Drinking Cava in Fiji

If you’re visiting fiji you have to try cava! Cava is a local drink usually drank with a group of people in a ‘cava ceremony’ it is made from a plant root grown on the main land. The root is ground down in to a fine powder, its then wrapped in muslin cloth and put in water it is dipped in and out and squeezed many, many times until all the goodness from the roots is realised in to the water.

Now some resorts will have this on there activities board to join the cava ceremony or if your on the island many of the locals will invite you in to there families to join, i was even invited in the back of a shop in Nadi town to try cava.

For the ceremony you sit in a circle and the leader will scoop up the cava in a small section of coconut shell then pour it in to another coconut shell the same size and pass it to you. Before you take it in to your hands you need to clap once, take the cava, say ‘Bula’ down the cava in one, pass back the shell and the clap 3 times. This is done all the way round the group many times until all the cave is finished.

Now i’m not going to lie cava looks and admittedly tastes like cold dirty water, the cava has some antiseptic properties so as soon as you’ve has your 1st one you’ll feel your mouth go numb and eventually it will make you feel like your drunk. Like i said its not the best tasting and it differs with people as to if they feel that after affects the next day but its great fun and a good way to meet the locals and learn there traditions.