A spring Georgian stew made with young lamb, white wine, tarragon, and sour plum sauce — eaten at Easter and during the fleeting weeks when tarragon is at its peak.
Chakapuli is a seasonal dish, which is part of what makes it precious. It is made only in spring, when young lamb is available and fresh tarragon grows in abundance. The combination sounds unusual to the outside ear — lamb, white wine, sour plum sauce — but together they create something fresh, herbaceous, and deeply Georgian. Chakapuli is the centerpiece of Georgian Easter tables alongside dyed eggs and churchkhela. It is one of those dishes that people who grew up in Georgia describe with a specific kind of longing — not because it is hard to make, but because it is so tied to a time of year, a smell, a gathering. You cannot separate it from the memory of Easters past. The tarragon is not a garnish. It goes in by the fistful — whole stalks — and cooks into the broth, turning it deeply green. The tkemali adds tartness. The wine keeps everything bright. It is Georgian spring in a pot.
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