Ajika sauce granted status of Intangible Cultural Heritage
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The traditional Megrelian and Abkhazian technology of Georgian spicy sauce, ajika, have received the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia.
The National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation granted the technology the status in the framework of the project Georgian Taste Heritage.
Ajika originates in the Western parts of Georgia, in the Samegrelo and Abkhazia regions.
The project for listing the Abkhazian and Megrelian production of ajika as cultural heritage is very important [and] I hope such decisions will contribute to a future popularity of all products linked to the Georgian identity", the Agency's General Director Nikoloz Antidze told Rustavi 2 channel reporters.
The main ingredients are red pepper, garlic and dried spice. There are numerous variations of the sauce spread all over Georgia.
Legend has it that ajika dates back to the 15th century when the land owners began adding pepper to salt given to livestock, thinking that adding pepper would keep the shepherds from taking the salt from them.
A traditional product 'dambal khatcho', made in georgia's mountainous Pshavi province. Photo: Nino Alavidze.
However, the shepherds mixed the salt and pepper with garlic and mountain herbs and thus, ajika was created.
Project organisers report that they have collected 140 recipes of well-known and unknown Georgian meals. All of them will be granted the status of of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia step by step.
In 2014, the Cultural Heritage Agency included the technology for making dambal khatcho - a traditional meal made out of seasoned curd in the Pshavi highland province - to the cultural heritage list.
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