Elarji: Samegrelo's Stretchy Cheese-Cornmeal That Defies Physics

Elarji (ელარჯი) is the dish that breaks everyone's brain the first time they see it. You're sitting in a restaurant in western Georgia, and the waiter brings what looks like a smooth white mound of something on a plate. Then someone digs a spoon in, lifts, and the whole thing stretches upward in long, gooey strings — like mozzarella on steroids. It's cornmeal cooked with so much sulguni cheese that the two become inseparable. Not cheese on porridge. Not cheesy polenta. Something else entirely — a single elastic mass where you can't tell where the grain ends and the dairy begins. It's absurdly simple, impossible to mess up if you know the ratio, and the most satisfying thing you'll eat this month.

Why Elarji Matters

Samegrelo — the lush, subtropical region in western Georgia between the mountains and the Black Sea — has the most intensely flavored cuisine in the country. Where eastern Georgia uses mild brined cheeses and subtle herbs, Samegrelo goes hard: walnut sauces, chili paste, and more cheese per square meter than anywhere else on earth. Elarji is the purest expression of this philosophy. It takes just two real ingredients — cornmeal and cheese — and through sheer quantity and technique, creates something that feels like it shouldn't be physically possible.

The ratio is what makes elarji elarji. One kilogram of cheese to 200 grams of cornmeal. That's not a typo. The cheese isn't a topping or a mix-in — it's the majority of the dish. When you eat elarji, you're eating cheese that happens to be held together by cornmeal, not the other way around.

The Cheese Question

This is where most recipes outside Georgia fall apart. Elarji needs fresh sulguni — the stretchy, mildly salty brined cheese that's sold in every market in Georgia. Sulguni melts into long elastic strings without breaking or becoming oily. It's the mechanical backbone of the whole dish.

Ingredients

Serves 4 — Yes, it's really just this. That's the beauty.

Equipment

Step by Step

Step 1: Rinse the Cornmeal (5 minutes)

Put the coarse cornmeal directly into your cooking pot. Cover with cold water, swirl it around, and carefully pour off the cloudy water along with any husks, debris, or discolored bits that float to the surface. Repeat two or three times until the water runs mostly clear.

This step isn't optional. Georgian cornmeal — and most coarse cornmeal worldwide — contains fine debris and husks that will affect the final texture. Rinsing also removes some of the starch dust, which helps prevent the base from becoming gluey.

Step 2: Cook the Cornmeal (30-35 minutes)

Add 1 liter of fresh water to the rinsed cornmeal. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally so it doesn't clump. Once boiling, drop to low heat and cook for 30-35 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

You're looking for the cornmeal to fully absorb the water and lose any raw, gritty taste. It should be thick and pulling away from the sides slightly, but still stirrable. If it gets too thick too early, add a splash of water — better slightly loose at this stage than too dry.

Step 3: Add the Cornflour (15 minutes)

Sprinkle in the 4 tablespoons of fine cornflour while stirring constantly. This is the thickening stage. Keep stirring — vigorously — on low heat for about 15 minutes. The mixture will tighten significantly, becoming harder to stir. This is normal and correct.

The cornflour does two things: it adds body and it creates the sticky matrix that will hold the cheese. If you skip it, the elarji will be too loose and the cheese won't integrate properly.

Step 4: Add the Cheese (2-3 minutes)

This is the moment. Slice all your sulguni into thin strips or rough chunks — the thinner the slices, the faster they'll melt. Add the entire kilogram to the pot at once. Now stir and mash with your wooden spoon, pressing the cheese into the cornmeal base.

Within 2-3 minutes, the cheese should be completely melted and incorporated. The mixture transforms — going from thick porridge to a single, unified, elastic mass. When you lift the spoon, the elarji should stretch in long, dramatic strings. If it doesn't stretch, your cheese wasn't the right type or wasn't fresh enough.

Step 5: Shape and Serve (immediately)

Elarji waits for no one. Wet a wooden spoon (or your hands) with cold water to prevent sticking, and scoop portions onto plates. Shape each serving into a smooth mound. In Samegrelo, elarji is often presented as an elegant dome shape — the wet spoon technique gives you that smooth surface.

Serve immediately. Elarji is best eaten hot, within 10-15 minutes. As it cools, it firms up and loses the stretch. It's still edible cold (some people like it), but the magic happens when it's still warm and pulling.

How to Serve Elarji

In Samegrelo, elarji almost always comes with bazhe — a thick, pale sauce made from ground walnuts, garlic, coriander, fenugreek, and vinegar. The cool, tangy, nutty bazhe against the hot, stretchy, mild elarji is one of the great Georgian food pairings. It's the contrast that makes it work — the cheese is rich and heavy, the bazhe is sharp and light.

Elarji vs. Ghomi

People confuse these constantly, so let's settle it. Ghomi (ღომი) is the plain cornmeal porridge — no cheese at all. It's cooked the same way (coarse cornmeal, water, cornflour) but served as a neutral starchy base, usually with cheese on the side and stews or sauces spooned over it. Think of ghomi as the Georgian equivalent of polenta or ugali.

Elarji is ghomi's dramatic older sibling — the cheese gets stirred into the porridge until they become one entity. The cheese isn't a side, it's the co-star.

Variations

Common Mistakes

Pro Tips

Where to Eat Elarji in Georgia

Nutrition

Storage

Frequently Asked Questions