Hello, again! It’s been a long time. I am now starting my
fifth (FIFTH!) year here in Georgia, and I’ve seen just about everything
Georgia and the Caucasus region has to offer. But I still get excited every
year in the fall because that’s when the villages hold their autumn, or
harvest, festivals. The best one I’ve ever found is in the town of Signaghi,
about two hours southeast of Tbilisi.
First, a bit of background information. Signaghi (Sig-NA-gee) (Georgian: სიღნაღი)
is in Georgia's easternmost region of Kakheti. Kakheti borders
Azerbaijan and is the heart of Georgian wine country. (My neighbor, Wasso, who
lives downstairs from me, is the stomach of wine country, consuming more wine
per capita by himself than many small countries. In fact, when he tried to stop
drinking a while ago, it led to the Grape Depression. What’s a bottle of wine
between me and my friends? Empty. Debbie, my wife, likes wine, too. She says I
had her at “merlot.” Anyway…) The population of Signaghi is about 2,500 and
they make their money from wine and traditional carpets. Signaghi, in fact the
whole Kakheti region, is known for its beautiful landscapes and historical
monuments, such as the wall that surrounds the city, thus making it a very
popular tourist spot.
Being so far away from Tbilisi, the infrastructure of the
town could use some work. You know that when you see signs like this one:
Frankly, I’ve always suspected there was a department in
the national government that makes life frustrating and hard. Now I know that
it at least has been busy.
But I digress. I stayed in a nice, small bed and
breakfast right in the center of Signaghi. A very friendly place. So friendly,
in fact, I got up the next morning to step out on the balcony and when I
returned a local inhabitant had made herself at home in my bed. She pretty much
stayed with me my entire stay there.
These festivals are so great because the streets are
taken over by the local bakers, butchers, restaurants, etc. who display their
wares. They also set up their ovens, etc. on the streets so you can see how
they make their products. The bread, for instance, is baked on the inside of
these round ovens. The bakers make the dough, stretch it out to about two feet
long, and slap it on the inside walls of the oven where it bakes for about 15
minutes. It is absolutely delicious! I asked one of the bakers for her recipe,
but she refused. She said I had no knead to know. She said she used to make
doughnuts, but got tired of the hole routine so she switched back to bread.
I also saw a number of women making churchkhela (just
like it looks – CHURCH-kel-la). Churchkhela
is a traditional candy shaped like a sausage or a candle. They call it
“Georgian Snickers.” The main ingredients are grape juice, nuts, and flour.
They primarily use walnuts, but I’ve seen them made with hazelnuts, almonds,
and raisins. It’s eaten all year ‘round, but is especially popular at
Christmas. You start by threading your nuts into a long string about a foot
long (it’s not as painful as it sounds, but I did prick myself while doing it).
The grape juice is boiled in a large pot, usually copper.
Since the grape juice is pressed along with the skins, seeds, and even stems of
the grape, there are some impurities. The cook gets rid of these by either
adding some white clay or about a liter of lager beer. The impurities rise to
the surface where they’re skimmed off. Then flour is added. In typical Georgian
fashion, nothing is measured precisely and there are varied opinions about how
much flour to add and when. Bottom line is, you want a thick, gooey paste that
takes a lot of effort to stir with a small boat paddle. The women I talked to
said they can judge the proper consistency by looking at the size and frequency
of the bubbles from the boiling mixture. No
sugar is added at all; the sweetness comes from the grape juice.
When the consistency is right, your nuts are dipped into
the boiling pot. Again, not as painful as it sounds. (Certainly not as painful
as that time at Dairy Queen when the girl behind the counter asked if I wanted
my nuts crushed on top of my sundae.) The string is dipped three times, with a
short period of time between dippings for the mixture (called palouzes –
PAUL-oozes) to slightly harden.
After the third trip through the pot, the string is hung to dry, usually for
4-5 days, but some people like to eat their churchkhela as soon as it cools.
I have eaten churchkhela, but I had never seen it made
before, and the women were very glad to let me be a part of the process. (I
really just think they didn’t want to stir the pot with that boat paddle-thingy
anymore, so they suckered me into doing it for them.) I wanted something a
little more solid to eat with my churchkhela, and the women just down the
street were making khinkali (KING-ka-lee).
Khinkali are Georgian dumplings, normally stuffed with meat, onions, herbs,
cilantro, and beef broth. The Kakheti region, however, is unique in that their
khinkalis are usually stuffed with a cheese and potato mix and no broth. As
with the churchkela, the local women were quite happy to let me try my hand at
making them.
I actually prefer the Kakheti khinkalis (say that three
times fast) because they usually don’t contain garlic or cilantro. They’re also
easier to eat without making a mess from dripping beef broth.
And, of course, you have to have something to wash it all
down with. And when in Rome, as they say…
Traditionally, Kakhetian wine is drunk from either bowls
or from ram or goat horns. Either way, you’re expected to empty the vessel
completely – no sipping in this country. I usually drink the first glass for
its health benefits and to be sociable. The next two glasses are for my witty
comebacks and awesome dance moves. Any glasses after that are for my karaoke
skills. The Georgians have a saying: “I have a wine glass in my hand and joy in
my heart.” I don’t think that’s merely a coincidence.
Another traditional part of the autumn harvest is the
supra, or banquet. Supra literally translates to “tablecloth” in Georgian, and
it makes sense as the entire table is covered with food and wine. Restaurants
during the festivals set out “samples” of their supra tables.
And what’s a good meal without a band?
As much as I dislike winter, I always look forward to the
fall harvest festivals. It’s just another opportunity for me to partake in
Georgian hospitality, friendship, and good food and drink! As the Romans would
say, Carpe Vinum – Seize the wine! Thanks for reading.
