Mujuji

Mujuji is Georgia's ancient cold jellied pork dish, a staple of the Georgian supra feast table. Pork trotters and other cuts are boiled long and slow with aromatic vegetables until the natural gelatin sets the stock into a savory aspic. The dish is seasoned with vinegar, garlic, and coriander, then chilled overnight — producing a cold, firm terrine that is sliced and served at room temperature. It is one of the oldest preparations in the Caucasian culinary tradition.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1kg (2.2 lb) pork trotters, split (ask your butcher)
• 500g (1 lb) pork shank or shoulder meat
• 2 litres (8 cups) cold water
• 1 large onion, halved
• 2 medium carrots, halved
• 1 head garlic, halved crossways
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
• Salt to taste

Finishing:

• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley and coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
• Sliced red onion, to serve

Instructions

1. Place the trotters and pork shank in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Drain, rinse the meat, and return to the clean pot with fresh water.
2. Add the onion, carrots, garlic head, bay leaves, peppercorns, and coriander seeds. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then reduce heat to a very gentle simmer.
3. Simmer uncovered for 3–3.5 hours until the meat is completely tender and falling from the bones, and the stock is reduced by about one third.
4. Remove all the meat. Strain the stock carefully; it should be rich and slightly viscous. Season generously with salt.
5. Shred all the usable meat, discarding bones and any undesirable fatty pieces. Combine the shredded meat with the minced garlic, vinegar, ground coriander, black pepper, and fresh herbs.
6. Arrange the seasoned meat in a shallow dish or loaf pan. Pour over enough strained stock to just cover. Refrigerate overnight until fully set.
7. Slice and serve cold with sliced red onion and a splash of vinegar.

Cook's Notes: The natural gelatin from the trotters sets the aspic — no added gelatin is needed if you use enough trotter. The vinegar is essential for cutting the richness. Mujuji improves with two days of resting in the fridge.