Learning About Georgian Supra

Hello, friends! Hope you are all doing well. I just explored and learnt something new a couple of days before which I want to share with you all. This is something dealing with the customs and traditions of Georgia. Georgia is a culturally rich country, and the Georgians are known for their hospitality [Except in few cases when you meet some really stupid guys] and one of the most important things in their culture is their feast, which is otherwise called as the Georgian Supra. This is a traditional feast that can be held for two different reasons. One is a happy supra called Keipi, and the other one is sad since it is the supra held after a funeral, which is called Kelekhi.

What is Georgian Supra?

I've explained much about the supra and how it's done in one of my previous articles dealing with the Kakheti region. Since this topic of mine especially deals with Supra I will describe the key points again. In Georgia during occasions food is never served without a table cloth, and in case there is no table, the food is laid on the ground. The term Supra by itself means "Table-cloth", and, whatever supra it may be, no supra can occur without a toastmaker called "Tamada" in Georgian. The Tamada is chosen by the people in the party or he is chosen already by the organizer. He should have great speech skills and...be able to drink a large amount of alcohol! Once the feast begins, the Tamada raises his glass and gives a long speech after which everyone in the feast raise their glasses. After that, the person next to Tamada will raise his glass and give a toast. If he or she doesn't want to speak, then he or she is able to tell any small word about the party and sit down. You can continue eating during toast-making but if you speak during this process, then everyone else will mock at you.

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What kind of food is served?

So I just asked from one of my neighbors how a real supra table would look like as I have never seen anything of that sort before. She explained it to me beautifully and this is a depiction of what I learnt about Georgian Supra. Breads and cereals are a quite important part of the supra; there won't be a supra table without them. Now you may ask me: what kind of bread will they place in the table? I will tell you; if you have read my blog you must have come across a famous Georgian traditional food called Kachapuri and Shotis Puri. These are two important bread varieties, although there are also some other bread stuffs. Bread is the staple food of Georgian, and therefore, you will always have a heap of bread on the table. Lobiani is another bread varietey which is stuffed with beans. Shotis puri, which I told you before, is the traditional Georgian bread. Acharuli kachapuri, from the Adjara region; Megruli Kachapuri, from the megrelian region, and Imeruli Kachapuri are the different kinds of kachapuri's that can be found on a supra table. Mchadi is a traditional Georgian corn bread, which is eaten with lobio (beans in English) and cheese. Gomi, which is a popular dish in the megrelian region, is made from cornmeal and on its top there are strips of Sulguni cheese and butter. Chvishtari is a kind of Georgian corn bread with cheese. This bread originated in Svaneti, which is a famous mountainous region in Georgia.

Great meats...

Apart from bread, you will find different kinds of meat dishes, mostly, of meat cooked in the barbecue. Georgian chicken barbecue is a popular family meal in Georgia, and is widely held during holidays. This is also made during festivals and celebrations. Ojakhuri is a popular dish which is made from marinaded pork that becomes so soaked that it becomes soft and full of flavor. Khinkali, which is another traditional Georgian food, also has its place in a Georgian Supra. It is considered to be a national food in Georgia. It is made of dough that is stuffed with different ingredients, although the most common filling is pork or beef mix. There are also other fillings such as lamb, Imeretian cheese mixed with cottage cheese, mushrooms and mashed potatoes. Chakhokhbili is a Georgian chicken dish with herbs. In the past the name was derived from a word that meant pheasant, but currently it is made using chicken.

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... and salads!

Salads made from fresh vegetables and nuts will always be present on a supra table, and they taste really good. Cheese is eaten along with a lot of different food in Georgia and it also has an important role in the Supra table, especially the curd one made from cow's milk, which is very popular. The rule "No food can be made without vegetables" is the same in Georgia, and that is why all dishes are made out of the freshest vegetables available. Lobio is a popular Georgian dish made from lobio or kidney beans and this is eaten along with Mchadi and marinated vegetables, although there are different varieties of Lobio dishes. As said, the word Lobio in Georgian means beans. Precisely, green beans with nuts is another dish that is found in a supra table. As you can see, nuts are really popular in Georgia and they represent an important part in Georgian cusine. Ajapsandali is a stew made from brinjal whose chief ingredients are: potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, onions and pepper. Green beans with egg bake is a tasty dish from the Racha region in Georgia, which is a highland province located in the western part of the Georgian upper Rioni valley. Tolma is another very popular dish, not only in Georgia but also in the neighboring countries, such as Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan. There are many varieties of Tolma, but its fillings are generally made of tomato, brinjal, pepper, apple and zucchini. Brinjal with spicy mayonnaise is another dish found in Supra; it is a famous summer dish that can be eaten either hot or cold. Kabakhi dish is fried marrow made with zucchini, sweet pepper, onions, tomatoes and spices. The dish is spicy and delicious, and it can be served both hot or cold. Another dish found in a supra table is baked mushrooms with Sulguni cheese. The mushrooms are baked in a classical way in clay vessels, and are filled with the melted Sulguni cheese, something that really has an amazing taste. Not surprisingly, this dish is the first one to get finished during a supra. Tarragon and Rice Flaky Pastry is a traditional Georgian dish made from herbs, and Georgian people are very fond of it. They call this tarragon herb as Tarkhuna in Georgian and it is added to meat, fish and salads. There are cool drinks available in this same flavor at Georgian markets.

And... what about dessert?

If after all this food your hunger is not satisfied, you still have sweets left in a supra. Chuchkela, which is a traditional brown-coloured sausage shaped candy, contains a lot of grape fruits and nuts. Its pet name is Georgian Snickers and it is made by dipping a long string of nuts in concentrated fresh grape juice. And, although I have talked about all the food that will be available in the table, I missed an important thing: no supra comes to an end nor begins without wine. You will have a great amount of homemade wines in the supra table with a special tamada just to make toasts.

With all these food items on the dining table and wine to quench your thirst, Supra is the best way to understand well about the culture and traditions of the Georgian people. It has been a great experience just to hear how beautiful the feast is. If you have any comments or suggestions please feel free to mention below. Thank you for reading it patiently. Till I write my next article, keep smiling and cheers!