Using the microwave is less common, though, and food is usually fried in a pan, steamed, baked or boiled fresh. For example, Khinkali is boiled, Khachapuri is baked and Ojakhuri is cooked in a pan. Food is typically prepared together, as people love cooking together. They use this activity as an opportunity to talk and laugh as they prepare their meals together.
Georgian food is delicious and is meant to be shared. Georgian culture stresses the importance of connecting with family, friends and food. They have feasts called supras which are comparable to our Thanksgiving, only they have them more often than one time per year! At a supra, they gather together family and friends to host large feasts to celebrate important events. These could be holidays, important community events, successes or moments of reuniting or parting between family members. At a supra the guests will have many toasts, talk endlessly, laugh a lot and generally celebrate life! There is always one person in charge of giving the toasts, and this is the toastmaster, or Tamada. The person chosen gives many toasts throughout the meal for everyone to say cheers to, including God, family and important community events. For example, the toastmaster might say, Gamaur [Gahm-er-joe-s] , three times, and everyone else yells back, Jos. On the third Jos, the toastmaster will shout the words Gamaur-Jos, Gamaur-Jos, Gamaur-Jos, Jos, Jos, three consecutive times, and then everyone cheers and drinks.
