Tej Mohan Asthana
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Tej (from , ; ; ) is a honey wine, like
mead Mead (), also called honey wine, and hydromel (particularly when low in alcohol content), is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alco ...
, that is brewed and consumed in
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
and
Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...
. It has an alcohol content generally ranging from 7 to 11%. It is often home processed and consists of three main ingredients; honey, water and a medicinal shrub called "gesho" (''
Rhamnus prinoides ''Rhamnus prinoides'', the shiny-leaf buckthorn, is an African shrub or small tree in the family Rhamnaceae. Commonly referred to as "gesho" it was first scientifically described by French botanist Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1789 ...
''). Tej is also available commercially to buy in many different types. It is generally consumed during social events such as festivals or weddings, and religious events like Ethiopian New Year (
Enkutatash Enkutatash ( Ge'ez: እንቁጣጣሽ) is a public holiday in coincidence of New Year in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It occurs on Meskerem 1 on the Ethiopian calendar, which is 11 September (or, during a leap year, 12 September) according to the Gre ...
). Consequently, tej forms an important part of Ethiopian society and culture and is considered the national drink of Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, tej is often homemade or served at tej houses, and is often served in a
flask Flask may refer to: Container * Hip flask, a small container used to carry liquid * Laboratory flask, laboratory glassware for holding larger volumes than simple test tubes ** Erlenmeyer flask, a common laboratory flask with a flat bottom, a c ...
-like pitcher or bottle, called a ''berele''. A different beverage, ''berz'', is Ethiopian honey water.


History

Tej has an extensive history in Ethiopian society and is thought to be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages ever produced. Although tej is largely consumed in Ethiopia, it is not restricted to Ethiopia. Fermented honey drinks are thought to be some of the oldest alcoholic beverages in existence. Tej has been consumed for generations in other countries including Eritrea and other variations of fermented honey beverages have been made throughout the continent, for example other honey meads such as Tanzanian wanzuki and Kenyan muratina. It is not known exactly when honey, water and gesho were first mixed together to create tej. However, excavations at Beta Samati, ancient
Aksumite The Kingdom of Aksum, or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom in East Africa and South Arabia from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, based in what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, and spanning present-day Djibouti and Sudan. Emerging ...
site, have found evidence of the consumption of wine, suggesting the existence of tej for many centuries. By the 16th century it was being used to honor warriors, as when Emperor
Sarsa Dengel Sarsa Dengel ( ; 1550 – 4 October 1597), also known as Sarsa the Great, was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne name was throne name Malak Sagad I (መለክ ሰገድ ). He is considered one of the greatest w ...
let the hero Aqba Mikael drink tej in his presence. Prior to the 1900s, tej was only consumed by the King and others in his presence. It was also only produced in the houses of ruling classes. Honey, the key ingredient in the production of tej, was received as a tax and land rent from the other working classes during that time period. It is now made and available to the broader Ethiopian population and has become the national drink of Ethiopia.


Western experience with tej

One of the first western written accounts of Ethiopia was created by Father
Francisco Álvares Francisco Álvares ( – 1536–1541) was a Portugal, Portuguese missionary and exploration, explorer. In 1515 he traveled to Ethiopia as part of the Portuguese embassy to emperor Lebna Dengel accompanied by returning Mateus (Ethiopia), Ethi ...
, a Portuguese priest that lived in Ethiopia with his mission for six years in the 1500s. He wrote of his experience with Ethiopian wine, specifically mentioning that 'wine of honey' was the best of all. He also recounted a celebration he attended which involved the consumption of tej. He detailed the fact that they were encouraged to continuously drink copious amounts of the honey wine during the celebration. Another Portuguese missionary, Jeronimo Lobo, had experience with tej in Ethiopia in the 1600s. He wrote that the Ethiopian people commonly drank beer and mead, and people generally drank in excess when gathered together. He also mentioned that it was considered poor manners to allow guests to go without a drink and that the tej was always served by a servant.
Hormuzd Rassam Hormuzd Rassam (; ; 182616 September 1910) was an Assyriologist and author. He is known for making a number of important archaeological discoveries from 1877 to 1882, including the clay tablets that contained the ''Epic of Gilgamesh,'' the world ...
, an Iraqi-Assyrian
Assyriologist Assyriology (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ''Assyriā''; and , ''-logy, -logia''), also known as Cuneiform studies or Ancient Near East studies, is the archaeological, anthropological, historical, and linguistic study of the cultures that used cune ...
, wrote of his own experiences with tej in his book published in 1869. After a meeting with the Ethiopian emperor at the time, Emperor Theodorus, he was offered a large bottle of old and clear tej. He was requested to drink it despite his aversion towards it, previously describing tej as so sour it was undrinkable. He tried some and stated he enjoyed it more so than any other alcoholic beverage he had tried previously in Ethiopia.


Production

Tej and honey wines in general are considered to be primitive types of wine that are cloudy, yellowish in colour, sweet and
effervescent Effervescence is the escape of gas from an aqueous solution and the foaming or fizzing that results from that release. The word effervescence is derived from the Latin verb ''fervere'' (to boil), preceded by the adverb ''ex''. It has the same l ...
. The specific flavour of the wine largely depends on where bees are sourcing
nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...
for their honey production. Geographical location, vegetation, and especially climate are important in determining the taste of the wine. Whilst the exact steps of tej making may differ between different people, it is most frequently made from a mixture of one part honey to five parts water. However, a less expensive version of tej can be made by replacing some of the honey with sugar. In this case, the yellow colour is then created by adding a natural yellow food colouring. The mixture of honey and water is then stirred in a Genbo or Etro (a traditional narrow mouthed vessel), until the honey completely dissolves. The stems and leaves of ''Rhamnus prinoides'' are then chopped and boiled in either water or a small portion of the grand mixture. This is done for roughly 45 minutes and once finished it is added to the grand mixture. The vessel containing the mixture is then sealed airtight at the mouth using a cotton cloth. It is then left to ferment for a period of time that can generally range from a few days to months; however, the mixture needs to be stirred daily. After the mixture has fermented for the desired period of time, it needs to be filtered through a cloth before consumption in order to remove the ''Rhamnus prinoides'' and any sediment. Other ingredients and modifications in the steps of production can be introduced to create different variations of tej with different flavours. These can include smoking the fermentation pot in order to achieve a smoky flavour, adding various spices such as
ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
or
tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...
, other plants such as khat (''
Catha edulis Khat (''Catha edulis''), also known as Bushman's tea, especially in South Africa, is a flowering plant native to eastern and southeastern Africa. It has a history of cultivation originating in the Harari Region, Harar area (present day easter ...
''), and using crude honey as opposed to refined due to the belief it creates a better mead. Early productions of tej also included roasted barley in order to provoke the fermentation process. These early makings of tej would usually only ferment for 5 to 6 days and were meant to be drunk after, not with, the meal. The bark or wood of another related plant, the shrub ''
Rhamnus staddo Rhamnus may refer to: * Rhamnus (city), or Rhamnous, an ancient Greek city in Attica * Rhamnus (Crete), or Rhamnous, an ancient Greek town in Crete * Rhamnus, an augur killed by Nisus and Euryalus in book IX of The Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; ...
'' (sado wood), is also sometimes added to tej. Tej makers generally add a variety of these different roots of plants, barks or herbal ingredients to their brew in order to improve the overall flavour and potency of the tej. As a result of this, producers of tej often do not disclose the exact ingredients added to their specific concoction.


Fermentation

Generally during the fermentation process, tej is left for a week or longer in warmer weather, and in cooler climates is generally left for 15 to 20 days. The fermentation of tej depends on the different
micro-organisms A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic size, which may exist in its single-celled form or as a colony of cells. The possible existence of unseen microbial life was suspected from antiquity, with an early attestation in Ja ...
that are present in the ingredients, specifically, their substrates. The
lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillales are an order of gram-positive, low-GC, acid-tolerant, generally nonsporulating, nonrespiring, either rod-shaped (bacilli) or spherical ( cocci) bacteria that share common metabolic and physiological characteristics. These bact ...
present during the making of tej are known to generate an array of chemical compounds during the fermentation process. The acidity, distinctive flavour and aroma of tej are created by the metabolic products of these bacteria. The microorganisms present on the equipment and fermentation vats also cause variations in the tej.


Sociocultural significance

Tej is most often produced through
homebrewing Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed dom ...
and is therefore very readily available to much of the Ethiopian population. As a result of this and the drink's long history, it is used during a number of different important religious and social events. Some of these special religious occasions include Christmas, New Year (
Enkutatash Enkutatash ( Ge'ez: እንቁጣጣሽ) is a public holiday in coincidence of New Year in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It occurs on Meskerem 1 on the Ethiopian calendar, which is 11 September (or, during a leap year, 12 September) according to the Gre ...
), Epiphany (
Timkat Timkat ( Ge'ez: ጥምቀት ''T’imk’et'') is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church celebration of Epiphany. It is celebrated on 19 January (or 20 in a leap year), corresponding to the 11th day of Terr in ...
), Easter (
Fasika Fasika ( Ge'ez: ፋሲካ, sometimes transcribed as Fasica; ltimately from Aramaic פַּסְחָא (paskha)is the Ge'ez, Amharic, and Tigrinya word for Easter, also called Tensae (Ge'ez: ትንሣኤ, "to rise"). In Ethiopia, the most promin ...
), and the discovery of the True Cross (
Meskel Meskel () is an Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church holiday that commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Saint Helena of Constantinople in the fourth century. Meskel is celebrated by Oriental Orthodox member ...
). The social events consist of occasions like inaugural ceremonies, weddings and festivals. Its frequent use during these occasions and extensive history make tej Ethiopia's national drink. Ethiopia produces the largest amount of honey in Africa, creating approximately annually. The second largest producer is
Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
, which produces approximately annually. The amount of honey produced showcases its and tej's importance in Ethiopian society. From the total honey produced in Ethiopia, around 80% is used in the production of tej. Therefore, tej also plays an important role in daily life, with honey and honey wines being used for bartering. Tej is commonly consumed in and produced by tej houses, called ''tejbet''. These are located across Ethiopia in villages, towns and cities. Tej is also commercially produced by breweries both within Ethiopia and globally. Subsequently, there are a number of different brands of tej available for purchase, each of which have different flavours and alcohol content.


Health effects

Traditional alcoholic beverages such as tej can be vital sources of calories as well as a source of vitamin B. The presence of vitamin B in tej is a result of the fermenting yeasts,
substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...
residue and other different microorganisms. Two of the ingredients used in the making of tej, honey and ''Rhamnus prinoides'', also have medicinal importance. Another ingredient occasionally used in tej, ''Rhamnus staddo'', is being examined as a possible antimalarial candidate. As an alcoholic beverage and ergo a
depressant Depressants, also known as central nervous system depressants, or colloquially known as "downers", are drugs that lower neurotransmission levels, decrease the electrical activity of brain cells, or reduce arousal or stimulation in various ...
, tej also has potential negative impacts. These impacts are usually associated with risk of dependency and the related potential health risks. Tej has been linked to alcoholism in Ethiopia as a result of two main factors. One such factor is its strong presence and sociocultural significance, which causes it to appear in multiple celebrations throughout the year. The other is because of its nature as a largely home-brewed drink, which makes it easier to attain and afford for most people. Studies have also suggested that tej poses health threats due to its high alcoholic strength. High methanol concentration in tej was another factor identified as a potential hazard to human health.


Chemistry

Tej takes on its yellow, cloudy and effervescent nature due to the contents of the yeasts present in it. These yeasts largely come from the
Saccharomyces ''Saccharomyces'' is a genus of fungi that includes many species of yeasts. ''Saccharomyces'' is from Greek σάκχαρον (sugar) and μύκης (fungus) and means ''sugar fungus''. Many members of this genus are considered very important in f ...
genus; which are commonly the catalysts of the reaction when converting sugars into
ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...
. Yeasts in particular are some of the most dominant microorganisms present in tej. Research into these yeasts determined that over 25% of the yeasts that ferment tej are from the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Other yeasts, such as
Kluyveromyces ''Kluyveromyces'' is a genus of ascomycetous yeasts in the family Saccharomycetaceae. Some of the species, such as ''Kluyveromyces marxianus, K. marxianus'', are the teleomorphs of ''Candida (genus), Candida species''. The genus name of ''Kluyve ...
bulgaricus which made up 16% of the total, also contribute to the fermentation process. The yeasts specifically belonging to the Kluyveromyces and Saccharomyces species have also been reported to be important in the fermentation of various other wines. Tej has been studied due to its various chemical and nutritional properties as well as its unique fermentation process. A study by Bahiru, Mehari & Ashenafi (2001) found that each tej has physico-chemical variations. This is a result of the different stages that the randomized
microflora Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, mutualistic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses, and have been found ...
, present in the ingredients of tej, are in. The amount and type of the specific yeast species present in each tej also creates differentiations, as it results in differing chemical compositions that would create variations even if the tej came from the same source. It is also due to the spontaneous nature of fermentation which makes each tej unique. The honey which was used to create tej in the past, and still today, was generally collected from wild nests or produced in ‘traditional barrel-type hives’. As a result of this gathering method, the honey also contained wax, pollen, bees and broken combs. These additions; however, served a purpose in the production of tej. The remaining wax floating on the surface of the mixture can make the fermentation process more
anaerobic Anaerobic means "living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen", as opposed to aerobic which means "living, active, or occurring only in the presence of oxygen." Anaerobic may also refer to: *Adhesive#Anaerobic, Anaerobic ad ...
(less oxygenated) and the pollen functions as a yeast nutrient. The use of honey in the production of tej also results in a significant level of sugar content. Sugars constitute about 80% of honey and dependent on the ratio of honey to water used to create the specific tej, the overall diluted sugar content of the honey generally ranges from 13 to 27%. Alcohol content can also vary greatly between different types of tej. The typical range is 7 to 11% or 7 to 14%. Research has been conducted on tej with alcohol content levels as low as 2.7% and as high as 21.7%. The pH of tej was found to range from 3.02 to 4.90, meaning it is acidic. This was further confirmed by the titratable acidity levels. These levels, again, could vary as a result of the spontaneous nature of fermentation. However, the mean pH level identified by Bahiru, Mehari & Ashenafi (2001) was significantly higher than other alcoholic beverages such as Korean honey wine, Nigerian oil-palm wine and African mango juice wine.


See also

*
Eritrean cuisine Eritrean cuisine is based on Eritrea's native culinary traditions, but also arises from social interchanges with other regions. The local cuisine shares very strong similarities with the cuisine of neighboring Ethiopia with several dishes being ...
*
List of Ethiopian dishes and foods This is a list of Ethiopian and Eritrean dishes and foods. Ethiopian cuisine, Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisines characteristically consists of vegetable and often very spicy meat dishes, usually in the form of ''wat (food), wat'' (also ''w'et'', '' ...
*
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 ...
, an Ethiopian beer *
Siwa (beer) Siwa (or Suwa) (), Amharic: ጠላ, is a beer originating from Tigray Region, Tigray. Traditionally home-brewed, ''siwa'' remains locally popular during social events, after (manual) work, and as an incentive for farmers and labourers. Thousands ...


References


External links


All About Tej


{{Honey-based alcoholic drinks Mead Honey liqueurs and spirits Ethiopian wine