Supra, the Georgian feast

What it is

The word supra comes from the word for tablecloth. A festive supra is called a keipi. A sombre one, held after a funeral, is a kelekhi. In both, dishes are served in small plates set close together and even stacked on top of each other as the night goes on. There are cheese breads, walnut and vegetable pastes, bean stew, herbs, cheese, dumplings, grilled meat and chicken in walnut or garlic sauce. Nothing is cleared until the end.

The tamada

The tamada is chosen by the host or by the table, and is expected to be eloquent, quick and able to hold drink. He or she proposes each toast, speaks on it, and drinks. Others then add their own words on the same theme before drinking. The order usually begins with God or peace, moves through Georgia, the reason for the gathering, parents, the dead, children, and guests. Passing a toast to another person to elaborate is called alaverdi.

How it works

Guests do not sip at will. They eat freely but wait for a toast before drinking, and it is polite to finish the glass on important toasts. Wine is the proper drink, traditionally made in large clay jars called qvevri buried in the ground, a method on the UNESCO heritage list. Some toasts are drunk from a horn. Songs in several voices often break out between toasts. A supra lasts for hours and ends with a toast to the tamada.

How to do it

1. Eat as soon as you sit. The food is already there for you.
2. Leave your glass alone until the tamada makes a toast.
3. Listen, add a few words if you wish, then drink.
4. Pace yourself. There may be twenty toasts or more.
5. If you want to propose a toast, ask the tamada first.

Good manners

• Do not toast with beer. Among traditional Georgians that is reserved for ill wishes.
• Do not interrupt the tamada or drink ahead of the toast.
• You may drink less, but stay with the table for each toast.

What is eaten

KhachapuriLeavened bread filled with cheese, sometimes egg, from GeorgiaKhinkaliGeorgian dumplings with spiced meat or vegetable filling and a juicy broth insidePkhaliGeorgian vegetable and walnut paste, often served as a cold starterShashlikSkewered cubes of marinated meat grilled over open coalsSatsiviCold Georgian walnut sauce served with poultry or vegetablesLobioGeorgian stewed or mashed beans with herbs, walnuts and spicesChurchkhelaCandle-shaped Georgian sweet made by dipping nuts in thickened grape juiceMchadiGeorgian cornbread patties often served with beans or cheese

Also part of it, and being written: Chakhokhbili.

Sources and further reading

• Supra (feast) on Wikipedia
• Georgia Travel: Georgian Supra
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method