Millet beer, also known as Bantu beer, malwa, pombe "Tchouk" or opaque beer, is an alcoholic beverage made from millet that is common throughout Africa.
Production
This type of
beer is common throughout
Africa. Related African drinks include
maize beer and sorghum beer.
In the Balkans and Turkey a form of millet beer named boza is produced.
In the United States, Sprecher Brewery produces a type of beer that contains a mix of millet and sorghum known as Shakparo.
A form of millet beer is also produced by the Ainu people.
Production process
Millet kernels are soaked in warm water until they sprout, with the goal to increase the content of
maltose in the grain. The millet is then dried out to arrest the germination process.
The malted grain is then pulverized and mixed with water. This mixture is commonly known as
wort. The wort is later boiled in order to remove any potential
threat. Once the boiling process is complete and the wort cools down yeast is added. The mixture is then allowed to ferment. The entire process takes five days.
Cultural significance
In many cultures of West Africa, millet beer is involved in every aspect of daily life, such as:
-
Sacrifices;
-
Rites of passage;
-
Dances;
-
Births, marriages, burials, and funeral celebrations;
-
Welcoming a guest;
-
Sealing a contract;
-
Agricultural cooperatives;
-
Thatching a roof;
-
Pounding a courtyard;
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Domestic construction projects (barn raising);
-
Discussions between village elders;
-
Social gatherings at home and the market.
[Roberts, David (2013). Parlons kabiyè. Paris: Harmattan. pp 249-252]
In some West African cultures, village women open their homes as 'pubs' one day a week, to sell millet beer.
Linguistics
-
Ajon - Ateso (Uganda)
-
Malwa - Luganda (Uganda)
-
BilBil- Guiziga (Cameroon)
-
Pombe- Kiswahili (Uganda)
-
Tchouk ("chook") (Togo)
-
Chibuku (Southern and Central Africa)
-
Dolo - Djioula (West Africa, Burkina Faso)
-
Mbege or wari o mbeke - Chagga (Tanzania)
-
Mariisa - Sudanese Arabic (Sudan)
See also
Further reading
-
Haggblade, Steven, and Wilhelm H. Holzapfel. (2004). "Industrialization of Africa's Indigenous Beer Brewing", Industrialization of Indigenous Fermented Foods, 2nd ed. New York City: CRC Press.
External links
