Georgians have the Mongols to thank for their favourite dumpling

One need only locate Georgia – the country, not the American state – on a map to under­stand its eclectic mix of cultures. It shares its borders with four countries. To the west is the Black Sea, the halieutic route to Turkey and Bulgaria, a stepping stone to Western Europe; to the east is Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea connecting it to the rest of Central Asia. In recent times, it is perhaps more associated with its northern neigh­bour, Russia, although Georgia declared independence from Soviet rule in 1991.

The capital, Tbilisi, is dotted with small pubs, many of which are windowless, basement establishments. Walk in and you’ll see locals enjoying beer – peculiar for a country with an 8,000-year-old wine­making tradition – and dumplings the size of a baby’s fist. Called khinkali, they resem­ble giant xiaolongbao, the soup dumplings from Nanxiang, Shanghai. And like xiao­longbao, they contain a soupy minced-meat mixture and are sealed with pleats ranging in number from a dozen to 19.

While xiaolongbao are steamed, khin­kali are boiled and the filling can be beef, pork, mushroom or cheese. Instead of the fat and jellied stock filling found in xiaolongbao, Georgians add water or liquid stock, and use thicker wrappers, to contain the runny filling. The dumpling is picked up by the overly doughy top knot, which is left uneatenon the plate to show how many have been consumed. With a heavily spiced (usually black pepper) filling, khinkali are served without condiments, aside from extra black pepper.

The concept of dumplings is said to have been carried west from China, across Mongolia, Russia and Georgia, by the Mongols in the 13th century.