Nazuki (ნაზუქი) is a traditional sweet bread from Georgia’s Shida Kartli region and southern areas, with a history spanning several centuries. The name likely came from Persian, meaning “exquisite” or “refined.” This sweet bread is spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, and contains raisins. It’s traditionally baked in a tone, a Georgian cylindrical clay oven. In the Kartli region, it has been served as ritual bread for Easter celebrations.

Surami’s “Nazukebi”

The town of Surami is particularly famous for nazuki, with dozens of wooden huts lining the roadside of European route E60, each selling this hot bread to passing travelers.

At the end of the 20th century, when Georgia was on the verge of economic collapse, someone began selling nazuki by E60 in Surami, and more people followed afterwards. The businesses were successful because Surami has been a transportation hub connecting eastern and western Georgia.

In 2025, a new highway opened, which enabled drivers to cross Georgia without passing through Surami’s nazuki shops. It remains uncertain how many of these shops will be able to keep operating in the future.

September 2025