White beans boiled soft and mashed into a thick sauce with fried onion, red pepper, fresh cheese and soured cream: an everyday dish eaten with paste or bread.
Jeshlybzhe (Circassian Bean Stew)
Ingredients
Method
- Soak the beans in water 6–8 hours, then drain.
- Cover with fresh water and boil until soft.
- Drain, then mash or coarsely grind the beans.
- Fry the onion in butter, scatter over the red pepper, then stir the onion into the beans and fry a little more.
- Add the cheese pieces and soured cream; keep on gentle heat, stirring, until the cheese melts in.
- Season with salt, savory and (if you like) pounded garlic.
- Serve hot with paste, cornbread, or bread.
This is the recipe from the Recipes section of the Circassian app, where you can also scale it and save it to your favourites.
Kitchen words in Circassian
The words for what is in this dish, in Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian), with audio from the Circassian app’s lessons and audio course.
| English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| cheese | кхъуейqkhwey | къуаеqwae |
| butter | тхъуцынэtkhwutsyne | тхъуtkhu |
| salt | шыгъуshyghu | щыгъуshchəghu |
| food | шхынshkhyn | шхыныshkhənə |
| delicious | IэфI'ef' | IэшIу'eshIu |
| This is delicious! | Мыр IэфIщ!Myr 'ef'shch! | Мыр IэшIу!Myr 'esh'u! |
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Jeshlybzhe: questions
How long does it take to make Jeshlybzhe?
About 90 minutes, according to the recipe in the Circassian app.
How many people does this Jeshlybzhe recipe serve?
It serves 4. The servings control above the ingredients recalculates every quantity for 1 to 40 people.
What is Jeshlybzhe made of?
The ingredients are: 2 cups white or haricot beans; 2 onions; 2 tbsp butter; 1 tsp red pepper; 150 g fresh Adyghe cheese, in small pieces; 1/2 cup soured cream; salt and dried savory; 2 garlic cloves (optional).
Is Jeshlybzhe an everyday or a festive dish?
The Circassian app files it as an everyday dish (Soups & Beans).
Where does this Jeshlybzhe recipe come from?
From the Recipes section of the Circassian app. The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
Sources
- Circassian app, Recipes section, recipe “Jeshlybzhe (Circassian Bean Stew)” (recipe data last changed July 2026). The app’s recipes draw on Amjad Jaimoukha’s book Circassian Cuisine and were cross-checked against Russian and Adyghe food sources.
- Circassian app: audio course, Kabardian and Adyghe (the kitchen words: cheese, meat, milk, bread, tea, water, food, delicious), and the lessons’ vocabulary (chicken, salt, butter, honey).
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