Millet beer, also known as Bantu beer, malwa, pombe "Tchouk" or opaque beer, is an
alcoholic beverage
Drinks containing alcohol (drug), alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and Distilled beverage, spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered Non-al ...
made from
malt
Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as "malting".
Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar, ...
ed
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae.
Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...
that is common throughout Africa. Its production process varies across regions and in the southern parts of Africa is more commonly known as
umqombothi. Millet beer varies in taste and alcoholic content between ethnic groups. It is served in
calabash gourds.
Production
This type of
beer
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
is common throughout
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. Related African drinks include
maize beer and sorghum beer.
In the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
and
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
a form of millet beer named
boza is produced.
In the
U.S.,
Sprecher Brewery produces a type of beer that contains a mix of millet and
sorghum
''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...
known as Shakparo.
A form of millet beer is also produced by the
Ainu.
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
Wort () is the liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer or whisky. Wort contains the sugars, the most important being maltose and maltotriose, that will be Ethanol fermentation, fermented by the brewing yeast to prod ...
''. The wort is later boiled in order to remove any potential
bacteria
Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...
l 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;
*Domestic construction projects (barn raising);
*Discussions between village elders;
*Social gatherings at home and the market.
In some West African cultures, village women open their homes as 'pubs' one day a week, to sell millet beer.
This gathering point provides social cohesion in the village. The millet beer is served in a calabash. Drinkers hold the calabash with the right hand, pouring a few drops on the ground in honor of ancestors before drinking. After drinking, drinkers pour the dregs on the ground in a straight line.
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
*
Pito (beer)
*
Tella
''Tella'' or ''talla'' (Amharic ጠላ; , ) is a traditional beer from Ethiopia. It is brewed from various grains, which can change depending on location. These typically include barley or teff. Depending on region, wheat, sorghum, or corn may be ...
*
Ikupasuy
*
Millet wine
References
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
Millet beer production in Africa
{{African cuisine
Types of beer
African cuisine
Beer in Africa
Millets