Tongba ( ) is a

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, ...

-based

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 ...

found in the eastern mountainous region of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

and neighbouring Indian regions of

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

and

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...

. It is a sign of respect to a guest, and the drink is also an important element of special occasions and festivals. It is the

traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

and

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

drink of the

Limbu people The Limbu (Limbu language, Limbu: ) are a Sino-Tibetan ethnolinguistic group indigenous to the Himalayan region of eastern Nepal, northeastern India and western Bhutan. In India, the Limbus live in the Indian state, states of Sikkim, Assam, N ...

Preparation

''Tongba'' is actually the name of the vessel that holds the fermented millet beverage known as ''mandokpenaa thee''. Tongba is prepared from brown finger millet (''

Eleusine coracana Finger millet (''Eleusine coracana'') is an annual herbaceous plant widely grown as a cereal crop in the arid and semiarid areas in Africa and Asia. It is a tetraploid and self-pollinating species probably evolved from its wild relative ''Ele ...

'', also known as ragi in India or kodo in Nepal) grown in hilly regions, and it is cooked and combined with traditionally cultured khesung, which is a microbial colony or starter culture. 'Khesung' is the Limbu version of the Nepali term 'murcha'; the Lepchas call it 'thamik', and Bhutias refer to it as 'phab'.

Ethno-medicinal properties

Tongba is a fermented millet beer from the Himalayas that contains biologically active components that may have therapeutic properties against high-altitude illnesses. Tongba is made by steeping fermented millet for a few minutes, then sucking the resulting cloudy liquid through a bamboo straw with a seed-filtering bottom. It is slightly alcoholic, smooth, and has a mild, milky, mushroomy taste with some bready hints. Tongba is a staple for travelers who carry their meals on their backs. It is also good for people who live in colder regions because it helps with digestion and boosts immunity. Tongba contains glycoside, amino acids, fatty acids, terpenoids, and phenol, which have antioxidant and antibacterial potential and therapeutic properties against high-altitude illnesses including body moisture retention property in high-altitude cold and dry weather. Studies have also shown that tongba is metabolomically similar to Japanese

sake Sake, , or saki, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asi ...

References

{{reflist Alcohol in Nepal Types of beer Nepalese drinks Indian drinks Limbu culture Millets

Preparation

Ethno-medicinal properties

See also

References