Diversity and local use of wheat in Georgia

Abstract

Georgia is characterized by remarkable diversity of wheat and an important tradition of wheat production, which have left significant mark on the local language, production practices, culture and everyday life of the local population. The Racha-Lechkhumi province in western Georgia was a refuge of hulled wheat species of makha and zanduri. Naked tetraploid dika and hexaploid bread wheat were major wheat species cultivated in the east and south of Georgia. The harvest practices differed between hulled and naked grain wheats. Some of the hulled wheat spikes are brittle and must be harvested first to avoid shattering. After cutting off heads, the spikes were thrashed and hulled grain was de-husked before milling. Stems were harvested separately. Naked-grain wheats were harvested in bundles at once and thrashed with special sleds on flat yards. The major types of ovens in Georgia were tóné and pourne. In tóné, the pieces of dough are stuck on the hot walls, while in pourne, dough is baked on flat stones. Both naked and hulled wheat grain produced flour of sufficient gluten quality to stick on the walls. The major types of bread are Georgian lavashi and shoti. The Georgian lavashi is very different from the Asian lavahs. The Georgian lavashi is round, relatively thick and is baked in tóné, while the Asian lavash is very thin and baked on flat stones. Other type of local breads like somini and Meskhuri lavashi were spread in South Georgia. Various meals are produced from wheat flour and dough in Georgia. Wheat flour was widely used in folk medicine to treat wounds, diarrhea, stomatitis, while sprouted wheat was used to support people with broken health. The chaff of wheat is fed to livestock. Wheat bundles were used to cover the roofs of houses and barns in rural areas until the middle of the 20th century.