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Kaukasis: A Culinary Journey through Georgia, Azerbaijan & Beyond
"A sensitive, personal journey expressed through the beauty of food - just wonderful" - Jamie Oliver
"Olia Hercules is a storyteller-foodwriter, and a wholly original voice in the kitchen - there's not a recipe of hers I don't want to cook immediately" - Nigella Lawson
"This is an incredible book - as I began to leaf through I started to smile, and I didn't stop" - Diana Henry
Award-winning cookbook author Olia Hercules takes a culinary trip through the Caucasus—the vibrant region that bridges Europe and Asia —and share the recipes, stories, and striking images of this rich region.
In this gorgeous cookbook, Olia Hercules shares more than 100 dishes that celebrate the food, flavors, and unique culinary heritage of the Caucasus—Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Russian, and Turkey. Kaukasis charts Olia’s exploration of this unfamiliar area and introduces its wonderful cuisine that combines European and Middle Eastern ingredients in ways that are fresh and new.
Recipes
Mint Adjika
Tsago’s Blackberry & Grape Sauce
Savory Peach & Tarragon Salad
Plov with Pumpkin, Chestnut & Walnut
Zahir’s Stoned Chicken
Vine Leaf Dolma
Armenian Cognac Profiteroles
Red Basil Sherbet
"Olia Hercules is a storyteller-foodwriter, and a wholly original voice in the kitchen - there's not a recipe of hers I don't want to cook immediately" - Nigella Lawson
"This is an incredible book - as I began to leaf through I started to smile, and I didn't stop" - Diana Henry
Award-winning cookbook author Olia Hercules takes a culinary trip through the Caucasus—the vibrant region that bridges Europe and Asia —and share the recipes, stories, and striking images of this rich region.
In this gorgeous cookbook, Olia Hercules shares more than 100 dishes that celebrate the food, flavors, and unique culinary heritage of the Caucasus—Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Russian, and Turkey. Kaukasis charts Olia’s exploration of this unfamiliar area and introduces its wonderful cuisine that combines European and Middle Eastern ingredients in ways that are fresh and new.
Recipes
Mint Adjika
Tsago’s Blackberry & Grape Sauce
Savory Peach & Tarragon Salad
Plov with Pumpkin, Chestnut & Walnut
Zahir’s Stoned Chicken
Vine Leaf Dolma
Armenian Cognac Profiteroles
Red Basil Sherbet
240 pages, Hardcover
Published October 24, 2017
80 people are currently reading
912 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 6, 2025
Recipes sound delicious and there is a small selection of personal essays at the end that I really enjoyed.
November 16, 2018
As you would expect, the recipes in this book are a mixture of Russian and Middle Eastern flavourings, some of the techniques seem to be rather long-winded and some of the ingredients are probably a little hard to source. However, if you are interested in learning about the region and imagining exotic travels, the introductions to the recipes paint a vivid picture.
February 27, 2024
I loved ‘Mamushka’ – Olia Hercules previous cookbook, and was really looking forward to this book, receiving in hardback it as a Christmas present.
The book has a lot of lovely photos – of some of the completed dishes and ingredients, and of people and scenes from life in Georgia and Azerbaijan.
There is a wide range of recipes – some very straightforward and easy, others quite involved and not particularly suited to Western kitchens and cooks – but interesting to read about. There are a number of ingredients that are not readily available in the UK. Useful substitutions are given for some, and websites for suppliers are given at the end of the book (not all available). Unfortunately, some of the ingredients are very expensive here, and probably not worth buying unless you are going to use a lot. The herb/spice that is used frequently, and I couldn’t reasonably source, was blue fenugreek. I used a substitute recommended by a reviewer on Amazon (5:1 fenugreek:fennel seeds + white pepper), but have bought some seeds to grow my own blue fenugreek this summer.
There is a great use of fresh herbs, which I really like. Unfortunately, I am reviewing this book in winter when few are available in my garden. So, there are a number of recipes I will save for later in the year, including the fermented green tomatoes.
I managed to cook thirteen of the recipes. All of them were very nice, and a couple Kuchmachi (chicken livers and gizzards with spinach and mushrooms) and Tomato scramble (tomato and eggs) were spectacular. A special mention also needs to be made for the most luxurious cauliflower cheese I’ve ever had, and the very impressive (but simple to make) Shakh plov (shredded chicken with rice and dried fruit cooked in a lavash bread pie).
I did like the number of interesting vegetarian dishes such as Ekala pkhali (greens with a walnut sauce), Adjapsandali (aubergine, potato, peppers, beans, chilli), Polyphony courgettes,, Beets, plums and bitter leaves and Adjapsandali (aubergine, potato, peppers, green beans and chilli)
Some of the recipes needed different cooking times than stated, and/or a slightly different ordering of steps to fit my style of cooking. But just go with your gut instinct. The author does encourage experimentation.
There are loads more recipes that I want to try, and this is certain to be a book that I will come back to again and again (helps having it in hardback, rather than just on Kindle)..
Highly recommended.
The book has a lot of lovely photos – of some of the completed dishes and ingredients, and of people and scenes from life in Georgia and Azerbaijan.
There is a wide range of recipes – some very straightforward and easy, others quite involved and not particularly suited to Western kitchens and cooks – but interesting to read about. There are a number of ingredients that are not readily available in the UK. Useful substitutions are given for some, and websites for suppliers are given at the end of the book (not all available). Unfortunately, some of the ingredients are very expensive here, and probably not worth buying unless you are going to use a lot. The herb/spice that is used frequently, and I couldn’t reasonably source, was blue fenugreek. I used a substitute recommended by a reviewer on Amazon (5:1 fenugreek:fennel seeds + white pepper), but have bought some seeds to grow my own blue fenugreek this summer.
There is a great use of fresh herbs, which I really like. Unfortunately, I am reviewing this book in winter when few are available in my garden. So, there are a number of recipes I will save for later in the year, including the fermented green tomatoes.
I managed to cook thirteen of the recipes. All of them were very nice, and a couple Kuchmachi (chicken livers and gizzards with spinach and mushrooms) and Tomato scramble (tomato and eggs) were spectacular. A special mention also needs to be made for the most luxurious cauliflower cheese I’ve ever had, and the very impressive (but simple to make) Shakh plov (shredded chicken with rice and dried fruit cooked in a lavash bread pie).
I did like the number of interesting vegetarian dishes such as Ekala pkhali (greens with a walnut sauce), Adjapsandali (aubergine, potato, peppers, beans, chilli), Polyphony courgettes,, Beets, plums and bitter leaves and Adjapsandali (aubergine, potato, peppers, green beans and chilli)
Some of the recipes needed different cooking times than stated, and/or a slightly different ordering of steps to fit my style of cooking. But just go with your gut instinct. The author does encourage experimentation.
There are loads more recipes that I want to try, and this is certain to be a book that I will come back to again and again (helps having it in hardback, rather than just on Kindle)..
Highly recommended.
April 13, 2021
I really enjoyed the descriptions of the food and the people of this little known region of the world. However, the purpose of a cookbook is to be compelling enough that a person would try some of the recipes. I would not make most of the recipes. A number of the recipes call for ingredients that are not readily available in Canada and most of them call for ingredients or spice mixes that have to be made in addition to the recipe at hand. I appreciate the attempt at authenticity but it's all too much work even for someone that loves to cook.
November 7, 2017
There's a tarragon pie I want to bake but I don't think I like tarragon.
October 30, 2017
Author of the critically acclaimed cookbook Mamushka, Olia Hercules has created Kaukasis, featuring culinary samplings from the Caucasus region (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey).
This is a different kind of cookbook than what I normally see. It combines European and Middle Eastern ingredients in a fresh new way. The book is dedicated to recipes entirely, with beautiful full-page pictures and a mere two-page introduction.
As many of the recipes are unfamiliar to western cuisine, it is especially wonderful that this book includes a paragraph of explanation for each recipe. It is this kind of additional information and detail which really personalises this book and adds so much value.
Not Your Typical CookBook
The first chapter of recipes is called “roots, shoots, leaves & all”. These are vegetables recipes but include a great deal of variety. There is a “Homemade Matsoni” recipe, which is a type of yoghurt. With this recipe, you will need a special starter which may prove difficult to source. If this is the case the author invites you to contact them directly to get some. Not exactly the type of thing you’d see in a typical recipe book.
The next chapter of recipes is “flour & ash” You will find some bread recipes, pies, and another deliciousness here. Although not every recipe has its own picture, many of the pictures are actually of the regional cooks creating them, which is so much more interesting. The recipes have unique names that are not easily recognisable and use unusual ingredients. But if you want to create some authentic cuisine from the region, this is expected.
Next is the “beasts from land, sea & air” with all of the meat-related recipes. The author enjoys a flexitarian diet and believes meat is a treat or for special occasions. Whether you have meat daily, or just once in awhile, these recipes look delicious.
The Hangover Chapter
...
See the full review with the Homemade Matsoni recipe on RecipesNow! Reviews And Recipes Magazine . This review is in response to a hard copy of the cookbook sent to me by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.
This is a different kind of cookbook than what I normally see. It combines European and Middle Eastern ingredients in a fresh new way. The book is dedicated to recipes entirely, with beautiful full-page pictures and a mere two-page introduction.
As many of the recipes are unfamiliar to western cuisine, it is especially wonderful that this book includes a paragraph of explanation for each recipe. It is this kind of additional information and detail which really personalises this book and adds so much value.
Not Your Typical CookBook
The first chapter of recipes is called “roots, shoots, leaves & all”. These are vegetables recipes but include a great deal of variety. There is a “Homemade Matsoni” recipe, which is a type of yoghurt. With this recipe, you will need a special starter which may prove difficult to source. If this is the case the author invites you to contact them directly to get some. Not exactly the type of thing you’d see in a typical recipe book.
The next chapter of recipes is “flour & ash” You will find some bread recipes, pies, and another deliciousness here. Although not every recipe has its own picture, many of the pictures are actually of the regional cooks creating them, which is so much more interesting. The recipes have unique names that are not easily recognisable and use unusual ingredients. But if you want to create some authentic cuisine from the region, this is expected.
Next is the “beasts from land, sea & air” with all of the meat-related recipes. The author enjoys a flexitarian diet and believes meat is a treat or for special occasions. Whether you have meat daily, or just once in awhile, these recipes look delicious.
The Hangover Chapter
...
See the full review with the Homemade Matsoni recipe on RecipesNow! Reviews And Recipes Magazine . This review is in response to a hard copy of the cookbook sent to me by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.
October 21, 2025
While I always love learning about other cultures and their food, and there was a lot of new information that I'll take away from reading through this book about new-to-me flavors and flavor combinations, unfortunately, many of the recipes in this book are not really attainable by the average home cook. From unusual cuts of meat (beef shin?) to hard-to-source products and spices and dishes made in a quantity that seems like it would feed 12-18 people at a minimum (I live by myself and cook for just me with maybe enough leftover for one more meal), most of the recipes just made me sigh and flip on by. However, it does still get four stars for the information as well as the dozen or so recipes I did mark to try later!
February 12, 2018
This book is fascinating, as the cuisine is new to me. A mixture of Slavic and Persian influences, the food is cheap and delicious, with a very great deal of fresh chopped herbs, many variations on the theme of stuffed bread, fresh vegetables in combinations we don't usually think of in the West. And Plov - which is yet another iteration of the Persian pilaf. Like paella, pullou, pilau, plov is a rice dish flavoured and coloured with saffron, dried fruits and nuts. In this case, ground walnuts and chopped chestnuts. This is going on my Christmas dishes list, for sure.
July 22, 2021
Really interesting, well written cookbook about a region of the world/culinary branch that I know very little about. I want to buy this one because there are so many unique and/or uncommon ingredients that I could spend a lot of time experimenting, sourcing, etc. Also, the cover is quite aesthetically pleasing.
January 13, 2018
Lovely book. Lots of interesting recipes which I haven't seen before. I love Turkish and Middle Eastern food but this adds a slightly different dimension to what you may be use to. I was given 4 cookery books for Christmas but I think this was the most interesting.
August 11, 2018
Amazing, beautiful and delicious. And the photography is also 5 stars, truly gorgeous. The photog, Elena Heatherwick, should have had her name on the spine and cover, she’s a real distinct presence here and her images are a big part of the overall appeal.
October 8, 2020
Jamie Oliver - Nigella Lawson - Diana Henry
good - better - best
usually i add a book to my must have list if just one of them recommend a book, but all three?
I think that is a pretty good sign, i'll weaken
December 26, 2017
Rzadko można spotkać książkę kulinarną tak spójną: od fotografii przez teksty wprowadzające do samych przepisów.
April 26, 2018
Kauksis
Thank you for the journey and the recipes. Even if I don't make anything I have learned so from a f loved it.
Thank you for the journey and the recipes. Even if I don't make anything I have learned so from a f loved it.
May 22, 2020
Beautifully written. Wish the ingredients were more available though
January 26, 2021
Not a lot for vegetarians, but some, and delightfully original. Worth reading
April 5, 2021
I love all of Olia’s cookbooks. I might not make everything out of it, but the photography and stories are great, making this a must have for my collection.
December 31, 2021
Mouthwatering recipes from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, reminding me of friends and former colleagues.
January 11, 2022
An amazing cookbook with loving and witty commentary. Fantastic recipes and beautiful photography.
April 25, 2023
I preferred the other titles by the author, like the summer kitchen, as they had more of a story in addition to recipes. Some interesting ideas of things to try.
March 30, 2025
Scrumptious but a lot of the recipes are complicated or need ingredients you cant often get in Canada :(
September 17, 2025
I loved the idea of this cookbook/travelogue more than the reality
February 23, 2022
To jest piękność ♥️ Ciepła, autentyczna, powolna. Czuć w niej miłość do kuchni i miłość do regionu. Polecam mocno.
July 27, 2017
Second book on this region.
The author has created more interesting recipes from her family and regions of countries she is familiar with. Natural shot pictures of food and regional images are used. Recipes are simply straightforward to use. Ingredients are available at larger supermarkets chains or if you have an allotment. However can substitute other herbs you prefer.
The author has created more interesting recipes from her family and regions of countries she is familiar with. Natural shot pictures of food and regional images are used. Recipes are simply straightforward to use. Ingredients are available at larger supermarkets chains or if you have an allotment. However can substitute other herbs you prefer.
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January 30, 2018Cookbook Club Book
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews