Hospitality
If you are invited home, bring something small such as sweets or a bottle of wine. Expect to be offered more food than you can eat. Leaving a little on the plate shows you are full.
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Culture & food
Culture, food and wine
In Georgia the table is the centre of life. Here is how a feast works, how to behave as a guest and which dishes and wines to try first.
The supra and the tamada
A supra is a Georgian feast. The table is covered with dishes before the guests sit down, and plates keep arriving. It is led by the tamada, the toastmaster, who proposes a sequence of long, thoughtful toasts: to peace, to the homeland, to parents, to those who have passed away, to friendship, to children and to guests. Others add to each toast before drinking. Say "Gaumarjos!" (to victory, cheers). A toast to the departed is drunk without clinking glasses. Wine is for toasting; beer is traditionally for less formal moments.
Traditions and etiquette
In churches
Dress modestly. Men remove hats and wear long trousers; women cover their heads and wear a skirt (wraps are usually available at the door). Keep quiet and ask before taking photos.
Polyphonic singing
Georgian three-part singing, with its complex harmonies, was one of the first traditions UNESCO proclaimed a masterpiece of oral heritage (2001). Listen at a supra, a concert or a Sunday service.
Dance
National dances are athletic and theatrical: men leap and spin on their toes, women seem to glide. The Sukhishvili national ballet performs in Tbilisi and on tour.
Language
Georgian is spoken everywhere. Many older people speak Russian, and young people in cities often speak English. Try gamarjoba (hello) and madloba (thank you).
Tipping
Restaurants often add a 10–15% service charge to the bill. If not, leaving around 10% for good service is appreciated.
Dishes you have to try
Khachapuri
Cheese bread, the national dish. Imeruli is round and filled; Megruli has extra cheese on top; Adjaruli is a boat-shaped loaf with cheese, butter and an egg yolk that you stir together and eat by tearing off the crust.
Khinkali
Large twisted dumplings filled with spiced meat and broth. Hold the top knot, bite a small hole, sip the broth, then eat. Leave the knot on the plate. Order at least five per person.
Mtsvadi
Pork or veal grilled on vine branches, served with raw onion and tkemali, a sour plum sauce.
Pkhali and badrijani
Pkhali are pâtés of spinach, beet or leek with walnuts and herbs. Badrijani are fried aubergine slices rolled around walnut paste and topped with pomegranate.
Lobio
Slow-cooked red beans with herbs, served in a clay pot with mchadi cornbread and pickles.
Chakapuli and ojakhuri
Chakapuli is lamb stewed with tarragon and white wine in spring. Ojakhuri is a homestyle pan of pork and potatoes.
Shkmeruli and satsivi
Shkmeruli is chicken baked in garlic and milk. Satsivi is turkey or chicken in a cold walnut sauce, made for New Year.
Churchkhela
Walnuts on a string, dipped again and again in thickened grape juice. You will see them hanging in every market. A good gift to take home.
Vegetarian?
Georgia is easy for vegetarians, especially during Orthodox fasts: pkhali, badrijani, lobio, mushroom khinkali, cheese, salads with walnut dressing.
Wine and drinks
Qvevri wine
White grapes fermented with their skins in buried clay jars produce amber (orange) wine, tannic and aromatic. The method was inscribed by UNESCO in 2013.
Grapes and names
Saperavi, the deep red grape. Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane, the classic whites. Kindzmarauli and Khvanchkara are popular semi-sweet reds.
Chacha and water
Chacha is a strong grape spirit; sip it carefully. Try the mineral waters Borjomi and Nabeghlavi, and Lagidze lemonades with tarragon or cream-soda flavour.