Making churchkhela is a careful, patient process. First, fresh grape juice is reduced by cooking it down until it becomes very thick and syrupy. Then flour is added to make it even thicker — this mixture is called tatara. Walnut halves are threaded on a long string, which is then dipped into the hot tatara and hung up to dry. This is repeated many times until a thick coating has built up, and the sweets are left to dry and harden for days.
Different types of grapes make different-coloured churchkhela: dark purple, deep red, amber, or pale yellow. Some makers use a mixture for a tie-dye effect. Hazelnuts, almonds, or raisins can replace walnuts, and in some regions the coating is made from mulberry juice instead of grape juice, giving a deep purple-black colour.
Churchkhela has been made in Georgia for at least 500 years. Historians believe that Georgian warriors once carried it as a portable, long-lasting food on long journeys — it is naturally preserved, packed with energy from the nuts and natural sugar from the grapes, and keeps for months without refrigeration.
Today churchkhela is sold at every Georgian market and is one of the most popular souvenirs visitors take home. Markets in Tbilisi and Mtskheta often have entire stalls covered from top to bottom with hanging rows of churchkhela in every colour — it looks more like a festival decoration than a food shop.