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Georgia · Adjara

Ajarian Borano (braided cheese with browned butter)

Make Ajarian borano with softened braided cheese gently cooked in browned butter until glossy, golden and stretchy

Georgian home recipeGeorgian dish
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A warm shallow dish of Ajarian borano on a rustic table, showing glossy braided cheese and browned butter.
Yield6 servings
Active preparation20 minutes
Cookingabout 30 minutes, including heating the water and browning the butter before warming the cheese
Passive timenone
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The dish

About Ajarian Borano (braided cheese with browned butter)

### ბორანო აჭარული

Ajarian borano is a rich cheese dish from Adjara, made in its classic form with braided local cheese and butter. The cheese is softened in boiling water, drained, then warmed with the butter until the strands turn glossy, golden in places and stretchy.

This six-serving home version follows the regional ratio of 100 g cheese to 50 g butter per person. The saltiness of braided cheese varies, so taste a small piece after softening; if it is very salty, refresh it once in a second batch of boiling water and drain it well.

Serve borano immediately while the cheese is hot and elastic. Potato, egg and cornmeal borano are separate versions; they are not combined with this cheese-only preparation.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Ajarian Borano (braided cheese with browned butter)

Cheese

  • 600 gmoderately salted, aged Ajarian braided cheese, pulled into short strands

Softening water

  • 2,000 mlwater, brought to a boil and discarded after softening the cheese
  • Up to 2,000 ml additional fresh boiling water, only if a taste of the softened cheese is very salty

Browned butter

  • 300 gsalted butter, cut into pieces
Method

Method

  1. Prepare the cheese. Pull the braided cheese apart into short strands. Bring 2,000 ml water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan.

  2. Soften and drain. Pour the boiling water over the cheese in a heatproof bowl and leave it only until pliable and stretchy. Taste a small piece. If it is very salty, drain it and repeat once with up to 2,000 ml fresh boiling water. Drain thoroughly through a sieve and press out excess water; keep the cheese warm.

  3. Brown the butter. Melt the salted butter in a heavy, wide saucepan over medium-low heat. Let it foam and cook until its milk solids are golden amber and smell nutty. Do not let them turn dark or smoke.

  4. Add the cheese carefully. Lower the heat to low. Keep the butter and its golden milk solids in the pan. Add the well-drained cheese gradually, taking care of any splatter; turn the strands gently to coat them without breaking them into a paste.

  5. Warm until stretchy. Cook over low heat for 10–15 minutes, turning gently, until the cheese is hot, glossy, golden in places and elastic. Remove from the heat as soon as it reaches this texture; do not let the butter smoke or the cheese dry out.

  6. Serve at once. Transfer the borano to a warm shallow dish and bring it to the table piping hot. Taste before adding anything: the cheese and salted butter may already provide enough salt.

Practical guidance

Tips for success

  • Pull the braided cheese into short, even strands so the hot water softens it evenly.
  • Press out excess water before adding the cheese to butter; wet cheese can make hot fat splatter.
  • Keep the pan over low heat once the cheese goes in. Stir and turn gently so the strands stay distinct and elastic.
Practical guidance

Practical guidance

  • The second softening-water bath is conditional, not routine; use it only if the cheese tastes very salty after the first soak.
  • Keep the bowl, sieve and cheese away from the saucepan while browning butter. Add the drained cheese slowly to reduce splatter.
  • Borano is best eaten immediately. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at 4°C or colder; use within 3–4 days and reheat gently to 74°C throughout. The cheese will be less elastic after chilling.
Nutrition per serving

Estimated nutrition per serving

Approximate values for one serving made with 100 g cheese and 50 g butter before softening and draining:

  • Energy: about 660 kcal.
  • Carbohydrates: about 2 g.
  • Protein: about 22 g.
  • Fat: about 63 g.
  • Fibre: 0 g.
  • Sodium: about 810 mg.
  • Basis: the six-serving batch is estimated at about 3,945 kcal, 14 g carbohydrate, 133 g protein, 376 g fat, 0 g fibre and 4,845 mg sodium, divided by six and rounded. The estimate uses whole-milk mozzarella and salted butter as composition proxies; actual Ajarian braided cheese varies in moisture, fat and salt, and some salt leaves with the soaking water. Package labels give a closer estimate.
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Contains milk. Use pasteurized braided cheese unless the supplier clearly establishes safe handling; keep it refrigerated and follow its label. Take care with boiling water and hot butter. Drain and press the cheese well, then add it gradually to the pan. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at 4°C or below, use within 3–4 days and reheat to 74°C throughout.

Serving and finish

Serving and finish

  • The cheese should be hot, glossy, golden in places and stretchy, with browned butter clinging to the strands.
  • Bring it straight to the table in a warm shallow dish; borano firms as it cools.
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