nonalcoholic, euphoria-producing beverage made from the root of the pepper plant, principally Piper methysticum, in most of the South Pacific islands. It is yellow-green in colour and somewhat bitter, and the active ingredient is apparently alkaloidal in nature.

Consumption of the beverage takes place in the kava ceremony, which is rigidly prescribed and includes the ritual making and drinking of kava and a ceremonial feast. Occasions for the kava ceremony can be social, such as a gathering of chiefs, a visit of a chief from a neighbouring island, or a gathering before battle, or it can be ceremonial, such as the conclusion of a public assembly presided over by a chief or king, the inauguration of a new chief, or a meeting with a god or gods for divination.