Kubdari

What makes it kubdari

• Meat chopped by hand, not minced.
• Svan salt, with its garlic, fenugreek and chilli.
• A thin, round, closed bread, baked hot.

Where it comes from

Svaneti is the high, remote valley country of the Greater Caucasus, known for its stone defensive towers — and for Svan salt, rock salt pounded with garlic, blue fenugreek, coriander, caraway and chilli, which seasons nearly everything there, kubdari included.

It's made much like khachapuri, but for a colder place: meat in place of cheese. The meat is cut small with a knife rather than minced, which keeps it juicy.

How it varies

With pork

Some families mix pork with the beef, or use it alone.