A Circassian sauce: a warm garlic-and-pepper gravy built on broth and soured cream, poured over meat, poultry, or paste.
Shchips (Garlic Sauce)
Ingredients
Method
- Crush the garlic with a little salt into a paste.
- Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour, cooking until pale gold.
- Whisk in the warm broth a little at a time so no lumps form.
- Stir in the soured cream and simmer gently 5 minutes until it thickens.
- Add the garlic paste, red pepper and black pepper; simmer 2 minutes more.
- Taste for salt and serve hot over boiled meat, chicken, or paste.
Traditionally eaten with paste (millet or corn grits) rather than 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 |
|---|---|---|
| chicken | джэдdzhed | чэтыchetə |
| meat | лыly | лыlə |
| milk | шэshe | щэshche |
| 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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Shchips: questions
How long does it take to make Shchips?
About 20 minutes, according to the recipe in the Circassian app.
How many people does this Shchips recipe serve?
It serves 6. The servings control above the ingredients recalculates every quantity for 1 to 40 people.
What is Shchips made of?
The ingredients are: 2 cups meat or chicken broth; 4 garlic cloves; 1 cup soured cream (or thick sour milk); 2 tbsp wheat flour; 1 tbsp butter; 1 tsp red (chili) pepper; 1/2 tsp black pepper; salt to taste.
Is Shchips an everyday or a festive dish?
The Circassian app files it as an everyday dish (Mains & Sauces).
Where does this Shchips 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 “Shchips (Garlic Sauce)” (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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