Overall, Sakartvelo is appreciated as a small but attractive country, very much fit for tourism, be it adventure, beach, cultural, eco, medical, wildlife or gastronomic. Those who are opposed to the idea of Georgia’s turning into a service-oriented economy would definitely argue that this nation has more expensive things to push into the global marketplace than cheap commodities like tours, hotels and cuisine, and those would be the products of our intellectual efforts rather than physical. This type of statement might be true to a certain extent, but trading with scientific achievements like certain valuable inventions, discoveries, innovations, new gadgets and devices, which this nation is capable of suggesting to the rest of the world, might be effectual as a commodity only in the long run, plus, they may sell or may not, depending on myriad circumstances and developments.
To cut a long story short, Georgia has stuff to sell, some of it providing for our wellbeing in the short run and some guaranteeing income only in years to come. From this kind of viewpoint, tourism might be one of the most laconic and effective economic solutions, and Georgian gastronomy could really be a helper.
Historically speaking, the Georgian eating habits and table manners have always been the subject of human attention and research, the tradition enjoying continuation in our days too: there is a new book out by Academician Jaba Samushia, titled ‘History of Georgian Gastronomy’ which masterfully describes the relationship between humans and their gastronomic skills and endeavors, including their wine-consuming ways and means. As a matter of fact, eating and drinking constitute a significant part of the Georgian culture.
In general terms, cuisine as such makes up a huge part of our civilization. Taking nourishment was not only a fact of feeding ourselves with the purpose of survival, but also a versatile process of ceremonial human behavior wrought with various details of cooking, presenting and eating practices. The Georgian gastronomic tissue, including cooking traditions and techniques, is an organic part of the world’s wider pattern of food consumption. Having its clearly-cut distinctive nature, it can boast dissimilarity from other national cuisines, which is why gastronomic tourism has fairly sizable potential to attract the attention of the gourmands of the world.
It is also notable that every region of Georgia has its own distinct approach to food preparation, to name just a few – Abkhazian pepper skin stuffed with walnut sauce; Adjarian mashed kidney beans with walnuts and crude grape juice; Gurian turkey in walnut sauce; Imeretian beef or poultry livers with walnut sauce and pomegranate; Kakhetian dumplings filled with meat and seasoned with herbs; Kartli soup made of fresh herbs and lamb or beef; Mengrelian sausage made from pork organs and belly meat, and so on.
Georgia was one of the most renowned nations within the cultural structure of the famous Silk Road, which has always been conducive to attracting and influencing the globe-trotters with its amazingly tasty and useful cuisine, having not only nutritional but salubrious qualities too. The rich and attractive Georgian gastronomy has promoted the hospitality phenomenon in Georgia. The gregarious nature of Georgian men and women meant a lot in terms of creating and maintaining friendly relations with other peoples whether living in the neighborhood or remote places. The Georgian human nature is characterized with an abundant love of family and friends, which is one of the reasons why the supra i.e. the table served with food, is paramount in this country. Supra is offered instinctively to guests, relatives, friends, and even those who might be suspected of possessing an unfriendly attitude. There goes a popular saying among Georgians that a guest is a gift from God, meaning that any guest has to be taken with equal hospitality and benevolence, and treated to food which is so profusely suggested by the traditional Georgian gastronomic realm. Every supra has its tamada (toastmaster), who makes toasts and feels obligated to entertain the supra members.
It is said that Georgian cuisine was described as “having had an exotic appeal to Russians” which might be comparable to the historical fact that the British were attracted to Indian and Nepalese food. Both facts might be true even today, which is good. After all, gastronomy has enough positive power to make peace instead of war.
Op-Ed by Nugzar B. Ruhadze
