Today’s guest blog is from Joel Vostok over at Reaper Feed, a site bringing you a bird’s eye view on global conflict and travel to warzones. As an expedition leader for Young Pioneer Tours, Joel has access to a vast plethora of off the beaten track destinations and, of course, their local street food.
In today’s article, we’re going to look at a staple food of Chechnya, located in the Caucasus region of Southern Russia. Until recently, Chechnya was branded as ‘the most destroyed place on planet earth’ and its capital Grozny earned the title of the most destroyed city since WW2. Thankfully, things have changed since then. Under the reign of strongman president Ramzan Kadyrov, Grozny is now a gleaming city that resembles Dubai.
But enough about war and development, I want to show you a staple food in Chechnya that can be eaten on the side of the road or in high class restaurants: Zhigzhig Galnash. This is a beloved food of the Chechen nation and featured everywhere from weddings to construction sites. Its blend of beige pasta and brown beef may not exactly look appetizing, but trust me, it’s tasty!
In the Chechen language, “Zhizhig-gallnash” translates to “meat and dumplings.” This dish can come in many different forms, depending on who is cooking, the ingredients used and their level of skill.
The long thin dumplings are generally made from wheat flour and sculpted into a specific shape depending on the type of meat that is being used.
Talking of meat, the dish can be made with everything from beef and lamb to turkey and chicken, no pork though as Chechnya is an Islamic Republic. In some instances, especially in towns and villages on the Terek River, the dish is made with fresh or dried fish.
Now on to part three of the dish, the Beram sauce! If you don’t like garlic, then turn back now, because there is often no compromise on serving Zhigzhig Galnash without this sauce. Slow-cooked meat combined with this garlic heavy oil-based sauce is simply out of this world.
So, you have your large slab of slow-cooked meat, dumplings and beram sauce on the table. Part four of the dish is called Bouillon. Comparable to a bowl of meat broth, it is Chechen tradition to serve this accessory to the dish. The meat broth is always strong, golden, with a heavily meaty taste.
This dish has been a staple of Chechen culture which has developed over centuries. Like England’s roast dinner or American meatloaf, Zhigzhig Galnash never fails to bring families and friends together around the table as is a much-adored dish as a result.
For similar articles on Chechnya and other related destinations, be sure to check out the wealth of content on Reaperfeed.com.