Market Stall · Candle-Shaped Candy

Churchkhela

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Churchkhela is made in autumn at grape-harvest time, when fresh grape must is boiled down with flour into the thick tatara the strings are dipped in.

Churchkhela is made by threading walnuts or hazelnuts onto a string, then dipping the strand again and again into thickened grape juice, called tatara, until it builds into a firm, candle-shaped candy. Rows of the deep-red and amber strands hang from market stalls across Georgia, sold by length and eaten as a chewy snack.

Why it's made this way: The dense grape coating keeps the nuts from spoiling, which made churchkhela a traditional travel food for long journeys.