Khmeli Suneli | Traditional Georgian Spice Blend

What Is Khmeli Suneli?

Khmeli suneli is the signature spice blend of Georgia, the country in the Caucasus between the Black and Caspian Seas. The name means dried spices in Georgian, and it is also written chmeli suneli, khmeli-suneli or khmeli cuneli. It is to Georgian cooking what garam masala is to Indian food or herbes de Provence to French cooking.

Recipes vary from family to family and region to region, but khmeli suneli is typically built on blue fenugreek (utskho suneli), coriander seed, dried herbs such as dill, savory, parsley, basil and mint, and dried marigold petals, often called Imeretian saffron, which give the blend its warm golden color.

The flavor is savory, nutty and herbal with a gentle warmth, rather than spicy heat. Khmeli suneli is used in classic Georgian dishes such as kharcho beef and walnut soup, lobio bean stew, chakapuli lamb stew, satsivi walnut sauce and ajika pastes, and it is excellent on grilled meat, roasted vegetables, potatoes and mushrooms.

It also pairs well with garlic, walnuts, tomato and fresh cilantro, so it is easy to use beyond Georgian cooking: try it in chili, lentil soup, burgers or a simple yogurt dip.

Our khmeli suneli is sold by weight, from small packs to bulk.