Khmeli Suneli

the dried-herb blend at the foundation of the Georgian kitchen: blue fenugreek, coriander, marigold, and summer savory ground to a fragrant green-gold powder that seasons every walnut sauce and stew in the national repertoire

Origin: Georgia and the South Caucasus

From the journey of Fenugreek.

Khmeli suneli means simply 'dried spices' in Georgian, and it is to the Georgian kitchen what garam masala is to the North Indian or berbere to the Ethiopian: not one blend but a family of them, varying by region and by household, yet built always upon the same handful of dried herbs. Its indispensable component, and the one that gives the blend its unmistakable character, is blue fenugreek (Trigonella caerulea), which the Georgians call utskho suneli, 'the spice from afar'. This is a wholly different plant from the common fenugreek of the Indian and Near Eastern spice rack: it is the dried, powdered flowering top rather than the seed, and its flavour is gentler, greener, hay-sweet, and far less bitter. Georgian cooks are emphatic that the two are not interchangeable, and the substitution of common fenugreek seed is the commonest error made by foreign cooks attempting the Georgian repertoire. Beside the blue fenugreek stand dried coriander leaf and seed, ground marigold petal (the imeruli kupati or 'Imeretian saffron', which supplies the blend's warm yellow colour in place of true saffron), summer savory, dill, and often a little dried mint, bay, and a whisper of fenugreek's cousin, blue-flowered melilot. The blend seasons the walnut sauces that are Georgia's supreme contribution to the table (satsivi, bazhe, and the pounded pastes of pkhali and badrijani nigvzit), goes into kharcho and chakhokhbili and the bean stew lobio, and is stirred into ajika. It is used with a generous hand, and a Georgian cook will tell you that a dish without it is simply not Georgian food.

Ingredients

3 tbsp ground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli)
2 tbsp dried coriander leaf
1 tbsp ground coriander seed
2 tbsp ground dried marigold petals (Imeretian saffron)
1 tbsp dried summer savory
1 tbsp dried dill
2 tsp dried mint
2 dried bay leaves, finely ground
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
0.25 tsp ground hot red pepper (optional)

Method

Assemble all the dried herbs and spices. If any are not already ground, grind them separately in a spice mill or with a mortar and pestle until fine, then sieve out any fibrous stalk.
Combine all the ground ingredients in a bowl and whisk thoroughly, or tumble them together in a sealed jar, until the colour is completely even, a soft green-gold.
Taste a pinch on the tip of a wet finger. The blue fenugreek should dominate, with the coriander behind it and the savory and dill lifting the whole; adjust to your preference.
Store in an airtight jar away from light and heat. Use within three months for the best flavour.
To use, add generously: a tablespoon or more to a walnut sauce or a stew for four, stirred in towards the end of cooking so the volatile aromas are not driven off.

Notes

Blue fenugreek (Trigonella caerulea) is sold as utskho suneli in Georgian and Eastern European groceries and increasingly online; there is no true substitute, and common fenugreek seed, being both a different species and a different part of the plant, is markedly more bitter and will not give the right result. If you cannot obtain marigold petals, a little sweet paprika supplies colour but not flavour; leave the blend a paler green rather than reaching for turmeric, which tastes wrong here. Some regional blends add a small quantity of ground cinnamon and clove, particularly those intended for satsivi.

The Gastrographer

Name: Khmeli Suneli
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: Georgia and the South Caucasus
Ingredients: 3 tbsp ground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli); 2 tbsp dried coriander leaf; 1 tbsp ground coriander seed; 2 tbsp ground dried marigold petals (Imeretian saffron); 1 tbsp dried summer savory; 1 tbsp dried dill; 2 tsp dried mint; 2 dried bay leaves, finely ground; 0.5 tsp ground black pepper; 0.25 tsp ground hot red pepper (optional)

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control