Tuskadze - Supra: a feast of Georgian cooking

Supra

A Feast of Georgian Cooking

Tiko Tuskadze

of Little Georgia

Georgia is a country built on traditions and of these food is perhaps the most important. Family life revolves around the dining table, and when I was growing up, my family, especially on my fathers side, took their food very seriously indeed. My grandmother was like a kitchen magician, conjuring up unforgettably delicious food from the ingredients available to her she used seasonal ingredients, even through the difficult times when the food supply was erratic. But no matter what challenges she faced, there was always something delicious on the table and plenty to go around, even if friends and neighbours came by unannounced, as they often did. It has become a clich to talk about ones grandmother, but the reality is that she fostered a love of food and entertaining in me that has remained with me throughout my life and made me the person that I am.

The memory of my life in Georgia is so intense and such an irreplaceable part of me that familiar smells can instantly take me back to my early childhood; the smells of the seasons and of seasonal food are also the smells of my youth. Leaving these memories behind and coming to another country felt like I was a traveller in a physical body leaving her spirit behind.

Luckily, I had the opportunity to open my restaurant, Little Georgia, in London. Within its walls I have created a little homeland and can bring these never-forgotten senses from my old home to my new one. As I mentioned, eating together is a big part of family life in Georgia. Our families are very large and very close, with distant cousins counting as very close relations. We love parties so much that we can always find a reason to celebrate. If a neighbours cousins dog had a puppy we would laugh and celebrate with a feast until dawn.

This love for entertaining and the spontaneity of celebration is hard to come by in London. In Georgia, the door was always open and our house was always full of guests, laughing, singing and debating around a table which was groaning under the weight of seemingly endless dishes. These parties were not planned; they just happened and yet there was always food and drink to satisfy the appetite of every impromptu visitor.

I can remember so clearly, as if I had just heard it a moment ago, the comments that our guests made about the food we served them. Even simple salads made by my grandmother were very special. Looking back, I understand now that what was motivating her was a love of watching people enjoying her food, as much as I loved watching her in the kitchen.

Writing this book has brought back so many memories. Supra or feast, is an integral part of our culture. I cannot escape the memories that flow in my mind from back home of when with nature waking up in spring time the people also seemed to come alive late night parties, with loud singing, in their gardens. My balcony overlooked the garden of a famous Georgian comedian and actor who had a wooden hut in his garden where he would entertain his guests with parties until sunrise. The smell of baking and barbecue, and the raucous sounds of singing and toasting would waft up through my open windows. Famous poets reciting their works and telling stories, real stories, to a captive and respectful audience. These were not just parties, but celebrations of life all that is fine about it in a traditional, dignified and always philosophical manner. When I listened to these people speak, their words were pervaded with wisdom and grace that helped to shape me as a person. If asked what was the smell of my country, I would say spring. And what does spring smell like? Joy. The feeling of eternity and the nonexistence of sorrow.

For me, these memories are a big bottle of love that guides me through misery, grief and hard times. Love is the strongest weapon I was given by my family and it is the strongest weapon that you can hold. I have been very fortunate to have all this and through this book, I hope to share it with you.

Top left and bottom: Music is central to any supra with guests joining in with the singing and bringing their own instruments to the celebration.

Top right: A traditional supra table laden with dishes. The meals can last for many hours and plates of food are continuously replenished throughout.

Middle left: The toastmaster or tamada is the most important guest at a Supra. They lead the toasts and encourage the other guests with laughter and song. They are selected from among the hosts family and friends and are pivotal to the success of the celebration.

Before you start cooking any of the recipes from this book, it is important to understand the ethos and intention behind a traditional Georgiansupra. One thing that I have struggled with when writing these recipes is dictating how many people each recipe will serve. This is because traditionally each of these dishes is just a small part of a never-ending conveyor belt of delicious dishes that are served at a groaning table during a meal that lasts many hours. If you have prepared a couple of starters(appetizers), a main course and a side dish, then you should have more than enough food to serve 46 people. If youve decided to go the whole hog and invite all of your friends and family, then you need to fill the table with small dishes that people can graze on over the course of the evening, refilling empty dishes as you go. This may sound like a lot of work (and it is), but many traditional Georgian dishes, especially the cold salads, use walnut paste as a base, so making up a big batch is a great starting point. The salads can also be made ahead and left in the fridge until an hour or so before you want to serve them, taking the pressure off the host when it comes to getting the meal on the table. Preparing ahead not only relieves some of the pressure on the cook, but also allows the flavours of the fragrant spices (coriander, marigold and fenugreek) that are synonymous with Georgian cuisine time to meld and develop.

Georgian hospitality is legendary the world over andsuprais at the centre of this generosity of spirit. When hosting asupra, you are sharing everything you have your home, your food, your wine, but also conversation.Suprais a coming together over food, but also a meeting of minds and ideas, and central to this is thetamada.

Everysuprais led by atamadaor toastmaster. This is not necessarily the host but someone chosen by the group who is known for their gregarious nature, quick wit and intelligence. It is the job of thetamadato lead both the toasts and conversation at asupra. The toasts at asuprawill always start with a toast to Georgia itself, with the toastmaster thanking the land for its bounty and the food at the table. Other speeches will focus on the guests at the table and family and friends now deceased. Only the