“Majuni” – an infrequent culinary dish from Kobuleti (Historical-ethnological aspects)

Abstract

„Majuni” is a festive dessert with sweet and bitter tastes, preserved only by the Kobuleti population. Traditionally, it was a crucial component of a wedding feast. At first, it was served for a groom and bride, and then – other guests. According to some sources, „Majuni” was prepared on souls’ days after a funeral.
The word „Majuni” has an Arabic origin and is spread in the Persian language – with the meaning of a medical solution for strength and excitation; in the Turkish language – with the meaning of an ointment, all kinds of sweets. This word also appears in the Ottoman sources, and is borrowed from the Arabic language. In the Adjarian dialect, „Majuni” is a rice dish with honey or sugar. It is supposed that this medical term has entered into the Georgian language since the X-XI centuries.
Among the Georgian historical sources, the word „Majuni” is mainly fixed in medical books, with the meaning of a medical remedy, complex solution. „Majuni” also had a meaning of a solution for strength and excitation.
Nowadays, the Kobuleti population has various recipes for „Majuni”. According to the elderly, „Majuni” was prepared with round-grain rice and sugar syrup or honey.
The main culinary secret of „Majuni” is its taste, namely, a balance of sweetness and bitterness. Today, all housewives try to keep that balance principle too.