The war of toponyms

The Georgian chauvinists resort to such absurd claims that they should simply be ashamed of themselves. They now maintain that South Ossetia does not exist. If they use the term at all, they put it in quotes and preface it with the words ‘so called’. They now call the area Shida Kartli [Inner Kartli] or Samachablo [Fiefdom of the Machabeli family].

Ruslan Berzek, a descendant of the last Ubykh prince Haji Berzek Kerantukh, was ordained a priest at the Elyr-shrine on Thursday 20 February. He it was who had to become the priest of the seventh Abkhazian sanctuary of Bytkha, which is located in the territory of modern Sochi.

For 12 years, Ruslan Berzek has been restoring not only his family-tree, but also the language, culture and traditional religion of the Ubykh people.

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The example of Russia is instructive. In 2020, Russia occupies Ukrainian territory in Crimea and Donbass. It occupies the Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. It occupies the Moldovan territory of Transnistria.

But Russia is really only paying a price for its occupation and annexation of Crimea, which has caused the U.S. and its European allies to sanction sectors of the Russian economy. Russia was initially sanctioned for its occupation of Georgian territory, but those sanctions were lifted in 2009 following a flimsy cease-fire agreement that Russian-backed separatists have since violated. The EU treats Transnistrian goods as if they were Moldovan. There are no restrictions on trade from the Georgian territory that Russia occupies.

The secrets of the ancient method of preparing the Abkhazian national seasoning known as ajika [adjika or adzhika; Abkhaz: аџьыка] and the transformation of hot pepper and spices on stone into a unique, fragrant and piquant ‘masterpiece’ were revealed to a correspondent of Sputnik by Alla Sabua-Chichba, resident of the village of Achandara.

Sputnik Abkhazia: Rada Azhiba.

In olden days, the Abkhazians prepared ajika on a special stone: large, flat, and of quadrangular or round shape. The stone is called ahaq^j’a (the mortar), and all ingredients are ground to a mass of plasticine-like consistency with another oblong stone called apkhnyga (the pestle).

Steve Everett | Yorkshire Daily Business -- A plucky Doncaster mother has transformed a closely guarded family recipe into a successful spicy sauce which is being sold to food lovers across the UK.