Tbilisoba, the annual October festival which celebrates the diversity and history of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, leads the list of the best culinary festivals of autumn 2019, as recommended by Arrival Guides, blog of the world’s largest travel guide publisher, Lonely Planet.

“Here’s a surefire way of dealing with the autumn blues: attending a food festival. We’ve surveyed the world to find out which autumn food festivals are on track to becoming fall season’s unmissables,” reads the article.

It goes on to note that there is hardly a reputed travel publication that hasn’t listed the Georgian capital as an “it” destination for 2019.

Arrival Guides informs its readers that October 5 and 6 will see the city streets flooded with open-air concerts, folk dance performances, cultural happenings and, naturally, the true star of the show – spectacular culinary offerings from all across the country.

The author of the article recommends travelers throughout the world to taste distinguished dishes from Georgian cuisine while attending the Tbilisoba Festival: khinkali (“scrumptious soup dumplings sealed with a twist”), mtsvadi (“juicy pork barbecue”), khachapuri (“a cheese-filled, almond-shaped local take on pizza, often with an egg on top”), and pkhali balls, a vegetarian dish.

“Wine and chacha (Georgian brandy) flow freely until the festivities culminate in a spectacular firework display, making Tbilisoba our top pick of the year’s autumn food festivals,” the article reads.

The article also advises the travelers to attend the Good Food Month Festival in Australia, Wine & Food Festival in the US and the White Truffle Fair in Italy.

Tbilisoba, one of the most popular and widely attended festivals in the country, was first held on October 28, 1979, and has since become an established tradition. The festival features open-air concerts of traditional music and dancing and various cultural events, centered in Old Tbilisi, the historical part of the city. Beyond celebrating the city's past and present, people from all over Georgia represent their region at the fair. Tbilisi City Hall also traditionally awards honorary citizenships within the frames of Tbilisoba.

By Ana Dumbadze