A taste of Georgian cuisine in Auckland
An Onehunga resident is setting out to fulfil his mother’s dream of bringing Georgian food to Auckland.
Nick Zhorzholiani came to New Zealand in 1996 from Georgia, a former Soviet republic which is located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
Georgian cuisine has some Middle Eastern and European influence, and each region has its own food flair.
For the past two months Zhorzholiani has been selling a traditional Georgian appetiser called pkhali at the Parnell Farmer’s Market.
Pkhali is made from minced vegetables, walnuts and herbs.
At the market he sells kidney bean pkhali, beetroot pkhali and spinach pkhali. They are all vegan.
Zhorzholiani said he enjoyed eating it on its own but pkhali could also be eaten with bread or crackers.
He had always been interested in cooking but did not start until he moved to New Zealand, Zhorzholiani said.
Over the years people had shown enormous interest in the food his family cooked, Zhorzholiani said.
‘‘My mum used to cook a lot of dishes and invite people to our house,’’ Zhorzholiani said.
‘‘They loved our Georgian dishes very much.’’
His mother’s dream was to open a cafe but she unfortunately passed away before that could happen, he said.
However, Zhorzholiani has decided to do it on his own and hoped to open a cafe in the future, he said.
He wanted to make all kinds of Georgian dishes, Zhorzholiani said.
Zhorzholiani planned on calling it the Marigold Cafe as the flower was popular in west Georgia and used as a powdered ingredient, he said.
‘‘This dream exists inside of my family because of my mum for a long time.’’
Parnell Farmers’ Market manager Lucy Jensen said there had been definite interest in Zhorzholiani’s food at the market.
Zhorzholiani was keen to share his food at the market, she said.
‘‘He makes it himself and is one of the first stalls here in the morning,’’ Jensen said.
She knew all the regulars and they had expressed interest in learning about how pkhali could be used, she said.