Shkmeruli takes its name from Shkmeri, a village in the Oni district of Racha, the mountainous region of north western Georgia. Chicken with garlic sauce has long been cooked across the country, and at some point the cooks of Racha began adding milk. The result is now one of Georgia's best loved dishes: chicken fried until golden and crisp, then finished in a sauce of milk or cream, butter and garlic, often brought to the table sizzling in a clay pan called a ketsi.

The amount of garlic alarms first timers and delights everyone afterward, because the milk tames it into something sweet and savory. The dish is eaten with bread for mopping, which is not optional. It travels well beyond Georgia, too: in 2019 a Japanese restaurant chain put it on its menu and it became a sensation. On race day, it fills the house with the smell of garlic for hours, which is either a warning or an invitation.

The chicken

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 3 1/2 lb (1.6 kg)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil

The garlic sauce

Ingredients

• 2 whole heads garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or dill

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