Georgian · dessert

Pelamushi (Grape Must Pudding)

Pelamushi (Grape Must Pudding) reads sweetness 7.9, nutty 4.8 and fruity 4.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Georgian dessert, about 4 hr 13 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 7.9 · Nutty 4.8 · Fruity 4.4 · Richness 3.9 · Sourness 3.0 · Earthy 3.0 · Bitterness 2.0 · Warm Spice 2.0 · Umami 1.4 · Floral 0.8

What's in it (8)

Time & effort: about 4 hr 13 min (1 hr 13 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 75 kcal, 1.4 g protein, 1.9 g fat, 13.1 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

  1. Pour the settled juice off its sediment into a wide heavy pan and boil it down over medium heat for 30 minutes, until it has reduced by about a quarter and tastes concentrated rather than merely sweet. This reduced must is badagi, the same base that the churchkhela dipping mixture starts from.
  2. Skim the pinkish foam off the surface as it rises, about 5 minutes of attention, or the pudding will taste rough.
  3. Whisk the cornmeal and flour into the 200 ml of cold juice until there are no lumps at all. Lumps that go into the hot pan never come out.
  4. Pour the slaked flours into the hot juice in a thin stream, whisking hard the whole time.
  5. Cook over medium heat for 28 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping the corners. Add the sugar only if the juice was not sweet enough on its own. It is ready when the mass pulls cleanly away from the side of the pan and a spoon stood upright falls over slowly rather than at once.
  6. Rinse shallow dishes with cold water and brush them with a film of oil, then pour the pudding in to a depth of 3 cm and smooth the surface with a wet spoon.
  7. Cool 3 hours at room temperature. It sets to the firmness of a good blancmange and slices cleanly.
  8. Press walnut halves into the surface and dust with cinnamon if you like. In Kakheti this is made in bulk at the autumn rtveli, the grape harvest, when there is more must than anyone can ferment.
  9. Substitutions: another dark grape can stand in for the fresh dark grape juice.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.