Georgian traditional feast or supra if you wish, is not only eating together. It can as well be a celebration, mourning, even business doing. It leaves some to wish that Georgian public transport would be similarly well thought and regulated.
The head of Supra - toastmacher aka Tamada is in charge. He not only proposes toasts, entertains people, decides who drinks and how much. Usually Tamada is a man, yet my family was an exception where my grandmother was an undisputable toastmacherin. Note, Tamada can be oppressive or violent, so be ready to say NO. Rumours go round that during his visit to Georgia John Steinbeck ended up in hospital with food poisoning; he never mentioned this though in his after trip book “A Russian Journal.” Presumably out of courtesy.
What is supra without alcohol? Georgians with its 8 000 years old UNESCO listed winemaking tradition are one of the old wine makers and obviously drinkers too. Georgians ferment and store wine in hand made clay jars called Qvevri. The oldest Qvevri found in Georgia dates back 6 millennium BC, hence, 8 000 years should you wonder.
People say God gave wine and devil Chacha. Georgians give nothing to waste. So what is left from pressed wine grapes they make Chacha. It tastes similar to the Italian Grappa. It is common to use it for sterilizing wounds, for digestion or for getting really, really drunk. :/
After this much alcohol allegedly God also gave healing mineral water originating from tiny spa town Borjomi once favourite residence for tsarist time nobility and royal family. Now one of the biggest Georgian export. Did you know that you can buy it even on amazon? Wahnsinn, isn’t it.
Georgia is multi-ethnic. So is its cuisine. When I was asked to describe 20 Georgian national dishes for 20th anniversary of Sprachzentrum I realised that only by naming countless types of Georgian Xhachapuri I could easily complete the task. With this variety of cuisine, I could prepare the lecture even for 50th anniversary. Who knows maybe I will…
Natia Mechitishvili
Language instructor for Georgian at the Language Center
I am Natia, born and raised in Georgia, living and working in Vienna since 2016.
Apart from my regular job in the international organization, I teach Georgian language and translate literature.
Would you like to dive into the Georgian language?
The next Georgian beginner's course with Natia starts in March!
Find out more about all our foreign language courses in the upcoming summer semester:
Natias Vorstellung "Georgischer Nationalgerichte, die dir das Wasser im Mund zusammenlaufen lassen" war Thema einer unserer kostenlosen Mitmachvorlesungen zum 20-jährigen Jubiläum des Sprachenzentrums.
Im Februar 2023 gibt es noch drei Vorlesungen: Arabisch, Französisch und Spanisch.
Weitere Informationen dazu und die Möglichkeit zur Anmeldung finden Sie hier:
20 JAHRE FREMDSPRACHENKURSE
Bildnachweis
Titelbild: Canva Design; Bildcollage & Profilbild: privat (c) Natia Mechitishvili
