Christmas in Georgia

Post date: 23-Nov-2014 17:37:31

Spending on feasting and wine is better than hoarding our substance.

That which we give makes us richer, that which is hoarded is lost.

-Shota Rustaveli, 12C Georgian poet

6th December 2014

Georgia is the right country to end our foodie year with. As the second Christian country in the world (the first was Armenia), it has a very long Christian tradition. They have Christmas trees called Chichilaki - they are carved from walnut branches to make them look like firs (Chichilaki were banned during the Soviet years). They are Orthodox Christians so their Santa is St. Basil the Great (also knows as Grandfather Snow) who also visits on Christmas eve with presents.

Christmas in Georgia is, like ours, a day of celebration, good food, family and friends. It is also filled with uniquely Georgian ceremonies and music. Candlelit church ceremonies, beautiful, solemn hymns, and an entire country coming together for the Alilo processions make Christmas in Georgia a beautiful and unique celebration. Alilo processions are religious processions, often in costume, and they also collect money for charities as we do.

Children in an Alilo procession

Come and try a real Georgian feast for yourselves. We'll make the wonderful warming dish of Chanacki, lamb baked with aubergine and potatoes, one of my favourites. Also the famous Chirbuli, cauliflower with eggs, that someone once preferred to dessert. And of course the Badrijani, walnut stuffed aubergines, that are one of our most popular dishes.

The menu will include:

Khachapuri (v)- the ubiquitous traditional Georgian Cheese Bread

Mtsvane Pamidori (v) - Green tomatoes with carrots

Isphanaki Phkali (v) - Spinach with spices

Chicken Satsivi- Chicken in a Walnut sauce

Chanacki - Baked Lamb with aubergine and potatoes (vegetarian option available)

Chirbuli (v)- Cauliflower with Eggs

Lobio (v) - classic Georgian Beans cooked homestyle

Red Beet Phkali (v) - Beetroot with walnuts

Chicken and Lettuce Salad - With pomegranate seeds and cooked lettuce! (vegetarian option available)

Badrijiani (v) - Aubergines stuffed with walnuts and pomegranate seeds

Beet and Bean Tkemali (v) - With a plum sauce

Georgian Salad (v) made with cold pressed virgin sunflower oil

dessert will be a scrumptious Georgian version of baklava, Phaklava - made with, you guessed it, walnuts, quite unlike its middle-eastern counterparts, for dessert, and pomegranates

And, we promise you won't be able to see the tablecloth for the number of dishes on the table, in true Georgian fashion. You'll be begging us to stop... they did last time anyway!

Click here to see a map of Georgia: http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/georgia.pdf

If you'd like to see more photos of Georgia, I have put an album on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/parkholmesupperclub

Cost will be £45 of which £35 will go direct to Medecins Sans Frontieres to aid their Ebola work.

Please email us with bookings on info@parkholmesupperclub.co.uk