Along with cooling, our skin needs specific care, in addition to external care products, it is important to get the necessary vitamins and minerals for the health and youth of our skin with  food as well.  These five products help us to improve the condition of the skin after the scorching summer sun rays and also to face the cold days of winter well prepared. Apples are a strong  anti-inflammatory remedy, the old English adage - one apple a day, keep the doctor away, is not excessive at all. Apples are full of fiber, so it's important to eat apples but  not drink them in juice form so we don't lose precious fiber, which is the basis of a healthy digestive system. The skin of an apple contains a pigment that neutralizes the damage caused by ultraviolet rays to the human skin, and the nutrients in it are involved in the formation of melanin which  protects our skin from the sun rays. One  apple a day is an immunity booster because of the vitamin C it contains, which is so important in the pre-winter period, during the virus season. The history of the use of ginger for culinary and medical purposes goes back many centuries. Ginger has strong anti-inflammatory properties that  is why in combination  with lemon and honey it is such a relief during colds. At the same time, it is rich in antioxidants, which are necessary for improving the condition of the skin and preventing a number of diseases. Ginger accelerates blood circulation and the process of cell replacement, distributes nutrients throughout the body, helps eliminate toxins, which is a prerequisite for healthy and well-cared skin.   Kale is a “superfood” and is considered the healthiest vegetable. This type of cabbage, rich in vitamin K, participates in many beneficial processes, has anti-inflammatory properties, and also contains carotenoids, which naturally protect our skin from the effects of ultraviolet rays, thus slowing  down the aging process of the skin.   Walnut is a vegetable product rich in Omega 3.  1 handful of walnuts a day helps us maintain smooth skin, improves blood circulation, which is a necessary condition for the equal distribution of nutrients in the body, protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation and heals skin damaged by the sun.   Oranges and lemons are a source of vitamin C, which, along with strengthening the immune system, participates in the formation of collagen, and the elasticity of our skin depends on collagen. 1 glass of citrus juice contains a daily dose of vitamin C. 

“Hello dear reader of Gastro Guide! I’m Irakli Beridze, originally from Adjara. I was born and raised nine kilometers away from Batumi, in the village Tsikareuli, Ortabatumi community. I graduated from Nikoloz Baratashvili Boarding School of Advanced Physics and Mathematics in Salibauri, where I went after early death of my mother. In my case it was a successful decision made by my father as I spent positive months and met lots of valuable people there. Then I went to the Pedagogical College and Batumi Maritime Academy, Faculty of “Navigation of Maritime Roads”. I worked on various types of merchant vessels, thanks to which I became acquainted with the port cities of thirty countries, local people and their mode of life, including culinary and customs. Probably that is why I am so communicative and conflict-free, in which my knowledge of foreign languages ​​- Russian and English - helped me.   When I was promoted to the rank of Captain’s assistant, one of challenges influenced my decision to change my profession. You will probably ask whether I miss the sea and ship?! Certainly, yes, but I have found myself in another field now and I want to devote my efforts to its development and refinement, learn and teach. On November 15, 2014, after my friend told me “Let’s start our business”, I arrived in Ukraine, in   Lviv with beautiful architecture and history, which is even referred to as the cultural capital of this country. Here I met and married Oksy Wozniak, Ukrainian chef, brand chef and food photographer. Three years later, on November 15, we had a daughter, Nicole. We are currently rebranding restaurants with different concepts, at the same time we are working in the positions of brand chef and chef in the restaurant of French and Italian cuisine “Baguette”.   In which region do you live? Tell us about traditional and distinctive dishes of this region. The region where I live is called Galichina, it represents an excellent example of the historical and cultural heritage of Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Moldova, Romania and Hungary on the territory of western Ukraine. This is due to the fact that these countries bordered on the country in many cases, have been carrying out expansion on this territory. Lviv Oblast is an important part of Galicia, it is about the same size as Georgia. The main culinary direction is Galician, i.e. it unites the best cuisines of the countries that still border North-Western Ukraine. Probably few people in Georgia know that besides lard, borshch and vareniki, Ukrainian cuisine is rich with many other interesting dishes. Each region has its own dishes due to its peculiarities, including a very interesting place is occupied by Galician region. Nowhere do they bake such fragrant and delicious Austrian strudels with different ice creams and vanilla lemon sauces as here. The pride of proud Carpathian mountains “banusz” with sheep brynza, dried and raw white mushrooms and roasted ham is not inferior to Georgian Ghomi with cheese. Pork ribs stewed in a tandem of young beets and cherries in beet kvass, the so-called “Spundra” is a celebration of tastes. Four meats “Bograch” and chicken “Paprikash” with goulash will tell you the story of Transcarpathia while eating them. Exquisite Czech potato dumplings with egg whites and cabbage pickle “Bigos” with smoked plum sauce with beef roll is a gastronomic bliss! Here are the dishes “a kind for” the poor and “by the way” for the rich, Ukrainian Deruny with minced meat and mushroom sauce and Polish soup, rescuer from hangover “żurek”, sorrel green borscht and cabbage pickle and pork "Kapusniak", wide range of sausages, especially sausage made from “Drogobych” minced meat and “Krovianka” with buckwheat filling, shin marinated in beer and apple pickle “Мочені яблука”. The culmination is a dessert however, a unique alliance of the famous Lviv cheese “Sirnik”, dried apricots and chocolate.   Which dishes do you prepare for the family more often? At the age of nine, my mother passed away giving me a birth, due to doctors or her negligence. We were seven children ​​in the family, my father worked, and I had to take care of the little ones, I really liked cooking, I often helped my mother and grandmother. I asked them questions and mastered cooking this way. I had a different vision from the beginning and I never hid it from anyone. Even now, when I have my own family, I try to provide them with healthy and useful food, I give preference Pkhaleuli from Georgian cuisine. If I cook meat I definitely prefer baked or steamed meat. Chakapuli and Khinkali, Adjarian Khachapuri on buckwheat flour and salads with pressed Matsoni   orange cedar sauces. I often make Adjarian Pkhalobia cooked on beef broth with yellow corn flour Mchadi. Three-year-old Nicole is celebrating then shouting “I want Chadi, Chadi”.   Who is your source of culinary inspiration? Probably my grandmother and the uniquely bitter or sweet years spent with her in the village, as well as childhood memories. In fact, she raised me and my sisters and brothers. She cooked amazingly delicious food,   “Neni this is due to Imeretian blood” she used to say. She mostly cooked in the fireplace, on a firewood emitting smoke, over a slow fire. She used cherry or pear wood firewood for meat dishes, barley or blueberry firewood when baking beans, Khachapuri or Machadi. Their specific and aromatic smoke added a special touch to the dish prepared in a copper kiln or cast iron pan. She used to wrap garlic in a bunch of corn with various spices and boil. She called it “Gakochili”, in modern language it is a sous vide technology.   Please tell us about your future plans. I am thinking of establishing myself in Georgia in the future. I would like to make ,y contribution in the popularization of Georgian cuisine, presenting it not only as a gastronomy, but also as a Georgian cultural heritage. Any chef thinks about opening his or her own restaurant. I only have some general outlines in this regard, my plans are based more on ethno concept. I think the right theme and a team of professionals should create a product that will not only attract foreign guests, but also the local customer will feel happy to visit it all year round and get unforgettable emotions. The dish we have chosen for the gastronomic guide readers is easy to make and is much liked by big or small ones. The history of the origin of Deruny is attributed to the proximity of Ukraine to Belarus, due to its resemblance to the Belarusian Draniks. In Belarus it was spread from Germany in its turn, although Ukrainian cuisine had no lack of dishes prepared with potatoes. Deruny has its name in different parts of the world: Plyatsky, Kliotsky, Kartoplianki, Tertzi, and many other names evidences the fact that it is a dish created independently of the Germans. The full version of its preparation was first published in Jana Schitler’s culinary book in 1832, and the recipe included a mass of finely or coarsely grated potatoes and flour made in pork fat “Smalec”. It has undergone certain transformation over time and other ingredients have been added to it. Deruny gained universal recognition in the 1930s, when “Holodomor” was raging in the country.  Today millions of kilograms of Deruny are made in Ukraine, with lots of sauces or stuffing. There is also a Deruny Festival, where chefs invited from all over the country compete with each other to make a budget, creative and delicious Deruny. 70% of the two million tourists who come to Lviv consider Deruny to be the best dinner, just like my family.    Deruny with mushroom sauce Ingredients: (per 1 kg mass) 730 g peeled potatoes 50 g bread flour 4 eggs 200 g onions 5 g   salt 1 g black pepper 50 g sour cream   Peel off the potatoes, remove the starch as much as possible and add sour cream so that the mass does not get black. Then add the finely chopped onion and the rest of the ingredients. Pour oil on a well-heated pan and put the mass with a tablespoon, cook over medium heat, on both sides, until crispy. We can fry both small and whole ones, put in the stuffing that we want and then fold it. Cover the surface of the remaining mass with flour and seal it. It is desirable to keep it for no more than two hours. Before use, remove the flour cover and fry. It is usually eaten with sour cream, but is also served with mushroom and cream sauces. You can also prepare meat Deruny. Put the desired minced meat in the center of the mass poured on the pan and pour the same mass and flatten the surface.   Mushroom and cream sauce: 100 g finely chopped onion 2 cloves of garlic 50 g oil Thyme one pack 200 g mushrooms 100 g cream Pepper and salt to taste   We squeeze the garlic into small pieces, fry thyme and onion into the hot oil. When onions are stewed, remove garlic and thyme, add medium-sized mushrooms. As soon as the mushrooms are stewed, add pepper and salt, finally cream, bring to a boil and set aside. Blend if desired. Enjoy.  

This time the tour guide will take you to Italy, our host is Nana Zuriashvili, the author of the culinary page buongustaio (gourmet). “I have been living in Italy since 2013, namely, outside the city of Naples, in the small historic town of Pozzuoli. Pozzuoli is built on an active volcano. I know it sounds quite dangerous, but the place is of unusual beauty. I have been married for 6 years and I have three daughters. So far my career advancement is stopped, but I plan to study architecture from next year. I discovered a great affection for cooking in Italy. I became fond of Italian cuisine. Since I had so much free time, I was studying and making experiments. I think I am a good cook today and I am going to deepen my culinary skills in the nearest future. Naples has a very long history, both culinary and musical. For those who do not know, the first opera house “San Carlo” was built in Naples and the first pizza was baked. Naples is unique for its noisy and narrow streets, large piazzas, multiple and delicious pizzerias, the best espresso, mozzarella and much more to list.  It is the county of “O sole mio” and many more historical songs. As this region has sea and sun, people are very joyful, fiery and emotional, somehow they resemble us, Georgians. In my family, regardless of age, everyone loves pasta .. I often cook new pasta and my children often help me with cooking it ... I think that cooking is one of the types of art and it must be necessarily shared, especially at a young age, when they get to know the world ... I think the more things they touch on from childhood, the more imagination and ideas they develop. In general, I like to cook, I always cook and do something, more cereals, less sweet ... but I would say, nothing can be compared to Italian gastronomy. Italians have hourly meals. Colazione – sweet for breakfast, pranzo- definitely pasta for lunch and then another dish, a glass of wine and finally fruit and dessert. They eat more cereals in the evening. Risotto or soups ... they attach great importance to quality and proper nutrition. My husband loves Georgian cuisine, especially Khachapuri, Georgian cheese and “Dedas bread”. He misses it the most... The dish that I will share with the readers of Gastro Guide is a kind of experiment that I prepare for friends and family in general ... Beetroot is not very popular in Italy, so I decided to introduce its taste to friends so that they would not forget it and I had a success actually.   For beet risotto you will need: 300 g rice arborio 400 g beets 100 g Gorgonzola (blue cheese) 30 g   walnuts 20 g butter   A little olive oil Vegetable broth Salt Pepper   Preparation: First prepare the vegetable broth. Put onions, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, celery in a saucepan and cook for 20 minutes. Peel beets and then grate them. Put one tablespoon of butter in a separate wide and low saucepan, and when melted, add rice. Let stand for 2 minutes and add the beets, stir for 1 minute and then add the vegetable broth so that it comes out on top. Boil for 15-16 minutes (read the label during cooking) and add the vegetable broth from time to time. The mass should not be juicy, it should have a creamy texture. Remove from the heat, add gorgonzola and salt, stir well. Transfer onto a plate and garnish with finely chopped walnuts, gorgonzoli and pepper. Buon appetito!”

Every season has its own color, and autumn is undoubtedly orange. One of the reasons is probably the abundance of seasonal orange products that make autumn even more colorful. Orange fruits and vegetables primarily mean excess beta-carotene, which turns into vitamin A in our body and helps us to maintain healthy skin, good eyesight, reproductive and immune systems.   Pumpkin is quite a very low-calorie product, however, it has a high content of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is the pumpkin and the high concentration of beta-carotene that helps us to combat seasonal infections. It also contains specific nutrients necessary for healthy heart. Multiple sweet and salty dishes can be prepared from pumpkin.    Sweet potato - a medium-sized vegetable contains only 100 calories and contains the daily norm of beta-carotene. It provides us with necessary vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, magnesium, etc.   The superpower of carrot is that it helps to maintain healthy eyesight, protects eyes from the sun and reduces the risk of diseases such as cataract. Carrots also has a high content of calcium and vitamin K, which help to strengthen bones. It reduces the risks of cancer because it has a high content of antioxidants.   Citrus - A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice can fill up the daily norm of vitamin C, which is so important this season, say nothing of folic acid, which is very important during pregnancy. Although in our country, oranges start to ripen only at the end of autumn, you can find imported citrus fruits in almost every neighborhood store.    Peaches are even juicier and tastier in autumn, and besides their amazing aroma, they have many useful properties. They are rich in vitamins A, E, and K. It improves and strengthens the immune system and eyesight.   Persimmon (Karalioki) is also called the fruit of the gods, because it is distinguished for its useful properties, such as excess content of vitamin A, which is necessary for healthy vision, it is rich in fiber, which means better functioning of the digestive system, it is also an energy product, which is provided by the potassium and a large amount of electrolytes contained in it. For better absorption of beta-carotene, it is necessary to get healthy fats, such as cold-pressed oils, various nuts and avocado. View the Gastro Guide archives for seasonal products inspiration.