Gebjalia (also gebzhalia) is one of the most refined cold appetizers of Samegrelo, historically part of ritual and feast meals. Thin sheets of stretched fresh cheese are rolled up with mint, sliced into spirals, and served in a creamy sauce of mint and nadugi (cottage cheese). The dish originates exclusively in Samegrelo, and the cheese-roll-in-mint-sauce format is unique to the region, named in Georgian cuisine guides as a Megrelian specialty.
Tender, milky cheese spirals laced with fresh mint, bathed in a cool, tangy, garlicky cream sauce. The mint against the rich cheese is the defining contrast; eaten cold, it is elegant, fresh and moreish.
Fresh cheese (a blend that stretches when hot, like a sulguni-mozzarella mix) is melted in hot water and stretched into thin sheets, which set as they cool. Mint is scattered over a sheet, which is then rolled tight and chilled. The rolls are sliced into spirals, and the sauce is made by blending nadugi (cottage cheese) with milk, mint, garlic and a little matsoni until smooth. The two together, cheese roll and dairy sauce, are the dish.
Variations
Some cooks add a little dill to the mint. A richer sauce uses more matsoni.
On the Palate
Where Gebjalia sits in the Georgian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 45 min
- 112 min
In a pot, heat 500g fresh cheese (sulguni or a mozzarella-feta blend) with 200ml water over low heat until it melts and turns stretchy.
Watch outHeat the cheese gently only until it melts and turns stretchy — overheat and it seizes tight and rubbery and won't pull into sheets.
- 212 min
Pull off a handful of the hot cheese and stretch it on a board into a thin sheet; lay on a plate to cool, and repeat to make 6 sheets.
Watch outStretch each handful thin while it's still hot — let it cool and it stiffens and tears instead of pulling into a smooth sheet.
- 38 min
Scatter shredded fresh mint and a pinch of salt over each sheet, then roll each up tightly.
- 48 min
Chill the rolls 30 minutes, then slice into 2cm spirals.
- 58 min
For the sauce, blend 200g nadugi (cottage cheese) with 100ml milk, a handful of mint, 2 cloves garlic and 2 tbsp matsoni until smooth.
- 64 min
Arrange the spirals in a dish and pour the sauce over; serve cold.
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