- Lots of fresh and dried green herbs…some of which I associate with European food (thyme, tarragon, parsley, savory) and some I associate with Asian (cilantro, clove basil). And prominent use of pennyroyal or nepitella (both of which are minty). The primary seasoning mix, khmeli suneli, is mostly dry herbs plus chile and coriander.

- A few distinct regional spices—blue fenugreek (like a milder, less bitter fenugreek), marigold petals (a saffron substitute)—plus a recognizable cross-section of Middle Eastern, Eastern European spices. These are used less boldly than in neighboring Turkey—coriander, paprika, pepper in moderation—and herbs fill the gaps.

- Onions and garlic are both used as aromatics, but there’s surprising number of dishes that use raw or barely-cooked garlic to finish a dish, result in the hot, burning garlic flavor recognizable from stuff like tsatziki.

- Fruit and fruit products are used a great deal in savory dishes and sauces. Unripe and ripe plums, cherries, unripe grapes, apricots, pomegranates, various berries. Tomatoes fill the same niche. One of the ubiquitous condiments is a plum ketchup, tkemali. Dried fruit pulp shaped into sheets and bars are common as snacks, but also for adding flavor to soups, etc. If I recall my history correctly, this is the part of the world where the wine grape was first cultivated and viticulture originated, it’s also the origin of several domesticated fruit trees.

- Walnuts are in everything but the wine. Walnut sauce, and walnuts as a thickener in stews is common. Hazelnuts are also common.

- The vegetable variety is immense, but eggplant and beets turn up a great deal. Hot chiles are enjoyed, and a herbs-and-chiles hot condiment, adzhika, is another common item. There’s apparently a lot of foraged goods—mushrooms in particular—because of the variety of forest conditions.

- It’s a nation in Central Asia where Islam isn’t a major influence, and thus one of the few places where you get Middle Eastern/Central Asian flavors with pork. There’s also a bunch of dairy products: yoghurts, fresh cheeses and mozzarella-like kneaded ones.

- Like a lot of Central Asia, there’s a traditional of roasting meat and baking flatbread in a cylindrical high—temperature oven…tindur, compared to the Indian tandoor. There’s also a lot of grilling and kebab-making, the latter probably reflecting both Turkish and Iranian influence.

Overall, I’d say it resembles the food of Iran in that sour or sweet-sour is favored. You can see a direct line between a dish like Persian fesenjan—pomegranate and walnut sauce over duck or chicken—or khoresht sabzi—“green” stew loading with a mix of herbs—and Georgian dishes. You can also the Turkish connection in stuffed like dolma—stuffed vegetables full of rice and meat.

But the seasoning are unique and not comparable to anywhere else.