Lobio – Kidney Bean Stew

Lobio – Kidney Bean Stew is a very popular dish in Georgia. The method of preparation varies through regions of Georgia. In this recipe, I’ll discuss my favorite one – a version from Kiziki, Kakheti. It is called Lobioshi Mokharshuli Puri in Georgian, which means bread boiled in kidney bean soup. It is a kind of Bread soup, variations of which are very popular in different corners of the world. My family loves it very much, so, they made it very often, especially my granny from Kakheti who used to make it.

Lobio – Kidney Bean Stew is very popular in Georgia. It is often made in winter, served with seasonal pickled vegetables and red wine.

Here is the video story, where 89 years old Zizo Mateshvili from Kiziki, Kakheti makes Lobioshi Mokharshuli Puri.

So, it all starts like this. When Georgian bread – Shoti goes stale or a baker leaves it in Tone to go stale (called toneshi chabrunebuli puri in Georgian), then people use such bread widely for bread soups in Kakheti. Moreover, they do it exactly for this purpose. Before doing it on purpose, I suppose, there were times when ideas were born from not wasting ingredients that someone had made with love and great effort. This is a much-preserved tradition in Kakheti. Nobody wastes anything – it is a golden rule. So, stale bread is adored – people use it in Matsoni, milk, various soups (bean, tomato, Matsvnis), etc.

Thus, they boil stale bread in Lobio and serve with either sautéed red onions and sprinkle of coriander on it or fresh onions, Kakhetian oil, and a sprinkle of coriander on it. Preparation methods slightly vary according to Kakhetian villages, though the main idea remains the same.

Notes:

If you prepare the dish in InstantPot, you can skip the soaking part.

You can skip the stale bread part and simply make Lobio, season it with sautéed red onions, red pepper, and coriander (garlic is optional).

Seasonal pickled vegetables include cucumber, cabbage, green tomatoes, green pepper, garlic, etc.