Dried herb blend (khmeli suneli)
A Georgian blend of dried, ground herbs and spices, shaped by blue fenugreek and coriander; savoury, slightly nutty and hay-like.
Khmeli suneli is Georgia's best-known spice blend. It usually contains blue fenugreek, coriander seed, dried marigold petals, dill, savory, mint, parsley and bay, though the mix varies from region to region and family to family. It tastes warm, herbal and slightly nutty, with a mild, hay-like note from the blue fenugreek that is neither hot nor bitter, which is why it goes generously into stews, walnut sauces and marinades. You can find it in Russian, Eastern European and Caucasian grocery shops, sometimes in Turkish supermarkets, and reliably from mail-order spice sellers.
Substitute:
You can approximate the blend yourself from ground coriander, dried dill, savory, mint and parsley with a little fenugreek. Dried fenugreek leaves from an Indian shop come closer to blue fenugreek than the seeds do; ground seeds are noticeably more bitter and belong in only in small amounts. Without blue fenugreek the characteristic nutty, hay-like note is missing, and the result tastes more like a generic herb mix.