A dense, unleavened cornmeal bread baked in the oven: the everyday home bread of the Circassians, eaten with cheese, sour cream or soured milk.
Mezhaje (Baked Cornbread)
Ingredients
Method
- Sift the maize flour into a large bowl and salt the boiling water to taste.
- Pour the boiling salted water over the flour, stirring to a stiff dough.
- Spread it out slightly to cool, then work in the wheat flour for flavour.
- Let the dough rest about 2 hours (do not let it turn sour).
- Shape by hand into round or oval flat cakes.
- Press into a hot, greased pan and cover.
- Bake in the oven 40–60 minutes until set. Serve hot or cold with salted cheese, sour cream or soured milk.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| butter | тхъуцынэtkhwutsyne | тхъуtkhu |
| water | псыpsy | псыpsə |
| salt | шыгъуshyghu | щыгъуshchəghu |
| food | шхынshkhyn | шхыныshkhənə |
| delicious | IэфI'ef' | IэшIу'eshIu |
| This is delicious! | Мыр IэфIщ!Myr 'ef'shch! | Мыр IэшIу!Myr 'esh'u! |
More breads & grains
Free on iPhone & Android
53 Circassian recipes in your pocket
Every recipe in English, Russian and Turkish, with a servings scaler, plus short Kabardian and Adyghe lessons.
4.9 on the App Store 50,000+ people in 100+ countries
Mezhaje: questions
How long does it take to make Mezhaje?
About 90 minutes, according to the recipe in the Circassian app.
How many people does this Mezhaje recipe serve?
It serves 6. The servings control above the ingredients recalculates every quantity for 1 to 40 people.
What is Mezhaje made of?
The ingredients are: 1 kg maize (corn) flour; 100–150 g wheat flour; boiling water; salt; A little fat or butter, to grease the pan.
Is Mezhaje an everyday or a festive dish?
The Circassian app files it as an everyday dish (Breads & Grains).
Where does this Mezhaje 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 “Mezhaje (Baked Cornbread)” (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).
53 Circassian recipes in one app
Circassian chicken, Adyghe cheese, haliva and 50 more, in English, Russian and Turkish, with servings you can scale. Plus short lessons in Kabardian or Adyghe.
Download free50,000+ people in 100+ countries
