Chakapuli belongs to the eastern wine region of Kakheti, where shepherds celebrated spring by stewing the season's first young lamb with the sour green plums and tarragon that flush the hillsides in April. It became the dish of Orthodox Easter and the warm-weather feast, a green answer to Georgia's heavier winter stews.
Spoon it up and the first hit is bracing sourness from the green plums, immediately softened by the anise-sweet flood of tarragon. The lamb is silky and barely holds together, the broth thin but deeply herbal. It tastes like the first green of spring in a bowl.
Tarragon's anethole and the malic acid of unripe plums cut the fattiness of lamb, while gentle simmering in wine keeps the meat moist and lets the volatile herb oils perfume the broth without boiling away.
Variations
Veal or beef instead of lamb; green tkemali sauce in place of fresh plums; some cooks add a touch of white pepper or chili.
On the Palate
Where Chakapuli sits in the Georgian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 110 min
Cut lamb or veal into chunks and place in a heavy pot with sliced onions and a little water.
- 215 min
Cover and simmer gently until the meat releases its juices and begins to soften.
Watch outKeep it at the barest simmer until the lamb weeps out its own juices — a hard boil toughens the meat and there's no broth yet to protect it.
- 33 min
Add a generous handful of unripe green cherry plums (or a spoon of green tkemali sauce).
- 43 min
Pour in dry white wine and add chopped garlic and a pinch of salt.
- 55 min
Pile in huge quantities of chopped fresh tarragon, plus parsley, dill, mint, and coriander.
Watch outPile in far more tarragon than looks reasonable — it's the backbone of the dish and cooks down to almost nothing.
- 640 min
Cover and simmer until the meat is fork-tender and the herbs collapse into a green broth.
Watch outDone when a fork slides into the meat and the herbs have melted into a green broth — keep the lid on so the tarragon perfume doesn't boil away.
- 73 min
Taste and adjust for tartness and salt, adding more wine if needed.
- 85 min
Rest off the heat a few minutes, then serve hot with shoti bread.
