Ceremonial Grog · Root-Steeped Brew
Kava (Yaqona)
Photo: Petar Milošević / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
It numbs your tongue and lips on contact, is drunk from a shared coconut-shell cup, and is downed in one go after a synchronized clap.
Kava, called yaqona in Fiji and casually 'grog,' is made by pounding dried kava root into powder, mixing it with water, and straining it through cloth into a large wooden bowl (tanoa). It's ladled into a coconut-shell cup and shared in a set order at village ceremonies, and just as often at casual evening gatherings among friends.
Why it's made this way: Kava drinking is central to Fijian social and ceremonial life, from welcoming visitors to nightly neighborhood grog circles.
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