Short answer
Khachapuri Adjaruli is a boat-shaped Georgian bread filled with melted cheese and finished with a raw egg yolk and butter. You stir the yolk and butter into the cheese and tear off the edges to dip. It comes from the Adjara region on the Black Sea.
Khachapuri Adjaruli is a boat-shaped Georgian bread baked with cheese in the middle and finished with a raw egg yolk and a piece of butter. You stir the yolk and butter into the hot cheese, then tear off the crust ends and dip them. It is the best-known khachapuri style outside Georgia.
What is khachapuri Adjaruli?
Khachapuri Adjaruli is a yeast bread rolled into an open oval with the sides curled up and pinched at both ends, so it looks like a small boat. The hollow is filled with salty cheese and baked until the crust browns.
The name comes from Adjara, a region of Georgia on the Black Sea coast whose main city is Batumi. Other spellings include Acharuli and Ajaruli. The word khachapuri itself joins khacho, a cheese curd, and puri, bread.
Why is it shaped like a boat?
The boat shape has a practical use: it makes a bowl out of bread that holds melted cheese and a yolk. Many Georgians also say it resembles a fishing boat, which fits a coastal region, with the yolk as the sun or a sail.
Stories about the exact origin vary and none is firmly documented, so treat the sun and boat explanations as popular tradition. What is certain is the result: crisp edges, a soft center and a pool of cheese that stays hot for several minutes.
How is Adjaruli khachapuri made?
Adjaruli khachapuri is made by shaping a soft yeast dough into a boat, filling it with cheese, baking it hot, then adding butter and a yolk in the final minute or at the table.
- Make a dough of flour, water or milk, yeast, salt and a little sugar, and let it rise.
- Roll each piece into an oval and fold the long sides inward into rolled rims.
- Pinch both ends into points so the sides stay up.
- Fill the center with a salty, melting cheese mixture.
- Bake in a very hot oven until the crust is golden and the cheese bubbles.
- Slide a yolk into the center, add a pat of butter and return for a short time or serve straight away.
What cheese is used in Adjaruli khachapuri?
Adjaruli khachapuri traditionally uses sulguni, often with imeruli cheese, both brined Georgian cheeses that are salty and melt smoothly. Cooks abroad usually substitute a blend.
| Option | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sulguni | Main melting cheese | Salty, slightly sour, stretchy |
| Imeruli cheese | Softer white cheese | Milder, often mixed with sulguni |
| Mozzarella | Common substitute | Provides the stretch |
| Feta | Salt and tang | Rinse first if very salty |
How do you eat Adjaruli khachapuri?
You eat Adjaruli khachapuri by stirring the yolk and butter into the cheese with a fork or a torn piece of crust, then tearing the ends off the bread and dipping them in the mixture.
- Stir the yolk and butter into the cheese until it becomes a thick sauce.
- Pull off a piece from one pointed end.
- Dip it deep into the cheese.
- Keep tearing inward until the whole boat is eaten, including the soft base.
Eat it while it is hot. The cheese tightens as it cools, and the yolk sets harder on a slow table.
Adjaruli vs Imeruli khachapuri: what is the difference?
Adjaruli is open, boat-shaped and finished with an egg, while Imeruli is a round, closed bread with cheese baked inside. Adjaruli is eaten by dipping, and Imeruli is sliced like a pie.
| Style | Shape | Egg | How it is eaten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjaruli | Open boat | Yolk on top | Torn and dipped |
| Imeruli | Round, closed | No | Cut into wedges |
| Megruli | Round, cheese on top too | No | Cut into wedges |
| Penovani | Flaky pastry | No | Cut or torn |
Can you make Adjaruli khachapuri at home?
Yes, Adjaruli khachapuri is possible in a home oven with a hot baking sheet or pizza stone. The two hard parts are shaping the boat and adding the yolk at the right moment so it stays soft.
Preheat the oven as hot as it will go, usually 475°F or 500°F, and place the tray inside for at least twenty minutes. Bake the shaped boat on the hot surface for about ten to twelve minutes, then open the oven, make a small well in the cheese and add the yolk. Return it for about one to two minutes only. If the yolk goes in too early it cooks solid and loses the sauce effect.
What mistakes make Adjaruli khachapuri go wrong?
The most common problems are a dough that is too thin, a boat that opens at the ends, and cheese that turns greasy or too dry. Each has a simple fix.
- Thin dough: roll to about a quarter inch so the walls can hold the cheese.
- Open ends: twist the points firmly and press them down.
- Greasy cheese: avoid very fatty cheeses, and drain brined cheese well.
- Dry cheese: do not use only aged or low-moisture cheese, because the filling should melt into a sauce.
- Cold yolk: let the egg reach room temperature before using it.
What do you serve with Adjaruli khachapuri?
Adjaruli khachapuri is rich, so it pairs with something fresh and sharp. Sliced tomato and cucumber, fresh herbs, pickles and a plain tea all cut through the cheese.
Many Georgian diners order one boat as a starter for the table and then move on to a chicken dish or a bean dish. The bread is salty and heavy enough that a single boat often feeds two people alongside other plates.
Is Adjaruli khachapuri on the Genatsvale menu?
Yes, under the spelling Acharuli. Genatsvale Georgian Bakery in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn lists Acharuli Khachapuri as a boat-shaped cheese bread with an egg yolk on top, at $14 on the ordering pages as of November 2026.
That is the same style as the Adjaruli described here. The price comes from search summaries of the ordering pages and may have changed, and the pages did not state which cheeses are used, so ask the bakery. See the menu page for the full recorded list and the hours and location page for when it is open. This guide is independent and takes no orders.
Common questions
How do you spell Adjaruli khachapuri?
Spellings vary because Georgian is written in its own alphabet. You will see Adjaruli, Acharuli, Ajaruli and Adjarian khachapuri, all meaning the same boat-shaped bread from the Adjara region.
Is the egg in Adjaruli khachapuri raw?
The yolk is usually added on top near the end, so it is runny or only partly set. Some bakeries cook it longer. Anyone who avoids runny eggs should ask the kitchen how it is prepared.
Is Adjaruli khachapuri meant to be shared?
Yes, it is large and rich, and many people share one among two or more diners as part of a meal. A single bread can also work as a full meal for one hungry person.
What cheese goes in Adjaruli khachapuri?
Georgian recipes use sulguni and imeruli cheese, which are salty and melt well. Outside Georgia cooks often combine mozzarella with feta or another brined cheese to copy that salty, stretchy result.
Can you reheat Adjaruli khachapuri?
Yes, though the egg is best fresh. Reheat the bread in a hot oven until the cheese melts again, then add a fresh yolk and butter, or eat leftovers without the egg.
Planning a visit? Start with Genatsvale Georgian Bakery Shawarma: address, opening hours, menu and directions in one place.
This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Genatsvale Georgian Bakery | Shawarma itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.