Lotoko, also known by the slang term , is a home-distilled alcoholic drink or

moonshine Moonshine is alcohol proof, high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed alcohol law, illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol (drug), alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the ...

in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. Lotoko is usually made from

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

, but sometimes from

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

or plantain. Heads of corn are cut up and boiled into a mash which is then fermented and distilled using improvised

still A still is an apparatus used to distillation, distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively Boiling, boil and then cooling to Condensation, condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic Distillation#Laboratory_procedures, ...

s made from cut-down oil drums. Although it is officially banned because of its high alcohol content (over 50%), its production is widespread in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lotoko production, being a cottage industry, is very low-tech. It provides its mainly female producers with a degree of financial independence.

Health concerns

Because of the woody core of the cobs of corn, the alcohol produced contains high levels of

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...

, which is toxic. Lotoko made from cassava or plantains does not carry the same methanol risk. Local NGOs have expressed concernLa boisson indigène Lotoko, un danger pour la santé
n indigenous drink, Lotoko, is a health hazard/ref> as to its health effects in the communities of

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

, where it costs 200 to 300 FC, compared to 600 FC for commercially brewed beers.

Etymology

''Lotoko'' is a

Lingala Lingala (or Ngala, Lingala: ) is a Bantu languages, Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser de ...

word and is known country-wide.

References

Distilled drinks Culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Adulteration Crime in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Alcohol in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Homebrewing {{DRCongo-geo-stub