2018
69 - Ukraine - March 9, 2018
70- Grenada - April 24, 2018
71 - Senegal - May 22, 2018
72 - Australia - June 12, 2018
73 - Honduras - July 24, 2018
74 - Chile - August 7, 2018
75 - Armenia - September 15, 2018
76 - Panama - October 30, 2018
77 - Georgia - November 14, 2018
Follow our culinary adventures throughout Central New Jersey with "The Suitcase of Destiny" and chart our virtual cruise around the world with the "World Travel Geocoin."
Where will this ship pull into port next? Only the pink flamingo knows....
