Traditional Cooking in South Georgia (Samtskhe-Javakheti)

The folk cuisine of the population of Samtskhe-Javakheti is still very important in the Georgian culture today. Therefore, we find it interesting to discuss this issue. It is a well known fact that ethnographic specificity is more preserved in folk cuisine compared to other spheres of material and everyday culture. Therefore, its description and study is one of the most important sources of the ethnic history of each nation.It is known that the elements of ethnic culture of every ethnics are not as sustainable and conservative towards time and space as a folk system of food. In whole, it is one of the solid organisms of the cultural life of every ethnics. Though food products and the dishes made from them have been spreading widely in different people's national cuisine for centuries, it may be said that all of them preserved national nutrient culture almost unchanged and brought it to the present day.The food culture of the Georgian people was original and diverse due to the landscape, natural-geographical or climatic diversity of Georgia and consequently, to the diversity of agricultural life. As in other areas of culture, in the area of food culture, Georgian ethnic unity has never been isolated and locked in itself. The Georgians creatively shared the cultural achievements of other people.It naturally conditioned the progress of Georgian culture.Studying traditional folk cuisine allows us to determine the peculiarities and general specificity of a particular ethnic group living in different geographical environment (which distinguishes it from the other ethnic groups living in the same conditions). Traditional folk cuisine of separate people, the variety of nutritional products and their processing technology, types of dishes alongside with the other aspects of material culture show us the development of long cultural history of each ethnicity.Like other elements of culture, food products and dishes made from them change with time. Today lots of traditional dishes are not made any more. Nevertheless, traditional dishes still hold the important place in the population of Samtskhe-Javakheti. In general, the food system and the kitchen as a whole is a united solid organism of the cultural life of Ethnics. No element is as conservative and sustainable towards the time and space as folk cuisine.Its formation is directly related to social-economic characteristics, economic traditions, moral and ethical values, outlook or mentality of a particular ethnic group. It is very important to take into account the ethnic self-consciousness as well as religious factors in cooking and eating a certain dish. One and the same food is often cooked with different technologies by different people and accordingly the specifics of its acceptance is also different. Hence, in the traditions of folk cuisine, the specifics of cultural life which is characteristic to each ethnic group and the historical dynamics of its development which despite the changes in time are more sustainable and conservative in comparison with other cultures.The aim of the book is to demonstrate the folk cuisine of the population of Samtskhe-Javakheti which is still very important especially in the culture of the village population. The book includes the typology of the species of food, describes the technique of cooking of varied dishes and the cultural aspects of behavior connected to it on the example of the population of the region.We do not intentionally name the quantity and weight of ingredients for making a certain dish, as a housewife of each family knew and still knows from her experience and empirical observation the ingredients and quantity of food products for making any dish.