Churchkhela grape

Churchkhela is a traditional Georgian dish whose roots go back to ancient times. There are many options for making this dessert, because not only each region has its own traditions, but each hostess has her own options. The basis of churchkhela, as a rule, is nuts, and the shell is a frozen thick jelly made of freshly squeezed juice.

Cooking churchkhela is quite troublesome, especially if it's the first time, but believe me - it's worth it. So give yourself a separate day for this process, think in advance where you will dry the delicacy. Stock up on a strong thread and a thimble, so as not to beat your fingers when stringing nuts.

Nuts will also need to be prepared in advance: they need to be dried well, but not in the oven, because then they will crumble.

When everything is prepared and thought out, you can proceed directly to cooking:

1. First, the nuts need to be strung on threads at least 25 cm long .
2. In a bowl, mix the flour with a small portion of the juice until smooth.
3. In a deep saucepan with a thick bottom, boil the grape juice and, stirring constantly, add the flour mixture to the juice in a thin stream
4. Boil the juice to a very thick jelly, not forgetting to constantly mix the mixture. If the juice is not sweet enough, add sugar during cooking (not all at once, try to taste).
5. Dip the walnut beads into the resulting substance for 1-2 minutes and hang them out to dry. Repeat this process several times.
6. Dry the churchkhela until it stops sticking, but it will still be soft. Usually the process takes 1.5-2 weeks. Store the sweetness in a linen towel, in a cool place.

Serve the churchkhela, cut into pieces with tea or herbal infusion.

Bon appetit!