The Moscow Times on Demand of Russian Communists to Ban Georgian Food

The visit of the Russian lawmaker to Georgia and his addressing from the seat of the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament has become a matter of strong debates and even confrontations in the last month, leading to the deepening of tensions between the two countries.

Following large-scale demonstrations in the Georgian capital, Russia temporarily banned direct flights from Moscow to Tbilisi, claiming it to be a decision for the sake of the Russian citizens. Discussions on imposing restrictions on importing Georgian wine and mineral water to Russia are also ongoing.

The Moscow Times recently published an article on yet another suggestion from the Communists of Russia about Georgia. This time, they demand the banning of the most outstanding dishes of the Georgian cuisine: khinkali and khachapuri, also very popular among Russians, or to rename them.

“The Communists of Russia party, which split from the better-known Communist Party in 2012, proposed last week to rename popular Georgian dishes with their Russian approximations. That way, the traditional Georgian dumpling khinkali would instead be branded pelmeni, a Russian dumpling; and the cheese bread khachapuri would go by pyshki, or fried dough,” reads the article, representing the comment of Yaroslav Sidorov, the Deputy Chief of the Party.

“We submitted this demand because we want adequate responses to the disrespect emanating from Georgia,” stated Sidorov, noting that it is unlikely that the appeal will be approved but that there is a hope “it will spark a reaction”.

The Moscow Times also introduces the results of a study by the RBC, according to which, the demand for khinkali dropped by 19%, and by 13% in the case of khachapuri, in Russia between July 1 and July 10, in comparison with the same period of 2018.

By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya

Image source: foodandwine.com