Kava
The mildly numbing drink of roots, shared in ceremonies across the Pacific.
Also: yaqona, 'ava, sakau
Kava is a drink made by pounding or grinding the root of a pepper plant, Piper methysticum, and mixing it with water in a large wooden bowl, then serving it in coconut shell cups. It is drunk in ceremonies across Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu and Pohnpei, to welcome guests, resolve disputes, make decisions and honour chiefs. In Fiji, visitors present a bundle of roots, sevusevu, to the village chief, who accepts it with a speech. The cup is taken with a single clap before and a few claps after, and the drink tastes earthy and numbs the lips. Kava bars have also opened abroad.
Region: Oceania