Mahuli (Odia : ମହୁଲି) is a flower
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
used by Tribals in
Odisha
Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...
,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...
. Its prepared from the
Mahula (ମହୁଲ) flower. Mahuli wine is an indigenous drink also called mahuwa (or mahua).
Origins
Tribal people of
Bastar in
Chattishgarh and Western & Northern part of
Odisha
Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...
, Santhals of
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...
and Tribal people of North
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
, consider the tree and the Mahua drink as part of their cultural heritage. It is an obligatory item during celebration and evening activities.
Preparation
Water, the flowers of the
Mahula tree and sugar are the main ingredient used for preparation. A fistful of urea fertilizer is added to the mash to be the yeast nutrient. The flowers are mashed and fermented to make Mahuli. Pure Mahuli is almost transparent and has a distinct, easily identified smell. Alcohol content in pure Mahuli is about 25-45% depending on the number of distillation processes it has gone through. Mahuli is strong in the drink. Indigenous people usually take it raw. It can be used to make cocktails or mixed with water to dilute it.
References
Further reading
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Indian wine
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