The World That Was - Medieval Georgian Baked and Stuffed Apples

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was!


As the autumn comes to a close, and the cold of winter sets in, I figured it'd be a great time to make a simple savoury treat from medieval Georgian cuisine - stuffed apples! Though savoury stuffed apples are commonly found in the Caucasus region, this isn't exclusive to Georgia! Armenia, and parts of north-western Iran, western Turkey, and Azerbaijan also have regional variants of this dish!


In any case, let's now take a look at the world that was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! If you like what I make, consider supporting me on Patreon!


Ingredients (for 4 servings)

4 large tart cooking apples
honey
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
water
1 cup rice
butter


Method

1 - Prepare Apples

To begin with, we need to prepare our apples. Do this by slicing the top off of about 4 large apples, before carving out the middle - leave about a finger's width of a wall.

Drizzle some honey in here, and sprinkle a little ground cinnamon inside. Honey was used in the civilisations of the Caucasus for millennia, and was an important part of many people's diets in the medieval period.


2 - Prepare Filling

Next, pour a cup of rice into a bowl, and pour some water over this. Rinse the grains until the water runs clear. When it's cleaned, keep the grains just about submerged, and bring the pot to a boil. Cook your rice for a few minutes until they fluff up. When they're done, let them cool down a bit, before mixing in a handful of raisins or sultanas, along with some freshly-grated cinnamon, and some freshly grated nutmeg, or mace.

Both of these spices were commonly found in the kitchens of the region in the medieval period, thanks to Georgia's proximity to the silk road and spice trade.


3 - Assemble Stuffed Apples

Take your hollowed apples, and fill them to the brink with your rice stuffing. Place a dollop of butter over this, before placing the lids of your apples back on top.

Place your apples onto a deep tray, and pour about a cup of water into this. If you want, you could add some more aromatics or spices in here - such as mint, rosemary, or cloves! Then put the tray into an oven preheated to 350F or 175C for about a half an hour, or until the apples puff up and turn golden.


Take your apples out, and serve up alongside some roast meat and vegetables! Spoon over some of the baking liquid, to rehydrate the rice a little too!


The apples are quite tart, but with a deliciously sweet undertone. The flesh is melt-in-your-mouth, and pairs very well with the texture of the fluffy rice. This pairs really well with roast lamb and pork, and is a fantastic (and easy) side-dish for any feast you're preparing for!


It's uncertain where this trend of stuffed apples originated - we know that the Hittite civilisation of Anatolia made use of apples, but rice did not seem to be cultivated in the uplands of the region - preferring the wetter climates of Eastern Mesopotamia. It's likely that this developed in the medieval period, as Byzantine accounts of vassal-state feasts discuss stuffed fruits quite frequently. Indeed, it is still popular today!

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